Drones in Real Estate: Pricing and Contracts

[Dan AISCF]

Just for FYI. I am not just showing Drone Cowboy's work just for the heck of it, but someone in here could be inspired to do something similar for their business. Just say'n.

I know this is an OLD thread, BUT, I'm a beginner (with quite a few vids), going for my 107 soon and trying to get into cinematic videography for RE clients. Long story short, I showed my wife their (Drone Cowboys) series of vids and she was BLOWN away and informed me that I will need to be doing the same shots and vids, in the near future (lol, really)... so looks like some serious upgrades for me soon! My poor P4 will be getting shelved in the next few months it looks like, lol.

But seriously, do you know what equipment they are using? I just recently started using DV Resolve since seeing it mentioned in the Phantom Pilots section. Also, do they do custom intro work (like if I wanted a custom company intro w/ animated logo)? Thanks for sharing their awesome work. INSPIRING, to say the least...

 

[BigAl07]

I hate to be a kill joy but if you are depending on a P3 to produce excellent quality photos and videos then you are already playing catch-up. The difference in quality between say a P4P or Mavic2 are incredible. There’s been much debate comparing the two and each point is valid. A 1” sensor will give you better results over anything else in the $1500 range. Of course there’s always the Inspire 2 but that’s quite a jump in price.

Seriously? I've flown for clients ranging from shoe-string budgets to multi-million dollar accounts and done so with Phantom3 series of aircraft. I've shot video segments for The Travel Channel and did a very large project for a subcontractor of Disney all with a Phantom3Pro and some short clips with Mavic Pro Platinum. Neither have the 1" sensor but I've made paychecks of more than $3K per day none the less.

Guess what the first thing The Travel Channel told us... "Please do NOT shoot in 4K. We are processing this in the field and don't have the processing power or time to deal with 4K footage. Shoot everything in 1080p for us."

While I agree that there are better platforms than a Phantom3 series to broadly say "if you are depending on a P3 to produce excellent quality photos and videos then you are already playing catch-up" is rude and very much not true. There is a lot more to being a photographer than just having the latest and greatest of equipment. Very few of us start off a new company with top-of-the-line equipment and I fully suggest NOT starting off with the best that money can buy.

We need to be considerate and think before we make such bold and rude statements about another company's equipment. If your equipment is your only advantage over your competition then you're going to have a short career.

 

[Outta Control]

I hate to be a kill joy but if you are depending on a P3 to produce excellent quality photos and videos then you are already playing catch-up. The difference in quality between say a P4P or Mavic2 are incredible. There’s been much debate comparing the two and each point is valid. A 1” sensor will give you better results over anything else in the $1500 range. Of course there’s always the Inspire 2 but that’s quite a jump in price.

When I was a Pro-Sports photographer on the side, there always is the old saying, "it is not the camera, but its the brain behind the eye looking through the camera that makes the photo beautiful".

 

[James Vaughn]

Seriously? I've flown for clients ranging from shoe-string budgets to multi-million dollar accounts and done so with Phantom3 series of aircraft. I've shot video segments for The Travel Channel and did a very large project for a subcontractor of Disney all with a Phantom3Pro and some short clips with Mavic Pro Platinum. Neither have the 1" sensor but I've made paychecks of more than $3K per day none the less.

Guess what the first thing The Travel Channel told us... "Please do NOT shoot in 4K. We are processing this in the field and don't have the processing power or time to deal with 4K footage. Shoot everything in 1080p for us."

While I agree that there are better platforms than a Phantom3 series to broadly say "if you are depending on a P3 to produce excellent quality photos and videos then you are already playing catch-up" is rude and very much not true. There is a lot more to being a photographer than just having the latest and greatest of equipment. Very few of us start off a new company with top-of-the-line equipment and I fully suggest NOT starting off with the best that money can buy.

We need to be considerate and think before we make such bold and rude statements about another company's equipment. If your equipment is your only advantage over your competition then you're going to have a short career

I know this is an OLD thread, BUT, I'm a beginner (with quite a few vids), going for my 107 soon and trying to get into cinematic videography for RE clients. Long story short, I showed my wife their (Drone Cowboys) series of vids and she was BLOWN away and informed me that I will need to be doing the same shots and vids, in the near future (lol, really)... so looks like some serious upgrades for me soon! My poor P4 will be getting shelved in the next few months it looks like, lol.

But seriously, do you know what equipment they are using? I just recently started using DV Resolve since seeing it mentioned in the Phantom Pilots section. Also, do they do custom intro work (like if I wanted a custom company intro w/ animated logo)? Thanks for sharing their awesome work. INSPIRING, to say the least...

You'll probably find most of your Real estate stuff being done in 1080 anyway, remember it's usually going onto a website without a lot of room for 4k video.

My 2 cents...

 

[Dan AISCF]

Good to know. This weekend is supposed to be clear, sunny and in the 70s. I think I’ll do a few shoots in 1080 and do some editing and see what happens. I guess I, like quite a few, have gotten caught up in the “must be 4K” frame of mind, not realizing it’s probably not necessary for my clients...just yet.

 

[BigAl07]

Good to know. This weekend is supposed to be clear, sunny and in the 70s. I think I’ll do a few shoots in 1080 and do some editing and see what happens. I guess I, like quite a few, have gotten caught up in the “must be 4K” frame of mind, not realizing it’s probably not necessary for my clients...just yet.

That whole 4K thought process is easy to slip into.

You want to tailor the product and workflow to meet the client's needs thus saving you time and $$. I "offer" 4K but I also qualify the client to make sure they understand and can USE 4K before taking the time to go that route.

 

[itallica]

This link might help some:
What do you Charge for Drone Service

Good afternoon Marlene. With all due respect, you're getting your cart WAY ahead of your horse on this one. You need to have all of your ducks in a row and have them well trained before offering anything at all. It's better to start slow and show your professionalism than to jump the gun and look unprofessional. Just my opinion there.

What is your skill/experience level and what kind of finished product do you offer?
How long does it take for you to shoot an average Real Estate shoot? How much time do you spend traveling to & from the jobsite?
How much time do you spend on average in Post Production for each project?
How much does it "COST" you to operate your business each month?
How much do you need to make per hour to stay in business?
How much would it cost you to replace your equipment should you have a failure and have to replace the complete aircraft today?

Those questions will "help" you to know how much to charge. To make it even more complex it really depends on what your local competition saturation is as well as what the local market will support.

You need a detailed and comprehensive Business Plan to help guide you for start-up and the first 3-5 years of running a new business.

I found that link to be very helpful, thank you. You seem to stretch your knowledge out across a lot of drone forums, thank you. If I were in South Carolina instead of South Dakota I'd buy you a cup, I think I'd enjoy the chat.

 

[BigAl07]

I found that link to be very helpful, thank you. You seem to stretch your knowledge out across a lot of drone forums, thank you. If I were in South Carolina instead of South Dakota I'd buy you a cup, I think I'd enjoy the chat.

Thank you for your kind words.

I've been blessed by having some amazing people lead/guide/teach me through the years and this is my way to "Pay it Forward" in some small way.

Safe Flights,
Allen

 

[R.Perry]

I glad you brought up this topic. It's exactly the market I'm aiming at. I still need to get through the FAA license procedure but I'm not sure where to start. I have a feeling it's going to be a nightmare. How did you go about it? I've been involved in photography in some form or another for about 40 years. I'm enjoying my P3P but would like to be able to use it to make some income. I'm starting from zero here and soaking up information like a sponge. As another member stated it's best to have your ducks in a row.

The person that advised you to "have all your ducks in a row" is probably one of the most knowledgeable people on the forum. Getting your 107 isn't that difficult, if you study the FAA material and learn how to utilize it. What I mean about utilizing it, is don't just study to learn how to pass the test, learn how to apply what you are learning and you will do just fine.

Get to know your drone inside and out, continually practice. I thought I had a pretty good handle on flying my drones until the company I work for sent me to Avion in Huntsville, AL, these guys train the army drone pilots. They found all my bad habits and fixed most of them.

I'm at the other end, I have tons of aviation experience, but mediocre at photography. In this business the photography skills are more important than the flying skills because so many flights can be set up as autonomous flights. I've posted a couple of videos that were flown autonomously where I was able to focus on the photography.
One word on flying autonomously, test fly your mission before focusing on the photography or video, I almost learned that lesson the hard way, thank goodness of obstacle avoidance, or I would have ran into a crane boom.