Not so long ago the world of real estate was different. Clients had to go and actually visit the place. Now, thanks to the advances in technology people can stay in the comfort of their homes and browse different properties before shortlisting their final picks. Real estate drone photography has further facilitated the process by providing real estate agents and their clients with breathtaking views that show the property in a much broader view.
But is drone photography worth it? Should real estate agents invest in it and make it a fixed part of their marketing efforts? Research suggests that people browsing properties online spend 60% of their time going through the images provided for the listings. Additionally, 83% of home sellers would rather work an agent who uses drone shots to promote listings. These stats show real estate drone photography can be beneficial for agents and help your listings sell faster.
What Is Real Estate Drone Photography?
Drone photography is the art of taking high-quality and breath-taking photos and videos using unmanned air vehicles, also known as drones, from as high as 400 feet above ground level. Drones enable professional real estate photographers and videographers to take images and videos form certain angles and views that are not possible using the standard photography equipment. They allow the photographer to capture images of the property exterior, interior, the local neighborhood, the views of the horizon, landmarks, and the surrounding areas.
Drones are already being used in other fields including sports and recreation, entertainment, and security. Now real estate is putting them to work. In the past, before drones were widely available, aerial shots were only done by expensive methods like using a helicopter. As a result, they were only available for luxurious properties where the cost was justified. Now drones have cut down the total cost and you can use them for almost all of your listings.
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Why Agents Should Use Real Estate Drone Photography
Real estate drone photography seems pretty cool but let us see why real estate agents should consider drones in their marketing plans?
Jump on the Bandwagon
Real estate agents are jumping on the bandwagon. Drones are making their way into the real estate market. This alone requires agents utilize them in order to keep up. Insisting on sticking with old methods of marketing in real estate, like text and images and offline material, will not help as the market is already changing with more and more people using drone shots. People now look for agents who use drone shots, even if they have no idea if it will help their home sell faster.
Stand Out
As mentioned above agents are turning to drone shots so that they are not left behind. However, there are many agents who still do not believe in drones. By using drone shots, you separate yourself from this crowd and stand out positively. Apart from the benefits of aerial photography that are standard for aerial shots, you will introduce yourself as a professional agent who does what it takes to make sales faster. You will attract more home sellers than before.
Do not just sell the house, sell yourself as an agent too!
Drone Shots, Faster Sales
Whether drone shots simply appear cool for the clients and emotionally encourage them to buy or provide a more comprehensive view of the property, they do make properties sell faster. In fact, listings with drone shots sell 68% faster than those without them. The final and the ultimate goal behind any investment in real estate marketing is to make money by buying or selling homes and drones help in this matter.
Long Way Cut Short
The exterior of a house is just as important as how the interior looks. Homebuyers want to see how the house and its surrounding area look, and nothing can demonstrate the whole house in a single shot better than drone shots. Instead of going through many different shots and trying to mentally combine them together to get a complete image a few runs by drones can provide comprehensive views conveniently.
In the past, the homebuyers would have to actually visit the property in person, go around the property (if possible), and see what the property and surrounding areas look like. That was a lot of trouble especially if they had to do the same process for all the properties available. Now homebuyers can stay in the comfort of their homes and check many properties out in a short time, saving the actual visit for their short-list.
Like No Other
Drone shots are amazing, and nobody can deny the breath-taking views they provide. No other shot can show the beauty of the property like drone shots. Also, the angle and the distance from which drone shots display the property can not be done by any other form of photography.
Birds-eye view, sweeping shots imitating a hawk dive, and long and wide shots were not possible before drones. Now depending on the creativity and skills of the drone photographer, you can take advantage of the many forms of drone shots to showcase the property you are selling.
Ghost Mode On
Provided the drone operator is a skilled one, drones can be also used to capture videos inside the house. This is a tricky task that requires a tremendous amount of experience and skill, but the results are definitely worth the trouble. Of course, using other equipment to mount the camera on a stick, it is possible to replicate the drone effect inside the house, but drones can move a faster speed that cannot be copied.
Every Nook and Cranny
Drones fly and get many angles covered. Therefore, more details and features of the property can be captured especially when drones fly around the property and get every part of the house covered. Standard photography uses limited angles and distances and therefore the shots are also limited. Using drones gets the shots that make a difference and gives homebuyers what they want.
What a View!
This is one of the things that only drones can master: showing the neighborhood. Videos and images are unable to give the viewer even a short glimpse of the neighborhood much less views beyond. Put that camera on a drone and you have got yourself images and videos that can do exactly that.
Show home buyers what lies ahead and give a comprehensive view of the neighborhood. For lush and scenic neighborhoods this can be pretty beneficial.
The Storyteller
The ultimate stage in content marketing is where you become a storyteller. You tell the story of what you are selling and fascinate your audience. The better you get at storytelling the more you stir the hearts and minds of your audience and the more sales you make. Look around you and notice how the big brands in the world like Coca Cola narrate a story to the stage where the product itself vanishes among the atmosphere and the story of the product.
Once edited and produced professionally, drone shots and videos bring the property to life as if the home you are selling is narrating a story. Emotional factors can not be denied in the role they play in how customers react to marketing material and aerial shots are the masters of bringing those emotions on.
Challenges of Real Estate Drone Photography
Drone photography is not free from challenges that might discourage real estate agents from thinking of drones. Here are some:
They Are Expensive
We highly recommend that you forget about buying a drone and manning the machine yourself. First off, they are pretty pricey, and even if you are thinking of using them for all of your listings, that does not sound like a wise investment. The price will take some time to be made up. Professional drone photographers can take care of the task and you can attend to things that you are trained for and excel at.
They Require Certificates and Skills
It might seem easy when drone operators fly the machine around and take videos and images but in fact, piloting the drone requires a lot of skill and training. You need to be officially certified to man one. Without proper training, you can end up crashing the drone or even worse hurting someone. Leave it to professionals and you will be fine.
No Drone Zones
Drones are pretty loud (yes, we know you do not hear them in the edited footages) and therefore you need to make sure you are not bothering neighbors. You cannot get closer than 150 feet to a person, vehicle, etc. and the list of limitations does not stop there. There are many more things to consider while flying a drone. Therefore, once again leave it to professionals and relax.
See the no drone zones in Vancouver and surrounding areas in the below image:
Get Your Real Estate Drone Photography Done by roomvu!
Showcase the gorgeous sights and vistas of the local neighborhood through an impressive aerial view for as low as $150. Roomvu uses professional and trained photographs to capture all those eye-catching shots you need to stand out and tell the story of the home you are selling.
Final words
Real estate photography is a different world now, where new innovations are bringing more to the table. As one of the newest trends in real estate marketing methods, drones provide astonishing images and footage of the properties. They help the agents show more and more of the property they are selling to their audience, hence increasing the number of leads and finally homebuyers. Like or not, drones are here to stay and more agents are using the drone shots.
Buying a drone and trying to carry-out aerial shots yourself does not seem like a sensible move. Drones are pretty pricey and it will take a lot to learn how to pilot one. The restrictions and regulations to fly a drone are likely more than what you would like to go through. Roomvu offers drone shots and videos for an affordable price within a short time. Book now today and stand out.
What Is Real Estate Drone Photography?
Drone photography is the art of taking high-quality and breath-taking photos and videos using unmanned air vehicles, also known as drones, from as high as 400 feet above ground level.
How much does real estate drone photography cost?
Real estate drone photography can have an extra cost of +$149.99. roomvu offers premium drone videos to present your listings with eye-catching videos and increase the number of leads you get.