Gotta start somewhere... I had a photo studio for many years and thought of myself as a professional photographer. But every photo specialty requires study and experience to become proficient enough to ensure people will want to buy your product. I started shooting RE seven years ago. Was only marginally better than a GWC (Guy With Camera) for the first couple dozen shoots. Then came flambient and HDR techniques, hard work, Lightroom presets and plug-ins, etc., and I developed a truly professional workflow. I shot exteriors with a 16ft pole for two years, then bought a small UA and got Part 107 certificated. Pricing for aerials was all over the place for the first two years, until I made peace with the ground truth: the drone is just another camera/tool. I use it (or not) as part of a comprehensive shooting process that is different for every property. I also shoot walk-through videos with a stabilized iPhone, to great reviews - so I believe in using whatever works for the price being charged. I shoot 360-degree HDR stills for some properties and charge separately for those, because it's a second complete walk-through and shoot. But I only tack on a small added charge of $20-50 for the 3-7 aerial stills I shoot as part of a simple HDR house shoot. It took over two years for my Mavic Pro to pay for itself that way. If all the client wants is aerial work, I charge the whole-property stills fee (based on square footage) and produce about 15-25 aerial HDR stills. I've had four of those shoots in four years... So, most of my aerial work has been stills to go along with the rest of the interior/exterior shots as just part of the whole gig. I live in Charlottesville, VA and shoot in four surrounding counties out to a radius of 60 miles. There is enough real estate business for me to shoot 3-4 properties a week. I enjoy it immensely, but it isn't a living wage most months. Honestly, the likelihood of someone buying a small UA and drumming up enough RE business to be profitable quickly, is pretty slim. Realtors are notoriously cheap. Take a look on Zillow or Realtor.com at million-plus dollar properties and you will see tons of crappy photos shot with the realtor's smartphone. Fortunately, that's gotten better over the last few years. Used super yachts are still sold that way - it's amazing... So, if you really have your heart set on RE photography, go for it, but seriously temper your expectations or be prepared to make disappointment your best friend. Cheers.
