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Using Drones for Marketing Purposes as a Real Estate Investor

Great photography can help rent and sell a property, and that’s why investors hire professional photographers for the task.

Professionals know how to capture images that make properties look amazing, and they know how to set up ideal lighting for stunning interior photos.

When it comes to capturing exterior photos, many photographers and videographers use drones because it’s the easiest way to photograph tall buildings and get a 360-degree view.

Using a drone to help sell or rent a property can speed up closings by up to 68%.

If you’ve been thinking about using a drone to get better imagery, you’re thinking in the right direction.

A drone is capable of capturing stunning visuals that you just can’t get from the ground.

However, there are some things to consider before you go out and buy a drone for this purpose.

In this article, I’ll explain why you should be using drone photography and videography, and what you need to know about the laws related to this practice. Let’s start with all the best reasons to use drones as a property investor.

You can create a 360-degree aerial video tour

Video tours are popular for a reason – they give prospective buyers and tenants a good view of the entire property, rather than forcing them to piece together disjointed images in their mind. It’s smooth, it’s nice, and video tours can highlight a property’s best features. Aerial photography can show your prospects exactly what a property looks like from all angles, and can bring its unique personality to life.

When you use a drone to capture a 360-degree aerial video tour, you’ll have superior footage that will showcase your properties accurately, which will cut down on the amount of time you’ll need to spend showing a property in person. Video tours can be uploaded to your website or any video hosting service, and made freely available to everyone.

A drone will capture unique layouts

When you’re trying to sell a property with a unique layout, it can be impossible to capture the depth and beauty of that layout without getting aerial photography. Hiring a helicopter isn’t cost-effective, but an unmanned drone is perfect for the job.

You can capture a visual of the location’s features

Aerial photography is the best way to give your prospects an idea of what the general area looks like, and what’s nearby. For example, when there are nearby attractions or conveniences, like airports, amusement parks, or shopping centers, a drone will capture it all in one video or photo, showing people the layout. You can tell people what’s within walking distance, or several miles away, but a visual will convey the information immediately.

An aerial perspective is more complete

From the ground, it’s impossible to take photos of a property that accurately show its proportions and layout. Even taking multiple photos makes it difficult for people to picture it all as one cohesive visual. With a drone, you can record a full video from a higher vantage point, giving people a more thorough and realistic perception of the layout.

A drone can show vacant land

If you’re trying to sell vacant land, a drone will be exceptionally useful for recording your videos and taking photos. You can fly the drone over the land both close to the ground and from up high to give prospects a good idea of the size, shape, and location of natural elements, like trees, rocks, and more.

It’s easier to show off hard-to-see features, like a new roof

Drone footage is ideal when you’re listing a property for sale and you want prospects to know about features, like a new roof. Buyers sometimes don’t mind having to get a roof replacement after they buy a property, but it’s a hassle even when you come down on the price to make up for the cost. That’s why it’s important to show off a new roof (and other work that is best captured by aerial footage). When you give prospects a good view of a given feature, it can positively influence their purchase decision.

Drones are affordable

Some of the most affordable, lightweight drones cost between $50-$100. That’s an insignificant financial investment, and even if you upgrade to a high-quality drone for several hundred dollars, it’s not different from buying a good SLR digital camera.

Now let’s look at some important points to consider before you buy a drone and start taking photos of your investment properties.

The cost of hiring a drone videographer/photographer

If you decide to hire a drone photographer/videographer, you can expect to pay an average of $500 per property to take photos, shoot, and edit your video. That’s not much money, especially considering video footage can reduce your vacancies and sell/rent your properties faster. However, if you want to buy a drone and do it yourself, you’ll need to follow some laws.

You’ll need a commercial drone pilot’s license

Although you don’t need a license to fly a drone weighing under 250 grams for recreational purposes, you will need a license to fly a drone for commercial purposes, which includes inspecting and taking photos of your investment properties. To fly for profit, you need the Part 107 remote pilot certificate, also referred to as a “commercial drone license.” Under this certificate, you’ll be issued a small unmanned aircraft rating, which allows you to operate drones under 55 pounds for profit.

If you plan to fly your own drone to take photos and video, don’t skip getting a license because the FAA routinely sues unlicensed commercial drone operators, and it can happen to you. Flying a drone without a license for commercial use can result in being fined for every regulation you violate, multiplied by each unauthorized flight you take. For example, the FAA fined real estate photography company SkyPan International $1.9 million for a total of 65 unauthorized flights, and they eventually settled for $200,000. SkyPan has been taking aerial photographs to help rent commercial buildings since 1988. Don’t let this happen to you.

To get certified, you need to pass the remote pilot written exam, pass a TSA background check, and apply for a license. If you’re already a manned aircraft pilot, you only need to take the FAA’s free training course online before submitting your application.

Once you get certified to fly an unmanned drone, you’ll be required to take a training course every two years to keep your license valid.

Get drone insurance

While it’s not federally required to fly a drone, state and local laws may require insurance when you use a drone for commercial purposes. Either way, it’s wise to get a policy. Insurance is designed to protect you and your business from financial ruin after an accident. If your drone crashes into a person, a car, a neighbor’s house, or some other type of property, you will be financially liable for those damages. Drones may look like they can’t do much damage, but the bigger ones can cause serious and permanent injuries. There’s also a chance that crashing a drone might start a fire.

With drone insurance, your policy will cover the above situations and more. For example, say you hire someone to fly a drone for your business who claims to be insured, and you decide to trust them and not verify their policy directly. If they cause an accident or damage property, you will be held liable.

Think about it this way. You might be a highly attentive, responsible, skilled drone operator, but if you hire someone else to work for your company, and task them with manning a drone, you have no control over their flight decisions.

If you have homeowners’ insurance, don’t rely on that to cover drone-related damage, because most policies specifically exclude liability for damages caused by operating, owning, using, maintaining, loading, and unloading aircraft. Drones – even the small ones – fall under the definition of an aircraft.

You also can’t rely on your Academy of Model Aeronautics’ (AMA) policy, if you have one, because those insurance policies explicitly exclude coverage for business activities. An AMA insurance policy is only supplemental, which means you have to have another insurance policy that kicks in first, and then your AMA policy will cover additional costs. However, that isn’t relevant since commercial activities are excluded.

Be cautious when hiring another person to use a drone

If you’re thinking about hiring a drone photography company to get photos and videos for your listings, or if you want to hire a drone operator to perform roof inspections and/or assess damage, it’s smart to only hire someone that has a valid drone insurance policy. You can’t predict when an accident might happen, especially since the most common reason people cite for losing control of a drone is frequency interference, which is an issue completely outside of your control.

When hiring another party, make sure you verify their credentials and insurance policy with your local FAA Flight Standards District Office. Unfortunately, people have been caught forging insurance documents, which is always a possibility if you don’t directly verify insurance coverage. This is exactly what happened to Sea World, when they hired a man to put on a drone show. He submitted Photoshopped waivers to Sea World, and when he never showed up for the show, his documents were scrutinized. The man ended up getting caught, prosecuted, and sentenced to more than two-and-a-half years in prison.

Consult with a drone attorney

There really are lawyers for everything, and since the potential fines are so high for violating the FAA’s regulations, it’s imperative that you consult with a drone attorney before taking your first commercial flight. Laws are not only complex, but they change rapidly, and an attorney who specializes in drone regulations can help you get legal.

Is drone photography worth it? Yes!

As long as you have a license to use a drone for commercial real estate purposes, or you hire a professional with a valid license, drone photography is a great way to get the beautiful listing photos you need to close deals faster.

Ethan Emerson
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