Your quote is only as accurate as your walkthrough. Ten minutes of decent footage gets you a binding estimate you can rely on; a rushed two-minute sweep gets you a guess. Here is exactly how to film it.
Before you hit record
- Open the curtains. Daylight beats overhead bulbs. Turn lights on in windowless rooms, closets and the garage.
- Do not tidy up. Genuinely — do not. Stacked boxes and a cluttered garage are information. A staged, half-empty room produces a low cube and a wrong price.
- Hold the phone upright or sideways, then stay there. Either works. Switching mid-recording is what causes trouble.
- Plan a loop. Start at the front door and walk the house the way you would give a tour. It keeps you from missing a room.
How to actually film a room
- Stand in the doorway. Get the whole room in one slow pan before you go in. This gives the scale of the space.
- Pan slowly. Slower than feels natural — roughly a full wall every four or five seconds. Fast panning blurs, and blurred furniture is furniture that does not get counted.
- Then get closer to the big things. Sofas, beds, wardrobes, appliances, anything bulky. A couple of seconds each.
- Open the closed things. Wardrobes, built-in closets, cabinets you are emptying, chests. If it is coming with you, it needs to be seen.
- Say what you are looking at. Talk while you film. “This sofa is staying.” “That is a gun safe.” “These twelve boxes are already packed.” The audio is genuinely used.
The places people forget
Almost every under-quoted move traces back to one of these. Walk this list before you finish:
- Garage — especially shelving, tools, bikes and the stuff along the back wall
- Attic, loft and crawlspace
- Basement, and anything behind the boiler
- Shed, and anything down the side of the house
- Patio and yard — furniture, grill, planters, umbrella
- Hall and linen closets
- Under the beds
- Laundry room, pantry and the top of the wardrobes
- Wall-mounted TVs, mirrors and shelving that is coming down
Film the way out, too
Access changes the plan and sometimes the price, so give us a few seconds of: the stairs or elevator, the front door and hallway width, the driveway or street where a truck would park, and any gate or complex entrance. If a 26-foot truck cannot get near the door, we would all rather know now than at 8am on moving day.
Common mistakes
- Filming too fast. The single most common one. Slow down.
- Tidying first. You are hiding your own shipment from the estimate.
- Skipping the “obvious” room. The AI cannot count what it cannot see.
- Filming in the dark. Garages and closets especially — turn the light on.
- Not saying what stays. Anything you do not flag gets counted and priced.
Forgot a room?
Record another clip and add it. There is no penalty for a second take, and it is far cheaper than a revision on moving day.
Ready?
Start your free video survey — no app, no account, about 10 minutes. Curious what happens to the footage? See how AI builds a moving inventory, or compare it with the traditional route in virtual survey vs video-survey quote. Full details on the AI Video Survey page.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a moving video walkthrough be?
About ten minutes of steady footage covers most homes. Ten minutes of decent video supports a binding written estimate; a rushed two-minute sweep only produces a guess.
Should I tidy up before filming?
No. Stacked boxes and a cluttered garage are information the estimator needs. A staged, half-empty room produces a low cube count and the wrong price.
How slowly should I pan the camera?
Slower than feels natural, roughly one full wall every four to five seconds. Start in the doorway, capture the whole room in one slow pan, then walk in.
Does phone orientation matter?
Upright or sideways both work. Switching orientation partway through the recording is what causes problems, so pick one and stay there.