Drones Becoming Prevalent in Real Estate Marketing

I have been noticing more and more marketing materials created with camera drones. Some of the video presentations on nice estates along the Columbia River are clearly the work of a professional production company. But I am seeing drone aerials on even the more modest listings.

To the right is a listing video I found on the local MLS for a Tidewater condo on the Columbia River. The entire intro was done with a drone camera and it definitely adds some visual drama to the listing.

I have always been an advocate of good clear a well composed images of homes in real estate. The seller is paying a handsome fee and they deserve to have their home presented in the best possible light.

I have a photography background having spent the entirety of the 1980s and half the 1990s as a professional in the photography industry. So I need not hire out to make real estate images that have a professional touch. I have always been a bit of an equipment junkie so I still own great quality camera gear. But short of renting a 30 foot lift, I can't get these above the neighborhood viewpoints that seem to be permeating the industry.Well, I couldn't before now. I decided to add a camera drone to my "arsenal" of marketing. Of course I will need a little practice flying the thing but I took my first simple images in my own neighborhood for practice.

Sellers are becoming more and more demanding with regards to the marketing of their home. The cold hard reality is that the market is driven by price sensitive buyers and fancy marketing only goes so far. A puffed up overpriced home will still linger in the market. The fancy media will help bring more buyers in to see the property and that can make a big difference for a well priced home. But what's the difference if 20 people view the home and say it's over priced or 100 people view and say the same?

It's good to keep everything in perspective. That said, a little marketing edge never hurt, methinks ;)