AV News: Reframing Real Estate

Drones are reframing the way we see real estate, and reshaping the way agents market their properties. Tyler Mason has the story! ---- In the competitive world of real estate, realtors are always trying to find new ways to highlight the houses they hope to sell. In recent years, drones have become a popular tool to show off properties. Richard McDonough is a realtor with Edina Realty in Stillwater, Minnesota. He was an early adopter of drone video to market his listings. McDonough uses a Minneapolis-based company called Spacecrafting to do the drone work for him. “It’s really helped my business immensely, because a lot of the properties, you just can’t show with pictures. You have to really tell a story, and that’s where a drone has been really helpful.” The National Association of Realtors encourages real estate agents to be aware of the FAA’s rules and regulations on commercial drone use. Realtors may not fly drones for their listings without having a 333 exemption from the FAA. That’s why McDonough and many other realtors hire companies like Spacecrafting or SkySkopes, a North Dakota-based commercial drone company. “If they’re doing it in-house, they absolutely have to have these 333 exemptions. Because so many aren’t doing it with the 333, that’s what probably prompted the National Association of Realtors to come down with – I don’t want to say a verdict against the use discouraging it.” McDonough uses drones with about 20 percent of his listings. He says not all properties are ideally suited for drone imagery. Homes located in an urban setting don’t necessarily need an aerial perspective. Those on a lake or on a large plot of land, however, may benefit from being seen from above. “People just love it because it gives them a whole new perspective of the house. Pictures are great, and great quality images are fantastic. But when you have a flyover from a drone, that really sets that property apart.” “The realtors, we haven’t been able to quantify or measure the rate of return they’re getting in terms of how they’re attracting clients. It is an extra value add that they can give to people who are seeking to buy a house or get an apartment with them. The feedback that we’ve gotten unanimously from all of the real estate companies that we’ve worked with is just exemplary. They love it. They absolutely just adore it.” If the FAA loosens its restrictions on flying drones commercially, chances are the real estate industry will see even more realtors taking advantage of the technology. “As the price comes down and the quality goes up, you’ll see more and more people using them. I don’t know why they’re not. I know some of these videos can be a little bit more than what an agent is willing to spend, but at the end of the day, I don’t know why you wouldn’t, especially with the uniqueness of some of the properties out there and really capturing the essence.” At AirVuz News, I'm Tyler Mason.