Aerial real estate photography is one of three key ways professionals can add value to property sales and so boost inquiries and speed up sales, according to a study by industry data.
The key stats shared by Ruby Home, a specialist in luxury real estate, are that professional photography in general speeds sales by 32%, while aerial photos make that 68% faster.
Even a modestly priced drone from our guide to the best beginners drones or best camera drones will take pictures that offer a unique perspective – a fresh viewpoint that traditional ground-based shots can’t match. It captures the property from above, emphasizing its surroundings, landscape, and overall beauty. This unique perspective helps listings stand out and catch the eye of potential buyers.
Aerial views allow realtors to showcase the property in its context. By shooting from various angles, you can demonstrate relative property sizes, proximity to amenities, and nearby features. For smaller homes, where outdoor photos are limited, aerial shots still help fill in the gaps. Drones excel, though, at covering large properties, whether it’s raw land or an expansive estate. They reveal the entire scope of the offering, which is often impossible with ground-based photography alone.
Interestingly, of the 61% of realtors who use drones, only 43% hire a pro – that speaks to how accessible the devices are; drones like the Mini 4 Pro are so light they don't even need registering.
Other modern tech can help too – drones can capture video as well as stills, and home listings with videos garner 403% more inquiries. Virtual tours, too, are popular – both in the form of an agent simply holding their phone camera and being guided by the customer and the more sophisticated click-through 360-degree images.
360-degree consumer cameras like the Insta360 X3 can be the basis of these tours. Inevitably these methods first hit their stride in the pandemic, but the approach is now established.
I'd strongly recommend the DJI Air 3 for this kind of work, and check my guide to the best 360-degree cameras.
