SOVE7GN
Real estate video ads: five examples, a script template, and the housing ad rules on Meta and Google
Updated 2 November 2026 · Written by Reyansh Juneja and Naman Dhiman, the co-founders of SOVE7GN, who run the campaigns and review the clips
The real estate video ads that work are vertical, 15 to 30 seconds long, open on the property or the agent talking (not a logo), and were usually posted organically first so you already know people watch them. The five types worth running are the listing tour, the seller lead ad, the agent intro, the just sold and the market update, and every one of them falls under housing ad rules that limit who you can target.
Short answer: Use this template: a 3-second hook on the best feature or a seller's question, 15 to 20 seconds of proof, one call to action, and the brokerage name on screen. Cut it 9:16 for Reels, TikTok and Shorts and 1:1 or 16:9 for feeds and YouTube. Housing ads on Meta cannot target by age, gender or ZIP code and need at least a 15-mile radius in the US and Canada; Google bans age, gender, parental status, marital status and ZIP targeting for housing in the US and Canada. General information, not legal advice. Checked 2 November 2026.
What are good real estate video ad examples?
Five types cover almost everything an agent or brokerage needs. The examples are templates: swap in your own true facts.
| Ad type | Goal | Hook (first 3 seconds) | Body | Call to action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listing tour | Showings for one home | The best room or view, no intro | Three rooms or features, price and beds on screen | "Book a showing" |
| Seller lead | Listing appointments | "What is your home worth in [area] right now?" | One recent sale explained by the agent | "Get a price estimate" |
| Agent intro | Recognition with local owners | The agent mid-sentence on something specific | Who you help, one recent result you can show | "Follow" or "Message me" |
| Just sold | Proof to sellers | "Sold in [number] days in [area]" (if true) | What you did differently for this seller | "Thinking of selling? Talk to us" |
| Market update | Trust with future sellers | One number from your MLS, with the month | What it means for someone selling this season | "Get the full update" |
Hooks that name a type of buyer ("perfect for young families", "ideal for retirees") are out. Describe the home and the area, never the person who should live there.
What does a 30-second real estate video ad template look like?
- 0 to 3 seconds: hook. The single best visual, or the agent asking the seller's question. Captions on from the first frame, so the hook works with the sound off.
- 3 to 20 seconds: proof. For a listing, three features in the order a buyer would walk them. For a seller ad, one real sale and what you did.
- 20 to 27 seconds: one call to action. One, not three.
- 27 to 30 seconds: identification. Your name, your brokerage name and any license detail your state requires, readable on a phone.
Our real estate listing video and real estate video scripts pages cover the filming and the script lines in more detail.
Which aspect ratio for which platform?
| Placement | Shape | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, Stories | 9:16 vertical | The main cut; make it first |
| TikTok | 9:16 vertical | Same cut as Reels |
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 vertical | Same cut; YouTube in-stream ads use 16:9 |
| Facebook and Instagram feed | 1:1 or 4:5 | Crop from the vertical master, keep text inside the center |
| YouTube in-stream | 16:9 horizontal | Film horizontal if this is a main placement |
Film once in 4K horizontal or vertical, depending on where most of the budget goes, and crop the rest. Keep on-screen text inside the middle of the frame so every crop keeps it.
Who can you target with a real estate video ad?
Fewer people than for any other industry, because housing ads are restricted on every major platform.
| Platform | What is restricted for housing ads | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram) | Age fixed to 18 to 65+; no gender choice; no ZIP code targeting; locations must include at least a 15-mile radius in the US and Canada; no lookalike audiences. Applies to advertisers based in the US or reaching audiences in the US, Canada or Europe. | Meta Special Ad Category docs |
| Google Ads (search, display, YouTube campaigns run in Google Ads) | In the US and Canada, no targeting by gender, age, parental status, marital status or ZIP code; city, country and radius targeting still allowed | Google restricted targeting policy |
| Every platform | The ad itself cannot indicate a preference based on a protected class, including through words, photographs or the choice of media | 24 CFR 100.75 |
The Google page does not mention YouTube by name; our cautious reading is that YouTube ads bought through Google Ads follow it, because they use the same targeting settings. TikTok and other platforms have their own housing policies; check them in the ad tool before you launch. Our realtor Facebook ads page walks through setting up a Meta housing campaign step by step; this page is about the video itself.
What can the ad say about price and payments?
The price, beds, baths and square footage are fine. A monthly payment is not, unless the full credit terms are in the same ad: stating a down payment, a number of payments, a payment amount or a finance charge triggers the Regulation Z disclosures (12 CFR 1026.24(d)). NAR members must also show their firm name in a "reasonable and readily apparent manner" in any ad (Standard of Practice 12-5 of the 2026 Code of Ethics), and many states set their own rules on where the brokerage name goes. Our realtor social media rules page lists them by state.
Which video should you put money behind?
The one that already did well organically. In our own October 2026 research on 31 luxury real estate agents in the US and Canada, the median typical reel got about 6,800 views and the median best reel about 29,000; 13 of the 31 agents had a reel do 5x or more their normal views. That spread is why we do not guess which ad will win. Post many clips organically, see which ones break out, and pay to show those to more people. A new ad made from scratch has no such signal.
That takes volume. One hour of long video usually gives us 12 to 20 clips, so one listing tour plus one sit-down with the agent gives enough clips to test for weeks. We send 2 example clips for approval and go live within 48 hours. Entry is $2,000 a month for 2 clips a day. See how we work with founder-led businesses or book a 30-minute call.
Questions people ask
What is a good real estate video ad template?
A 3-second hook on the best feature or a seller's question, 15 to 20 seconds of proof, one call to action and your name and brokerage on screen at the end. Captions on from the first frame.
How long should a real estate video ad be?
Our rule of thumb is 15 to 30 seconds for Reels, TikTok and Shorts placements. Longer tours work better as organic posts or YouTube videos that the ad points to.
Can you target real estate ads by ZIP code?
No on Meta or Google in the US and Canada. Meta requires at least a 15-mile radius for housing ads, and Google bans ZIP code targeting for housing ads in both countries.
What should a real estate video ad not say?
Anything that suggests who should live in the home, such as family type, age, religion or disability, and any monthly payment without the full credit terms.
Want a straight answer for your videos?
Book a 30-minute call. Send us a link first and we'll tell you which plan fits and how many clips we can make.
Book a call See plans and pricing- Realtor Facebook adsMeta's housing ad limits, Fair Housing wording and which reel to put money behind.
- Real estate listing videoA shot list for one listing shoot, cut into a property film and about 10 short clips.
- Realtor social media rulesFair housing, brokerage name rules by state and a checklist for every listing reel.