At this point, you're already falling behind if you're not shooting aerial photography for each of your listings with a drone.
They can be tricky to fly, so we're here with a few tips to capture the best pictures that you're capable of. First you need a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver that you can get through this page here. You can buy drones for extremely reasonable prices. Most are easy to learn how to operate and almost all of them will shoot the HD video that you need. This will be huge for walkthroughs as well as the aerial views.
Another option is to hire someone from dronelife.com that specializes in the type of shots that you need. It can get pricey, so here is some advice.
Start With a Flight Class
This is one of the best ideas that you can start with. Not only will you have your drone fully figured out after you complete, it will also prep you for any safety concerns that might arise.
Flying in a small area or even around people can always cause some type of a risk. Once you're really comfortable flying in these types of spaces, it'll just make your listing presentations and actual listings that much more appealing.
Choose the Right Drone
There are a lot of fairly-priced drones out there, but make sure yours is equipped with the right camera and isn't extremely tough to navigate throughout a house. If you are serious about starting this business you need serious hardware to keep up with your competition.
It is important to view the type and quality of videos that each drone is capable of before making any type of purchase.
Know the Regulations
This goes along with taking the class, but it's still important to know your exact regulations when it comes to using a drone. You can find the regulations right here on the FAA's website.
There are some drones that you are only allowed to fly during the day and it must always be in your visible range. There are a few restricted zones that allow no flying at all times and there are height and speed limits as well. Keep all this in mind when operating your drone.
Get the Outside and Inside of the Home Ready
An obvious step, but an important one regardless. Make sure the home is fully staged and looking as appealing as possible. There are a few things you can do to the outside of the house that will differ from regular staging.
First, turn off all of the interior lights. Then water the driveway and the sidewalk so it stands out better. Make sure that all cars or vehicles are removed from your driveway and your car is nowhere near the house.
It may seem tough to shoot the interior of the home, but it holds a lot of value. Giving an aerial view and tour of the home's features stands out compared to a handheld walkthrough at times. Stage the home with the same attention to detail that you usually would.
Make sure all fans and air conditioning are turned off.
Plan Your Shoot
Research the area beforehand. You need to know what aerial shots or landmarks to include. For example, if you want to show how close a house is to the beach or some water. Or if it's near a popular area downtown.
Ask your client if they want anything specific to be included, golf courses, parks or anything else. On the flip side, ask them if there's anything that they want left out. They probably don't want industrial structures or cell towers to be standing out.
Choosing the proper time is massively important. You need the sun to light up the home, but not to an extreme level. It's going to be different for different areas and landscapes. A beach-front property is going to need to be shot a different time than a property near a bunch of trees.
You want 10 seconds or so of smooth video at a time. Higher frame rates will allow you to slow shots down even more without losing the smoothness of the video. Plan out the best routes around what you want as well, to make sure to get best out of your battery.
Master Your Post Production
This is where you can make up any problems you had with color or distortion problems you may have. Using Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro are going to be your most detailed programs to really improve your video.
Transitions are important and so is background music or voice overs.
Joe Nickelson is a real estate professional dedicated to helping home buyers and sellers achieve their dreams of owning property, and helping real estate agents stop using the sometimes-vicious tactics that weigh on their consciences. He believes that the Smart Agents books will, quite literally, change people’s lives for the better. Check out his full bio here!
