Steve's videos help sellers Movin' On Up

IT's the latest weapon in today's desperate property market - and you don't need to be a rock star to take advantage.

Steve Reilly, an Edinburgh property mogul and producer who has worked on commercials and videos for the likes of Primal Scream - famous for hits such as Movin' On Up and Loaded - is the man behind Shoothome.com, a business providing Hollywood-style promos for Capital homes.

It has proved such a success that the company is now shooting properties worldwide, including some exclusive multi-million dollar mansions in California.

The latest company to sign up is solicitor Warners, which says it has been astonished at the speed with which the videos help sell houses.

According to Mr Reilly the video tours, which use the same digital equipment used by Hollywood filmmakers - help homes sell around five times faster than the UK market average. The company, which offers everything from a 45-second basic tour to a four-minute professionally graded VIP mini-movie of your house, has a way to make videos in 3D.

Mr Reilly studied marketing at Napier University before learning film at the London Film Academy school.

He said: "What we try to do is bring homes to life, and while that sounds cheesy it really does seem to work.

"People who see these videos generally want to go and see the property, and when they get there they feel like they've already been. We've used a few digital tricks to make the videos appear 3D, so it really draws you in."

He added: "It works for any property, although obviously the longer, more expensive movies are really for big houses. But there was a house that had been on the market for a couple of years for example, and within three days of our video going online it was sold."

The price of an interactive video tour starts at just under 300.

Scott Brown, estate agency partner with Warners, said that the videos would provide the firm with another vital tool in helping promote properties for sale in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland.

He said: "It's no longer the case that estate agents and solicitors can just rely on having their properties listed online - you have to consider every new method of promoting them through new technology.

"Individual property videos are hugely popular and successful in the United States. We're very happy to be working with Shoothome on these property movies, which are already proving very popular.

"Shoothome has a great eye for detail - which is something you'd expect from a team that has produced a Primal Scream pop video - and the final films are very impressive."