If you are either a photographer already or someone who deals in real estate, you should be using drones in real estate as well as drones for real estate appraisal. Drone usage in this area has skyrocketed in the past few years, and most potential home buyers are going online to check out houses for sale.
Table of Contents
Which Drone is Best for Real Estate Photography?
Which drone is the best drone for real estate photography 2022 depends on your budget as well as your needs. As mentioned before, they can run in the 1,000s of dollars. Here are 3 examples of drones that work well for drone photography:
1. Yuneec YUNFCAUS Breeze Compact Smart Drone Ultra HD 4K Video –This is a good drone for a beginner, as it is fairly easy to use and has automated functions.
2. Parrot Bebop 2 – This is a full HD camera. It is considered a good one for people on a budget. It can run 25 minutes on its battery before recharging. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but is great if you need to save cash.
3. DJI Phantom 4 Pro – This drone is great for professionals and has fantastic video and photo quality. It is recommended by many photographers. It can run 30 minutes and does 4K quality work.
If you want to see more drones, check out these-
How do Drones Use Real Estate Photography?
Drone photography and video assists agents in many ways. One such way is it gets them better visibility on the Web so they can reach clients faster and easier. MLS drone photography statistics reported that if a home listing had an aerial view, it then sold 68% quicker than if it only had regular photos.

Benefits of Drone Photography in Real Estate Selling
As drones get used more and more for aerial shots of homes for sale, photographers are discovering they can get a lot of shots they couldn’t get in the past. They are putting together a real estate drone shot list to satisfy online clients. This shortlist includes all sorts of angles and locations that ordinary photography could never do half as well.
There are many benefits of drone photography in real estate, to include being able to get where a normal camera can’t reach, having more control of where to aim those shots, etc.
If, for instance, the area where the house is for sale in has a great scenic view nearby, a drone can also take advantage of this and show off the beautiful sites. It can also show how close everyday amenities are like shopping districts, schools, hospitals, etc. This can sway many a real estate customer!
Another benefit is you save money because you don’t have to spend as much on hiring several photographers. Instead, you just need to hire one drone photographer. This saves time and money. Drones in real estate can really do a great job with things like time-lapse, 360 rotation, or even a 3-D mapping feature. Most drones can also do 4K resolution and get you some great high quality photos to show off your homes for sale.
When it comes to drone photography, a prime benefit is drones can get low level shots which show unique angles to buyers, such as underneath a building, or high level ones like detailed shots of chimneys or roofs. Regular photographers just can’t do this kind of photography.
Yet another advantage is drones can do videos. The photographer can show the neighborhood in real time and provide a detailed tour which can reveal to the buyer of a home what goes on in the new neighborhood. No longer do buyers have to take a long appointment to walk all over the property to know what’s there since the drones can do the job much better so it’s faster for buyers and likely leads to quicker buys. This cuts out people who decide they don’t want the home and frees up more appointments for the buyers truly interested in the property.
They can also film both the inside and outside of the home. Additionally, it gives buyers a total scope of the entire area, not just photos of the house itself, it can showcase the land on the property, the nearby homes, how your new home fits into this, etc.

Truly, drone photography sells a lifestyle, not merely a house. Sellers no longer have to spell out the home’s description, the drone does it in a mere few seconds. Drone photography for real estate statistics says buyers do most of their searches online these days, and drone photography lets sellers show off the property and put everything front and center that’s important to potential buyers.
Drone photography encapsulates everything in that very first shot. In an estimated 20 to 30 seconds, the drone photos and video show the buyer everything that in the past took many photos, which might have bored them and they just scrolled right through.
How Much do Real Estate Drone Photographers Make?
When it comes to how much real estate drone photographers make, it all depends on the type of job they are hired to do. One question often asked is, “do you need a license to fly a drone for real estate? Yes, you need a special license, which can cost around $180. But you can make that up with your first job as most drone jobs start at around $230 for each shoot.
Of course, it all depends on your qualifications and some drone photographers might make less than that at first, and that could be as low as $30 an hour. Most jobs take between 30 minutes and 90 minutes. You also have to take a drone photography course in order to get the license from the FAA.
Can a Real Estate Agent Use a Drone?
This has a mixed answer. A real estate agent can use a drone if they have the proper gear, training, and license. However, it may be better to hire an official drone photographer as they likely have all the needed and required training and licenses (which you should check before hiring).
Another disadvantage is these are specialized drones and can be very expensive and you can’t just do it with some toy drone and expect to get good results. These can run thousands of dollars. So, in most cases, it is best to go with the professional drone photographers.

Is Drone Photography Profitable?
Yes, drone photography can be profitable for both the photographer as well as the real estate people and the home seller. All of these get the advantages as previously discussed. Part of how profitable it is dependent on where the photography is done. For instance, real estate drone photography pricing would be higher costs in California than in some other states.
The bottom line is to do your homework to find out how drones in real estate operate in your area and then act accordingly. If you are trying to start your own drone photography business, be sure to write up a good business plan and that will help you become successful.
Faqs:
Is drone photography profitable?
Yes, it can be profitable for everyone involved from the photographer to the real estate agent and the seller. The photographer gets the job money, while the others of course benefit due to the home getting sold.
How much should I charge for drone photography?
The photographer can make anywhere from $30 an hour to over $230, and the others of course benefit due to the home getting sold.
Are drone pilots in demand?
Yes, these days many home buyers shop on the Internet and want to see as much as possible about the home they are looking at prior to buying it. So drones are great at taking videos and stills that help sell the property.
Benefits of Drone Photography in Real Estate: Final Thoughts
All in all benefits of drone photography in real estate may have some challenges you have to meet, but you can make a good profit no matter if you are the photographer or the seller or the agent selling the home. Just make sure you hire a good photographer with the proper skills and licenses and they can get you footage no regular still photographer can!