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Real Estate Photography

Thats about the same as us, though I did not have a triple 3 exemption before the 107 came out - so we did not offer aerial work prior to the 107. Typically we first look at the property via Google Earth and get an idea of layout and sun direction, then once on site I shoot about 12 to 25 Aerial stills depending on size and scope of the property. Then about 25% of those are edited out and put in with the ground based shots. I agree long videos are normally repetitious and a viewer looses interest quick. The stuff I want to put together would have a limit of perhaps 45 to 60 seconds of which only about 10% would be actual aerial video.
 
After over twenty years of working with realtors, first with photography, next with Internet marketing and most recently with drone stills and video I can tell you unequivelently that realtors are not financially conservative but instead are cheap. I have some theories on why that is and only share those over a cold beer or two ;-P Brokers on the other hand are more likely to consider options that may raise the price when they understand the value is also being raised.kermit-2472915_640.jpg
 
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I'd imagine a large difference in payment and interest in obtaining aerial shots for higher priced homes or ones with great views such as on the beach or $500,000+ homes.
I could see a realtor not feel the same desire for the extra photos on a basic $150,000 home.
 
You must be in a big city or on the coast or something... I wouldn't buy one, but I'd have houses under $100,000 in my current city and in previous cities that I have lived in.
Typically they would be super old and outdated, in need of work, small like 1400 sq ft or less, etc.

Now for sure I could see no aerial photo market for new and used trailer homes :D
 
I can confirm that even homes being sold north of 2 million - some realtors (at least in my area) are still almost too cheap to work for. ;)
 
Great comments in here. I have done very little real estate imaging, not because I haven't tried. But because agents are cheap.

They (the agents) don't really care about the buyer except for getting their call. So imagery to actually inform the buyers decision is not needed or wanted. It is kind of astonishing that many agents are unwilling to invest a few $100 up front when a sale will net them many $1000s in commissions.

On the other hand, I have spoken with uas ops that are making a good living supplying imagery for agents that 'get it' and are usually top sellers. So there is work out there. I just haven't found much of it where I live.
 
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I'm think that as a housing market expands into a sellers market, there is usually an increase in sellers which is happening here in Florida. Just the other day my wife mentioned that at least three people she knows have looked into getting into real estate. So the free market should work; as competition between sellers heats up there should be an increase in the desire to get an edge. And piggy-backing on to what @Dave Pitman says above I think that is what we should be seeing.
 
hmm wonder about the sale by owners crowd. Might be interesting to tap into some of the services that cater to them.
I personally am working to establish myself in the rental / resort property crowd
 
That's a very very good point by Tim Jones... I agree that real estate agents don't want to show off putting images or video (hey, the house has a great view of the next door slaughter house!). However there's probably a great market for rental accommodations, air BNB and the like. Some people rent out really great houses and you don't really get to see how great it is just from the description (short private walk to the beach for instance). With a drone shot from the house to the beach, you could show off a big rental/selling point in just a few seconds.
 
It is tough to get started, need to build my portfolio.
My wife and I are going to run the gulf coast of Florida this spring.
I have emailed a bunch of property management companies over there to let them know we will be showcasing the places we stay on a travel vlog. And will offer the owners a small promo video if they also agree to allow me to use in my portfolio

Its a good way I hope to kick off my little side business
 
Lot of beautiful scenic beaches and towns along the gulf coast, my wife and I really like Apalachicola and Port Saint Joe areas. The problem in that part of Florida is the military bases, MOAs and restricted zones but once you start heading south down the west side of Florida it's fairly clear until you get near Tampa.
 
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Yeah they are heavy in the Panhandle too. I have not gotten flight planning yet, still working on where our stops are. We are starting in Navarre and ending in Everglades City over a two week period
 
If you wonder over near Orlando or the space coast, give us a shout. I noticed you used the word "run" - sounds almost like something a motorcyclist would say? Are you guys riders too?;)
 
No, we are actually going to be renting a jeep as a test run to decide if we will be replacing my RT Charger. If we do it would be my fourth Jeep. But I was much younger then, and my wife has never been a jeep owner. It was what I was driving when we met. If we enjoy the trip I will be buying a new Jeep
 
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It is tough to get started, need to build my portfolio.
My wife and I are going to run the gulf coast of Florida this spring.
I have emailed a bunch of property management companies over there to let them know we will be showcasing the places we stay on a travel vlog. And will offer the owners a small promo video if they also agree to allow me to use in my portfolio

Its a good way I hope to kick off my little side business
See my post about other markets to explore. Building up your portfolio will definitely give you an edge on other drone companies. Of course it's all about the free time that you have to put into these things too.
 
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I have been filming real estate for 3 years. And have experienced all of what has been posted thus far, Agents do not want to upfront $$. They want to pay few $$. Many agents are not in it full time....someone who lost a job and tries real estate, mom's with kid's in school looking to add a few bucks to the income, retirees looking to add revenue, etc, etc. Many/most are not business oriented, so they don't get the concept of differentiating yourself, or of spending money to make money, marketing and so on.

I have made presentations to over a hundred agents, in several real estate offices across multiple R.E. brands using a brief powerpoint to show the benefits and values with a video reel example of my work to almost no avail. I have one agent, who is always at the top in his office and I do ALL of his listings. Almost all are homes over $500k, many at or over $1m. He has found the aerial videos/photos help him sell homes faster. I finally, after 2 years, am beginning to get calls from other agents in the office. Also, I do inside photos and outside aerial work for many of my jobs. This is a tough place to make money. The key is to get to the top producers. I found that the videos need to be no more than a minute, clients get bored after 30 seconds. Although, some agents will request up to 2 minutes (too long). They should be like commercials, short and to the point. We're not creating movies.

I have also done work for real estate developers. They are more willing to spend $$$......why.....they are business people. They understand the benefit and value. Same for golf courses and country clubs. These are the better revenue generators.
 

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