For most houses, yes, and every residential package we sell includes drone photos. From the ground you can show the front of the house and the backyard. From the air you can show where the lot ends and how close the lake really is.
There are listings where it adds very little, and you can skip it there.
When you can skip it
A condo in a larger building, where the unit has no yard of its own, rarely needs an aerial. Buyers are looking at the kitchen and the view from the balcony.
The same goes for a house on a tight lot where the overhead shot is mostly the neighbors' roofs. If the picture from the air doesn't tell a buyer anything the front photo didn't, leave it out of the listing.
When it does the most work
Lakefront and riverfront. The aerial shows how much frontage there is, where the dock sits and how far the house is from the water.
Acreage and big yards. Buyers can't tell from the ground where 2 acres stops. A property outline drawn over the aerial shows them.
Wooded lots. From the ground, trees just look like trees. From above, buyers can see how private the house is and how far it sits from the road.
Corner lots and cul-de-sacs. One overhead shot answers the question most buyers ask about these, which is how much traffic goes past the front door.
New construction, commercial buildings and multifamily. Buyers and tenants want to see what's around the building, such as parking and road access, or how much of the rest of the subdivision is finished.
The five shots we fly
- Building highlight, the home itself, from straight overhead to just above the roofline.
- Area spotlight, the setting around it, such as the neighborhood, the water or the skyline.
- Community amenities, with nearby parks, schools and clubhouses labeled for buyers.
- Location marker, a pin on the house so buyers see exactly where it sits on the street.
- Property outline, the lot lines drawn on, so buyers see what's included in the sale.
Most listings don't need all five. A house on a regular suburban street usually only needs the building highlight and a location marker. A lakefront home on a few acres can use every one.
Video from the air
Drone video is worth it when the setting is a big part of the price, such as acreage, waterfront, or a downtown building where the walk to restaurants matters. For a typical three-bedroom in a subdivision, the photos cover it.
All four of our photographers are FAA Part 107 licensed drone pilots, so the photographer who shoots the inside of the house can fly the drone on the same visit. You can see examples of each shot type on our drone photography page.
