Ever since property searches moved online, standing out from other listings has been extremely difficult for real estate agents. That’s where new technology like drone real estate photography comes in.
According to the recent statistics about real estate drone photography, over 70 per cent of homeowners are inclined to use a realtor that provides drone photography services.
And who wouldn’t? Drones give an aerial view of the property being listed including the area around it while providing a detailed view from every angle. This strongly influences buyers who base their decisions primarily on how the listing looks online.
So whether you are a homeowner looking to sell or a real estate agent looking to grow your business, learning some crucial aerial real estate drone photography skills is essential.
And that’s why we have prepared a comprehensive drone real estate photography guide to help you learn this highly marketable skill.
Show Off Your Property From Every Angle
Normal listing photographs may not always help buyers visualize exactly what the property looks like. And that’s understandable since knowing how big the property is and how everything looks together is difficult with regular photos.
For instance, if you have got a huge garden in front of the house you want to sell, separate photos of your home and the garden might not translate the scale of your property to potential buyers. An aerial view of the entire property can make it look more appealing and won’t require that your buyers put in extra effort visualizing the space.
Drone Shots Can Make Your Pitch Shine
As a real estate agent, getting listings is not always a piece of cake. With more and more competitors popping up, getting sellers to list with you can be difficult. However, showing up to a listing presentation with a drone shot of the neighborhood will most definitely impress your prospective clients.
How far is the closest coffee shop?
Or other hangouts and amenities? Since a drone shot is the most effective way of showing the whole neighborhood, they can help people get an idea of how far the property is from nearby hot spots. These are questions that any home buyer would have, and if they can clearly see what the distance is, they can make an informed decision. Grainy Google satellite views or street views don’t even come close to giving people this important piece of information.
What to Look Out for When Picking Drone Real Estate Photography Services
To fully take advantage of the benefits, it is important that as a homeowner or an agent, you pick the right drone real estate photography service. Here’s how you can go about making the correct choice:
Pricing
There is no standard rate charged by real estate marketers for their drone photography services. Drone operators usually charge over $200 for their services, and that can go up to $1,000 depending on the quality of their work and the post-production services they provide.
Marketing Integration
Real estate drone photography is more than just taking aerial photos. When done right, it can truly elevate your real estate marketing strategy and improve the chances of buyers finding your property appealing.
That’s why you should choose drone operators that have provided real estate photography services before. Review their portfolio. Experienced drone photographers usually have a website or blog showcasing their body of work.
If your drone operator can create high-quality interior photos and videos too, then you have the perfect one-stop-shop for all your marketing needs.
Is It Worth the Investment?
The housing market is exceedingly competitive. To get homeowners to sell through your agency, you need eye-popping images and video showcasing the whole property—both interior and exterior views.
A property sold is money made. Drone real estate photography will increase your chances of selling the house in the shortest amount of time. That’s definitely worth the investment, as long as the drone shots are high quality and properly executed.
How to Get into Drone Real Estate Photography?
If you are just starting out with providing aerial real estate photography services or just want to try your hand at it yourself, you are going to need reliable drone equipment. If you are a beginner, it may not be a good idea spending a ton of money on drones, as they can be quite expensive. So here’s a few things you need to bear in mind when picking out drone photography equipment.
DJI Spark
If you are just now dipping your toes in aerial real estate photography, DJI Spark is a good enough piece of equipment to get started with. It takes photos at 12 megapixels and records videos at 1080p at 30 frames per second. The battery lasts 16 minutes per charge, which is not a great battery life, but at $700, the drone does come cheaper than other models.
The video quality isn’t excellent, but if you are looking to take quality drone photos, DJI Spark will do that for you except when it’s really windy. Since it is very lightweight, the DJI Spark can be difficult to get a decent side-to-side shot. It is good practice equipment, but once you understand the basics of aerial real estate photography, you might want to move on to a better drone.
DJI Phantom 4
DJI Phantom 4 is well suited to the drone photography needs of beginners and professionals alike. The drone is simple to use and takes 20 megapixels photos and records 4K videos at 60 frames per second.
It doesn’t have the same problems with stability as DJI Spark since it has a 3 Axis Gimbal to help stabilize the camera. You can download the DJI GO 4 app on your smartphone, and with that, you can control the drone and customize the camera settings—ISO, aperture, shutter.
At $1000, it’s pricier than DJI Spark, but with its ease of use for aerial real estate photography or just regular drone usage, it comes highly recommended by experts.
DJI Inspire 1
DJI Inspire 1 comes with a slightly hefty price tag of $1500 and a myriad of features for drone photography and videography. It has a high-resolution 4K camera and takes 1080p videos.
This model is best suited for professional photographers.
Aerial Real Estate Photography Tips:
With drones moving on from being a novelty tool in real estate marketing to becoming a regular feature, you’ll want to learn the basics quickly.
You need to familiarize yourself with the equipment and the location where you need to shoot. Plan your shoot beforehand, research the location and the vantage points. Find selling points in the neighborhood such as swimming pools, parks, garden, schools, etc.
Also, remember that your photos should not be a straight down view. Use angles to accentuate attractive features and the best bits of the house.
Final Thoughts:
Hopefully, these tips and drone recommendations will help you strengthen your real estate drone photography game. Just remember to check with local laws to see what areas you can fly a drone in.
Keep honing your skills even after you set up a service and strengthen relationships with your clients through the quality of your service. The majority of the clients you get are from referrals so make client satisfaction a priority.
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