As the spring homebuying season gets underway, drones may be a more common sight above homes about to go on the market. More and more real estate professionals are turning to drone photography and videos to better market their listings.
Brian Balduf, CEO and co-founder of real estate advise that "marketing real estate, you're trying to get people's attention and get them to spend more time looking at the property, drone photography and video is definitely unique and offers a cool, interesting perspective to do that."
Drone photography might not be the best strategy for home sellers going it alone. It takes a lot of skill to maneuver a $2,000, 4.4-pound machine with four spinning propeller blades, Balduf said, and in the end hiring a pro is safer and more cost-effective.
The National Association of Realtors has set up a resource page to help Realtors and other interested parties navigate the government's drone regulations as they incorporate drones into their listing strategies. The NAR is well aware of this trend, and will be working with regulators to make sure that people are responsibly licensed to use drone technology. Also be encouraging members stated by the president of the NAR.
Drones are "streamlining the buying and selling process by providing more visual information at a reasonable cost. Any opportunity you have to further educate the buyer to the property they're purchasing is a win-win for everybody," Brown said.
Before drones became accessible to real estate pros, aerial photos of properties were limited to either grainy satellite images (like those found on Google Earth) or those taken during pricey aerial photography sessions with a hired airplane or helicopter.
VHT Studios, based in Rosemont, Illinois, offers drone photography sessions starting at $379 for up to 10 still photos and $479 for photos and a one-minute video. Open Homes Photography, based in California's Bay Area, offers almost identical aerial drone photo packages for $275 and $575, respectively. In Brick Township, New Jersey, photography and video company Osprey Perspectives offers a "basic" aerial drone photo package for $250 and a "basic" aerial video package for $425. (Propellers Drone Pilot Service offer basic pricing at $175.00 for Interior and Exterior Photos) "It's all about budgeting your marketing dollars," said Liza Mendez, a Realtor with Pedro Realty in Miami. "Before drones, you might use a helicopter for million-dollar homes, but this is a different animal. As it becomes more affordable, I could see using this for just about any type of property."
Videos filmed by drones can help buyers get a better idea of what a property "feels" like before they visit for a showing. For example, a drone can record video while flying along a twisting, wooded driveway to give buyers a feel for what the approach to the house looks like and, as a closing shot, can take off from the home's backyard and fly over the surrounding neighborhood to give potential buyers a better view of the area, the new town.
So why not use Aerial Drone Photography to give the property listing a better facelift.