Listing video script examples, with timings
Five full scripts, timed shot by shot, for a ranch, a waterfront estate, a tiny condo, a rental and an open house. Plus the arithmetic that keeps narration from racing the pictures.
By the Property Video Generator team · 27 October 2026 · 8 min read
Here is a 30 second script for a three bedroom ranch in Austin. Read it out loud with a timer before you read anything else on this page.
If you read it at a normal pace you finished with a few seconds to spare. That gap is deliberate. Professional narration runs at about 150 words a minute, which is 2.5 words per second, and a listing film needs room for the pictures to land between lines. Our working rule: multiply the film length in seconds by 2.5, then take off about a fifth. A 30 second film wants 55 to 60 words, a 45 second film 85 to 90, a 60 second film no more than 120.
| Film length | Words at 2.5/s | Words we actually write | Lines (about 8 to 12 words each) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 s | 37 | 25 to 30 | 3 |
| 30 s | 75 | 55 to 60 | 5 or 6 |
| 45 s | 112 | 85 to 90 | 8 |
| 60 s | 150 | 110 to 120 | 10 or 11 |
All five scripts below are examples we wrote for this page. The addresses, prices and features are made up to be realistic, so swap in your own facts and keep the structure.
The ranch: let the yard be the hook
The house above has 22 photos. A 1,640 sq ft ranch is not going to win on the living room, so the script opens on what a buyer in that price band cannot find elsewhere: lot size. Here it is again with timings and shots.
| Time | Shot | Line | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 s | Back yard, wide, from the patio | Three bedrooms, one level, and a back yard the size of a second house. | 14 |
| 3 to 8 s | Front elevation, then living room | Original oak floors, refinished this spring. | 6 |
| 8 to 14 s | Kitchen, then kitchen to patio doors | A kitchen that opens straight onto the patio. | 8 |
| 14 to 19 s | Primary bedroom, primary bath | The primary suite at the quiet end. | 7 |
| 19 to 25 s | Second bath, garage, street | Two baths, a two car garage, ten minutes to downtown. | 10 |
| 25 to 30 s | Twilight exterior, end card | Offered at $485,000. Tour it this Saturday. | 7 |
Notice “primary suite”. Plenty of MLSs have moved away from “master”, and while HUD has never said the word itself is a violation, there is no reason to make a reviewer stop and think about it.
The $2.1M waterfront: say less
Luxury scripts fail by talking too much. At $2.1 million on Davis Islands in Tampa, the buyer already knows what marble is. Give the pictures most of the time and use the words for things a photo cannot show: depth of water, orientation, what you can see from the dock. This one runs 45 seconds and uses only 62 words, well under the 85 the table allows.
| Time | Shot | Line | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 s | Dock at sunset, held | Deep water, no bridges, the bay at the end of the dock. | 12 |
| 5 to 12 s | Pool deck, back elevation | Music only. | 0 |
| 12 to 19 s | Great room toward the water | Floor to ceiling glass on the west side, so every evening looks like this. | 14 |
| 19 to 26 s | Kitchen, dining | A kitchen built for people who actually cook. | 8 |
| 26 to 34 s | Primary suite, terrace | The primary suite takes the whole upper floor, with its own terrace. | 12 |
| 34 to 40 s | Twilight from the water | Five bedrooms. Twelve minutes to downtown. | 6 |
| 40 to 45 s | End card | Private showings by appointment. $2,100,000. | 5 |
Two things to verify before you say them: “no bridges” (a buyer with a sailboat will check) and the water depth if you state a number. Narration is advertising, and a wrong fact in a voice over is as much a misrepresentation as one in the listing remarks. The luxury listing video page has more on pacing at this end of the market.
The 600 sq ft condo: sell the building and the block
A 600 square foot studio condo in River North, Chicago has maybe eight good photos. Do not stretch them. Make it 20 seconds and talk about the parts that are bigger than the unit: the building, the roof deck, the location.
| Time | Shot | Line | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 s | Window with city view | Your own place, two blocks from the river. | 8 |
| 3 to 9 s | Living area, kitchen | Six hundred square feet, laid out so none of it is wasted. | 11 |
| 9 to 14 s | Roof deck, gym | Roof deck, gym, and a door staff who know your name. | 11 |
| 14 to 20 s | Building exterior, end card | $289,000. HOA includes heat and internet. Link in bio. | 9 |
Total: 39 words in 20 seconds, which is just under 2 per second. That sounds slow on paper and feels right on screen. If the HOA fee is high, saying what it covers in the script answers the first question every condo buyer has.
The rental: answer the three questions renters ask
Renters scroll faster than buyers and want three facts: rent, move in date, and whether their life fits (pets, parking, laundry). A two bed in Denver at $2,150 a month:
| Time | Shot | Line | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 s | Living room in full light | Two bedrooms in Highland, $2,150 a month. | 7 |
| 3 to 8 s | Kitchen | New kitchen, dishwasher, and laundry in the unit. | 8 |
| 8 to 13 s | Bedrooms | Both bedrooms fit a queen with room to spare. | 9 |
| 13 to 18 s | Patio, parking | A private patio and one off street spot. | 8 |
| 18 to 25 s | Exterior, end card | Available December 1. Cats and small dogs considered. Apply at the link. | 12 |
Fair housing law covers rentals as well as sales, so the same rules apply: describe the unit, not the tenant you imagine in it. “Perfect for a professional couple” is the classic mistake. A pet policy is fine to state, but remember that assistance animals are not pets under federal law, so “no pets” never means “no service animals”. There is more on rentals on the rental property video page.
The open house teaser: the time is the script
Fifteen seconds, two lines, and the date and time on screen for at least four seconds so people can screenshot it.
| Time | Shot | Line | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 4 s | Hero room | Come see this one in person. | 6 |
| 4 to 10 s | Three quick rooms | Four bedrooms, a finished basement, and that kitchen. | 8 |
| 10 to 15 s | Exterior with text: Sat 1 to 3 pm, 1418 Alder Way | Saturday, one to three. Coffee's on. | 6 |
Twenty words. On screen text carries the address; never make people listen to a street number. Most of your viewers have the sound off anyway, which is why every line should also appear as a caption.
Words that get a listing video pulled
The Fair Housing Act bars advertising that indicates a preference based on race, colour, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin, and many states add more protected classes (source of income, age, sexual orientation and others, depending on the state). In a script, the risk is almost always the same move: describing who should live there instead of what is there.
| Avoid | Why | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect for families | Familial status | Four bedrooms and a fenced yard |
| Ideal for empty nesters | Familial status, and age in some states | Single level living, primary suite on the main floor |
| Safe, quiet neighbourhood | Often read as steering; MLSs and brokerages flag it | Dead end street, low traffic |
| Walking distance to St. Mark's | Can suggest religious preference when used as a selling point | Ten minutes on foot to the town square |
| Great schools | Frequently flagged as steering; also hard to substantiate | Name the assigned district and let buyers check |
| No wheelchairs up those stairs | Disability | Second floor unit, no elevator |
Rules and brokerage policies differ, so treat this as a starting list rather than legal advice. If your brokerage has a compliance reviewer, send them the script, not the finished film: a line is cheaper to change before it is voiced.
Writing your own
The structure under all five: hook with the strongest fact, a few lines that walk the home, one line for the peak, then price and next step. Count your words against the table at the top. Read it aloud once. If you trip on a line, so will the voice.
If you would rather start from a draft, the free listing video script generator builds one from your details, and Property Video Generator writes a script from your photos and checks it against the price, beds and baths you entered, then lets you rewrite any line before it is voiced. For the thinking behind good lines rather than the arithmetic, see scripts that sell homes.
Questions agents ask
How many words should a 30 second listing video script be?
About 55 to 60. Narration runs at roughly 2.5 words per second, which would allow 75, but you need a few seconds for the hook frame and the end card to breathe.
Should a listing video say the price?
Usually yes, either in the first line or on the end card. Price is the first filter every buyer applies, and leaving it out mostly attracts people who cannot afford the home. Some luxury sellers prefer price on request; follow your seller's instruction.
Can I use the same script for the MLS cut?
The narration can stay, but check your MLS rules. Many MLSs require the virtual tour to be unbranded, so lines like “call me today” or your name and brokerage should not be in the audio or on screen.
Is “master bedroom” a fair housing violation?
HUD has not said so, but many MLSs and brokerages have switched to “primary bedroom” or “primary suite”. Using the newer term costs nothing.