The methods you use to market your listings are constantly evolving, adapting to fresh tools in photography and videography and new marketing strategies as they emerge. A notable trend gaining traction in the real estate industry is employing drones to capture aerial videos and unique perspectives of your properties.
From breathtaking aerial views to detailed neighborhood shots, discover how this technology can transform your listings and captivate potential buyers.
What Is Real Estate Drone Photography?
The real estate industry has fully embraced drone technology, making it an essential tool in real estate photography. Drone photography uses drones to capture aerial photos of properties, offering a fresh and dynamic perspective that traditional methods can't achieve.
This innovative approach enhances the visual appeal of listings and introduces a high-tech and creative element to the industry, elevating it to new heights.
This updated version of old aerial photography makes your listings look better and more creative. You can choose from two real estate drone photography types: standard or aerial.
Why Should You Use Drone Photography for Your Real Estate Listings?
Drones are now more common and much cheaper to use. This simple technology can make your property listings and marketing stand out. Here are the top reasons to start using drone photography in real estate.
Enhanced Property Visualization
Drones can be crucial tools in real estate marketing before putting a property on the market. They can inspect hard-to-reach areas like rooftops and wooded sections of large estates, providing detailed views that can identify necessary repairs or highlight well-maintained areas.
Once a property is ready to sell, drones offer total aerial views that display the whole area, nearby places, and the property's layout. Drones can spotlight special features like big backyards, swimming pools, proximity to local spots, and beautiful views.
This is especially useful for high-end properties or those with extensive land. It helps potential buyers better understand the property's size, features, and location.
By mixing aerial videos with photos from the ground, agents can tell a complete and engaging story that attracts buyers.
Competitive Advantage
Using drones offers real estate agents a distinct advantage over competitors by incorporating real estate aerial photography into their marketing strategy. It showcases a commitment to leveraging the latest technology, appealing to buyers and sellers who value innovative approaches.
For example, an agent utilizing aerial real estate photography to highlight a sprawling estate with aerial shots of landscaped gardens and nearby amenities will immediately stand out from listings that rely solely on standard photos. This modern tool sets agents apart and enhances their reputation as forward-thinking and technologically adept, attracting a market that appreciates cutting-edge methods and the captivating aerial images they produce.
Increased Engagement
Drone videos can be shared across social media and digital platforms, significantly expanding property listings' visibility and interactive potential. These videos captivate viewers more effectively than static images, leading to higher engagement rates.
For example, a video clip of a drone flying over a beachfront property, highlighting its proximity to the ocean and panoramic views, tends to garner more views, likes, and shares than regular photos. Videos like these are more likely to be viewed, commented on, and shared, which can significantly increase the reach of a listing and spark more interest among potential buyers.
Getting Started With Real Estate Drone Photography
Now that you know about drone photography in real estate, let's look at how to get started.
Step 1: Know the Rules
Before you start drone photography, learning the local laws is essential. Here are some important rules:
- Don't fly drones near airports or in the path of airplanes.
- Keep your drone at least 150 feet away from people and buildings.
- Fly your drone below 400 feet. Different places might have more rules. You could get into legal trouble if you don't follow these laws.
Step 2: Get a License
Real estate professionals must pass the Part 107 test and obtain certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to legally operate drones for commercial purposes, including real estate. The Part 107 test is a comprehensive exam covering various topics, including airspace classifications, flight restrictions, weather conditions, drone operation regulations, and safety procedures.
To maintain your certification and keep your knowledge current, renew it every 36 months and take a recurrent knowledge test every 24 months.
Step 3: Buy a Drone
After you're licensed, the next step is to buy a drone and start practicing. It's exciting to start taking on real estate projects immediately, but practice first.
You want to be good at this to help your clients sell their properties faster.
How to Capture Effective Real Estate Drone Photos
Use these simple tips next time you do drone photography for real estate:
1. Prepare the Property Landscape
Before you start taking pictures with the drone, it's essential to clean up the area, especially when dealing with commercial properties. Ensure the yard, driveway, lawn, and roof are tidy and clutter-free.
Remove everyday items like toys, gardening tools, or anything else that could make the photos look unorganized or unprofessional.
2. Adjust Drone Settings for Optimal Shots
Drones have many settings for flying and taking pictures. Set the camera's aspect ratio to 3:2 or 4:3 for the most precise photos. Use autofocus to avoid blurry images.
Drones also have unique flying modes like First Person View (FPV) and Heads Free mode.
3. Utilize Natural Lighting
Natural light is essential in drone photography lighting. While you can get lights for your drone, sunlight gives your pictures the best glow.
If you shoot at noon, the sun helps minimize shadows. Suppose the sun is too bright; use filters that limit light coming into the camera. Early morning or late afternoon can be great for softer light, but watch for long shadows.
4. Fly the Drone at Lower Altitudes
Don't fly your drone too high. If it's too high, you might only capture the roof and nearby areas.
Keep the drone lower to show more details of the house.
5. Focus on the Property's Key Features
Highlight what makes the home special, like a big yard or a lovely pool. These features can help sell the property. Brighten these areas a bit in your photos.
Also, take pictures of the neighborhood; buyers like to see where they might be living.
6. Vary Your Shots and Angles
Vary your photos by capturing different angles and details, not just high-altitude shots; include close-ups of garden flowers or a deck for added interest. Hovering around 20 feet up provides a good balance, and taking multiple shots from each angle will help you select the best ones later.
7. Shoot in RAW Format and Edit Later
Photography is as much about capturing the image as it is about perfecting it through editing. When using real estate drone services, shooting in RAW format is crucial to preserve the maximum detail in your photos.
Since RAW files are large, ensure your SD card has enough space to store them without compromising quality. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are popular photo editing tools that allow you to tailor your photos to your clients' needs.
While some prefer popping colors, others prefer their real estate photographs to be lukewarm. Many photographers resort to outsourcing photo editing because it produces professional results quickly.
At Virtual Restaging, we assist real estate agents in beautifying homes. Our services include virtual staging, virtual renovations, indoor and outdoor image enhancements, day-to-dusk transformations, wall changes, floor changes, object removal, and HDR image enhancements. Choosing us as your real estate photo editor offers several benefits.
Enhance Your Drone Photography to the Next Level
Real estate drone photography can elevate your listings, offering stunning visuals that entice and engage potential buyers. Embrace this technology and watch your real estate business soar to new heights!
Take your drone photography to the next level with the Virtual Restaging Image Enhancement Tool. Transform your space and allow potential buyers to visualize their future home. Discover how our cutting-edge tool can effortlessly improve your images, making every listing stand out.
Don't miss this chance to captivate and impress with visuals that sell. Try the Virtual Restaging Image Enhancement Tool today and bring your real estate presentations to life!
FAQs
Why do people use drones for photography?
One advantage of using a drone instead of a traditional camera is its unique aerial perspective. This allows you to effectively capture features like a river's flow or a road's curve. However, flying drones at high altitudes is oftenn't the best strategy for capturing compelling images.
How are drones used for real estate?
In real estate, the mantra is often "location, location, location." Drones offer a significant advantage here, as they can show a property's location relative to nearby attractions, amenities, parks, airports, and more.
Is a drone worth it for photography?
Drone photography is highly sought after in various industries, including the real estate marketing industry, making it a potentially profitable endeavor. Since this field requires hiring licensed drone pilots, it also presents an opportunity to promote your services as a certified professional and distinguish yourself from amateurs in the market.