UrbanMeasure Media Services FAQ

UrbanMeasure photographs and films residential and commercial properties for MLS® and marketing. This page covers the difference between a 360 virtual tour and a listing video, what an AI tour is, photo counts, video options, turnaround, rush bookings, shoot prep, and virtual staging.

What is the difference between a virtual tour and a real estate video?

A 360 virtual tour is interactive and lets the viewer decide where to look, while a real estate video is a guided 4K walk-through. A 360 virtual tour is interactive; it’s like having a 24/7 open house. Buyers move from room to room, look around in every direction, and read the layout themselves. It is the closest thing to a showing without being on site.

A real estate video is a guided walk-through shot in 4K. The photographer chooses the path, the angles, and the pace. The edit can be full-length (2-3 minutes), short Express (60 seconds) for social feeds, or built around the home’s specific features. All our videos are professionally edited to include captivating music and your branding.

The difference is control. A tour lets the viewer decide where to look. A video decides for them and is built to get a click, a save, or a showing request. Most listing packages use one or the other; they are not the same product.

What is an AI-Assisted Video?

An AI-Assisted Video (AI tour) is a walk-through built from still photographs. No video is filmed on site. The stills are sequenced into a moving tour of the home.

It is delivered in horizontal and vertical formats so it can run on a listing site (MLS), website, and on a phone. Use it when you want motion from the photo set without a separate video shoot.

How many photos will I receive?

A typical residential gallery is about 50 edited images. The count depends on size, layout, and what the home needs shown. Homes over 4,000 square feet usually need more frames and often receive around 75 images.

Can I customize my video?

Yes. Common options are brokerage or personal branding, an on-camera realtor intro and outro, drone footage, horizontal or vertical format, and running time. Set those when you book so the shoot and the edit match the listing plan.

What is the turnaround time for media services?

Photos and uTour Virtual Walkthroughs are delivered the next business day. Videos are typically delivered within 48 hours of the shoot.

Can I book rush or last-minute services?

Same-day photography bookings are often available. Ask admin with the listing date attached.

Express Photo includes 15 edited images and can usually be delivered the same day.

Video can sometimes be booked on short notice. Editing still takes time. Standard video delivery is 24–48 hours. The fastest video turnaround we offer for this service is the next business day.

How can I make sure the property photographs well?

Clean the floors, clear the clutter, turn on every interior light, and open the blinds before the appointment. Every booking includes the Media Preparation Checklist before the appointment. The items that change the gallery most:

• Vacuum and clean floors.
• Clear toys, remotes, dishes, paper products, and other daily clutter.
• Turn on every interior light and lamp.
• Open blinds and curtains.
• Clear counters, tables, and desks.
• Put away pet bowls, bins, hampers, and laundry.
• Move extra items in unfinished or utility rooms out of frame if those rooms will be shot.

If time is short, fill a hamper or bin, park it out of sight, and shoot. A clear room photographs larger and brighter.

Do you offer virtual staging?

Yes. Available work includes virtual furniture staging, virtual item removal, grass and planting touch-ups, sky replacement, and similar still-image edits. Virtual staging is listed at $60 per photo. Our photo-realistic virtual staging is created by our in-house design team. Our attention to detail provides consistency between multiple angles of the same space, with accurate reflections and shadows.

Do you only work with REALTORS®?

No. Media work is booked by REALTORS®, home builders, architects, property managers, renovation contractors, short-term rental operators, and homeowners, to name a few. The same photo, video, and tour products are available for all industries. For more information on all the industries we serve, have a look at our Residential Industries page or our Commercial Industries page.

Do you offer drone photography and video?

Yes, where Transport Canada rules allow. Every member of our media team is an RPAS-certified drone pilot. Drone stills and video help when lot size, a view, or the building’s place on the block matters. Weather and airspace can block a flight; ground photos still go ahead.

How long is a media appointment?

A standard photo shoot is often under one hour. Adding video, a 360 tour, or drone time extends the visit. Large homes and commercial floors take longer. The booking confirmation lists the window.

Can photos, video, and a tour be done in one visit?

Yes, the Realtor Essentials Package combines photos with a 60-second video or a 360 tour, plus measurements and a property layout (basic floor plan). Add-ons such as drone or virtual staging can be requested on the same order.

Is virtual staging allowed on MLS®?

Virtually staged images may be used when they are labelled as virtually staged and the unstaged photo is available. Do not present a staged image as the current condition of the room.

Who owns the photos and video?

Urban Measure owns all photographs, video, drone footage, 360 imagery, floor plans, websites, and related media we produce. Once your invoice is paid in full, you receive a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use that content only to market the specific property it was shot for, including MLS listings, brokerage marketing, social media, and print or digital ads. You may crop or resize files for layout, but you may not materially alter them, resell or sublicense them, give them to builders, developers, designers, or stagers for their own use, or pass them to a later listing agent without our written approval. We may use the same work in our portfolio, website, social channels, advertising, training, and award submissions, and we may reuse community, amenity, and streetscape shots for other properties in the same development.

Where do you shoot?

We operate nationally. Our primary markets are Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, with a major focus on Calgary, Edmonton, and Invermere. Some towns carry a travel fee.

Should I leave the lights on?

Yes. Turn on every interior fixture and lamp before the photographer arrives. Mixed light from lamps, ceiling fixtures, and windows is how the rooms are best captured.

Why are cloudy days good for listing photos?

Cloud cover evens the light on the exterior and cuts hard sun glare on the interior. Sunny days work too. Rain and snow do not stop a booked interior shoot.

Can you photograph in the rain or snow?

Interiors go ahead. Exterior and drone photos: we always attempt to shoot unless we risk damaging gear. If the listing must launch the same day, we shoot the exterior as it is and can return for a weather window when booked.

Should I be home during the shoot?

It is not necessary to have someone home during the shoot. We are fully bonded and insured. So long as the property is photo-ready, you can provide access via lockbox or door code; don’t feel obligated to take time out of your busy schedule to let us in.

Should pets stay in the photos?

Keep pets out of the rooms being shot. A walk during the appointment is best. If they stay home, close them in a room that is not in the set. Put away bowls, toys, beds, leashes, and litter. Pets in listing photos pull attention off the house and can put off buyers with allergies.

Why do you ask us to move the vehicles?

A car in the driveway hides the garage, the walk, and the landscaping. The first frame buyers see is usually the front exterior. Park across the street or down the block. REALTORS® should do the same. If a vehicle cannot be moved immediately, interiors can start first, and the exterior can wait until the end of the appointment window. Equipment that conveys with the property can stay in the shot if you say so.

Can you edit out family photos?

Family photos and personal objects can be removed or blurred when flagged prior to, or when our photographer is on-site. Virtual item removal is typically a minimal cost and is quoted custom quoted.

Why are listing photos so wide?

A wide lens shows how a room connects to the next one so buyers can read the layout from a still. It is not meant to make the room larger than it is. RMS measurements and the floor plan carry the size. The photograph carries the flow.

Can the photographer move furniture?

Only minor shifts, like a chair, a throw, or coffee table. We expect the property to be photo-ready when we arrive; however, shifting a chair, a throw, or coffee table on site may be needed to capture a room in the best possible aspect. Rearranging a room is not part of the appointment. Stage or clear rooms before arrival. Virtual staging is the route for vacant rooms after the fact.

What can editing fix, and what can it not?

Edits we already offer: virtual staging, item removal, greener grass and planting, sky replacement, and similar still-image work. Colour and exposure are corrected on every gallery. Editing cannot rebuild a dirty room, hide an unfinished renovation, or change the floor plan. Ask for revisions on the delivered set; extra scope is quoted.

Related services

• Photography Services (residential)
• Videography Services
• uTOUR - 360 Property Tours
• Virtual Staging Services
• Aerial Drone Media
• Photography Services (commercial)
• Book residential services
• Get a commercial quote

Related guides

• Urban Measure Inc. RMS Services FAQ
• Urban Measure Inc. BOMA Services FAQ
• Urban Measure Inc. As-Built Services FAQ

Book media at urbanmeasure.com or call 403-827-4420 (Calgary), 587-598-4420 (Edmonton), or 1-844-504-4420.