People often only think of complex futuristic ways to use drones like delivering packages for Amazon or using thermal sensors in uncharted territory. But the reality is, these high-tech devices have a variety of practical uses in our everyday lives. One of those being real estate photography (and videography). This isn’t necessarily flying 400 feet above ground for a 25-acre commercial lot, either. Short and simple flights can work wonders for single-family homes and will get the exact angle you need to emphasize the new swimming pool or whatever your summer project might be.
There are three main functions that drones have when buying or selling real estate. Capturing exterior photos, creating promotional videos, and aiding in roofing/siding inspections. The beauty of these functions is that they benefit numerous people involved in the transaction including not only the buyer and seller, but also the realtor, the inspector, and even the surveyor.
First, let’s discuss capturing exterior photos. I bet your mind immediately goes to the fancy shots of a $14.8 million-dollar house you saw in the newest season of Selling Sunset on Netflix, but how about we focus on the realistic side of real estate – an average home. These pictures offer a unique vantage point that a normal camera is incapable of producing. They are perfect for the listing agent and seller to use at the beginning of the home’s gallery to catch eyes. This might be an angle that shows off a new deck, a huge detached half-garage half-mancave, or in this case, a very inviting swimming pool.
In addition, pictures can be taken from higher up to get the aerial view and determine lot lines for a surveyor. Which can then serve both you and your neighbor when identifying encroachments (something on your lot that shouldn’t be). The picture below shows an example of this and as you will see, it is the same house but from an aerial perspective. Approximate lot lines are outlined in red.
If pictures are worth a thousand words, then videos are worth a hundred grand. By that I mean, in theory, videos can do everything pictures can and more – not to mention how easily you can pause videos and take screenshots nowadays. For the sake of this article though, we are going to lock in on short promotional videos used for marketing purposes. These will mostly help the listing agent and the seller.
A great way to show off a beautiful home is a simple pan-out or pan-in shot. This is basically starting up close at the front door, garage, deck, etc. then moving out and away to slowly reveal the rest of the home (pan-out), and vice versa for a pan-in shot. Pan-ins can be effective at replicating the visual of what walking up to the house might look like. Both of these are extremely useful for waterfront properties as well in order to fully capture the luxury and beauty of having a dock in your backyard. Goals, I know. I want to live on water too. Check out an example of a waterfront pan-out shot in the video below.
Apart from the aesthetic aspect of homes, everyone knows many issues can arise with roof and siding materials, especially in a climate like we have here in Minnesota. Thereby often requiring buyers to get an inspection done on the interior and exterior of the home. Normally, a roof inspection requires a team with a truck full of equipment – ladders, safety harnesses, tool belts, you name it. Why set all of that up when one person can fly a drone up there and record to get a closer look? Yes, you still might need a crew to further analyze any issues spotted by the drone, but it can be a great tool to capture an overview and general condition. Both pictures and videos can help on this front, but if we’re discussing whether or not the content of videos like this will be boring… I can assure you they will be – to everyone except the inspector.
The beauty of drones is that they can be used in many ways and can help many people involved in a real estate transaction. I think pictures and videos like the ones in this article go under-appreciated and deserve more attention. Hopefully these real life examples have shown you how a drone can be used productively in the realm of residential single-family homes. I do believe that someday e-commerce and drone delivery will coincide. But for now, it is important to be knowledgeable of the current practical uses drones have in the real estate industry.
I do offer drone related services in addition to being a realtor. Please, use your phone camera to scan the QR code above for my contact info and feel free to reach out any time; I would be happy to help. My socials are also linked below.
Cheers to all my readers and please come back for more next week.
Brady
Brady Arthur Homes and Drones 