Discover how real estate drone photography can show off a property at its best and empower real estate agents to make sales.
Where do we see drone usage?
As drones are capable of providing you to see things from completely new perspectives, we have gradually seen the rise in drone usage across all industry types.
Industries like construction use drones for creating 3D models of building sites, public safety organisations use them for their thermal imaging qualities for searching missing people whereas in real estate, drones are being used to capture immersive content for showing off properties like never seen before.
For freelancers who are thinking about becoming drone pilots, real estate drone photography is a particularly intriguing industry to get involved with. Real estate agents who want drone images of the homes will need a professional to capture those views, thus this area of photography and videography can offer a consistent stream of contract business.
It is no surprise drone usage in real estate is growing fast with even the National Association of Realtors Technology Survey naming drones the No. 1 technology tool likely to impact real estate space in the next 24 months.
Why is real estate drone photography in demand?
Before the existence of drones, capturing aerial photography was only achievable through paying for helicopters to fly over the estate. Now a safer , more efficient, more affordable way of capturing photographs is available through the implementation of drones. This convenience of a product offers flexible content creation possibilities that could enhance the listing of a property to appeal to potential buyers.
Drones also offer possibilities of creating content indoors. With a compact and lightweight drone, a fly through of the property’s interior can be captured in a first person’s perspective. This gives real estate agents the opportunity to create virtual filming tours of the home that could be greatly beneficial for buyers who want to learn more about the property without needing to be there. During COVID-19 this remote viewing capability proved to be advantageous for many who were not able to travel out.
Read More: How to Fly DJI Mini Drones Indoors
Ways to use drone photography in real estate?
Drones are now designed with a variety of features that enhance the capabilities for usage in real estate aerial photography. Such features include, high quality 4K cameras, stabilisation features and obstacle avoidance to enable smoother footage recordings.
Exterior content
While drones enable you to capture footage from a wide variety of angles, it also enables you to showcase nearby amenities such as beaches or pools surrounding the estate. In addition it can put the piece of property in context by showing in greater perspective how far away or close the house is to the road or neighbors.
Internal content
Using drones with high-resolution cameras can make buyers feel like they are in the room themselves despite viewing the listing online. This is because using video footage of the drone moving throughout the property can capture the nature of the space that is hard to grasp in images while also demonstrating how each room is connected. The added benefit of using drones in real estate also enables footage to be captured in renovated areas closed to foot traffic.
3D Modeling
3D modeling is also achievable for properties with the use of drone technology. Advanced features such as photogrammetry and cutting-edge light detection and ranging (LiDAR) permit modelling to assist potential buyers to become familiar with the layouts and dimensions during inspection. This is greatly valuable for more commercial properties.
Just some rules for real estate drone photography
While drones and professional photography are a match made in heaven, there's definitely some things you need to know to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Abide by Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
The first step to make any of this possible is to find a capable and licensed drone pilot. Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operators must obtain accreditation for flying drones weighing under 2kgs and a remote pilot license (RePL) for aircraft over 2kgs in Australia. In addition, when operating your drone for real estate photography or any business related reasons, you must register your drone. This requirement for licensed pilots creates a potential market for freelancers in the drone photography field.
Find someone with capable equipment
It is then important to acquire a pilot who is equipped with the best UAV’s in order to capture high-quality stills and videos. As listed on Indeed, RAW photos and videos up to 4K resolution and 60fps is the standard most companies look for.
Follow airspace rules
There are some rules all pilots must follow despite already being licensed. They must abide by restrictions surrounding particular airspace like airports, must always fly the drone in line-of-sight and must not fly from moving vehicles or other aircraft. Despite these requirements there are waivers enabling exceptions for some pilots.
Read More: Drones for Real Estate: A Complete Guide Australia
Becoming a drone pilot for photography services
Pursuing a career in real estate photography is growing to become a valuable source of work as there are so many freelance opportunities for drone pilots who put in the time to get licensed. Acquiring commercial drones further expands these opportunities to work for new clients in different locations. There is also hardly a shortage of professional opportunities in this field of work as there are properties that go on the market everyday. To top it off, start-up investment into equipment is relatively low as commercial entry-level drones are more than sufficient for you to capture quality content.
Steps to becoming a commercial photography drone pilot:
- Acquire the appropriate accreditation or license for your region - in Australia this means to register with CASA
- Register your drone for business purposes
- Enhance your skills with additional training
- Ensure your drone camera meets the standards for commercial photography
- Apply for real estate assignments and build your portfolio
Once you equip yourself with a drone and appropriate license, you can branch out to other sectors of work as well. For example, drones used for real estate are also capable of performing roof inspection work.
Why is real estate drone photography in demand?
Because photography in real estate does not require the most complex of drones, the DJI Mini 3 Pro and the DJI Mavic 3 are best for use.
The Mini 3 pro is one of the more affordable and compact drones weighing at under 249 grams making it perfect for transportation while not compromising in quality.
The Mavic 3 being slightly larger in composition, features longer battery life and higher resolution photos making it also perfect for real estate photography.
Where can I buy drones for real estate?
We have got a range of drones available now in-store and online at D1 Store! Purchase online and receive free shipping in Australia for all orders over $99!
Shop with D1 Store and experience local support, service and the best prices. We've got convenient locations around Australia where you can see and experience the products first hand.
Read More: Is the DJI Mini 3 Pro with DJI RC Worth It?
