Ever wondered if you’re paying too much for your photography?
I don’t always spy on what other businesses charge for their services, primarily due to the fact that most businesses have different cost structures, meaning the amount they charge for their products / services may be higher or lower than standard industry amounts.
There are exceptions to this rule though. For example, with my main business, CrainWP, my office is at home – and yes, if I do some traveling, I can take a laptop with me. I don’t need to advertise, and my total overheads are virtually zero. Yes, I update my computers regularly, I invest in quality storage devices to protect my data, along with my clients’ data. Our internet connection has unlimited data, and is extremely fast. My office is air-conditioned and comfortable. But Still, we have no mortgage, and our household costs are negligible.
Now, you would think that given that I’ve just explained that I’ve got next to no cost, my hourly rate would be low. You would be wrong. The quality of my work and the speed at which I provide it, means that my clients get a lot of bang for their hard earned. Effectively, I’m actually saving them money by charging $100 per hour, because I’m capable of getting the job done, at a higher level, faster than most other WordPress professionals.
And yes, I do blow my own trumpet, because I know what I’m worth. Which is why I’ve been lucky enough to be self employed for so many years. I actually turn work away.
Now, back to Aerial Photography.
The reason I became involved in aerial photography, is because I’d worked indoors a lot over the previous 20 years. I wanted to get out more, and I love photography, so piloting a drone for aerial photography was a logical choice of career change.
The only dampener in this line of work is weather and the limitations of where you can actually fly the drone. People do become annoyed when wet or windy weather hits, and the job has to be postponed, but the fact is, these drones cost several thousand dollars each. My Phantom 4 RTK, which doesn’t get flown that often, cost me more than $8,000.
In a bad weather event, such as extreme wind or rain, if I were to fly that drone and it crashed, all for the princely sum of, let’s say $99, the insurance company would not cover it, because it was used when it should not have been. I’m not, nor are many other drone / UAV operators, willing to lose their bread and butter, due to bad weather. The fact is, you’re also potentially placing other people and property in harms way by flying when you shouldn’t.
Another dampener, are the limitations imposed on flying in built up areas, and the like. There are legal distances from people and property that must be maintained, and if your property is located in an area where it’s not legal to fly the drone, I for one, am not willing to risk the fine, and lose accreditation. If your agent wants to risk flying a drone where it shouldn’t be flown, and is willing to pay the fine, so be it – it’s their burden to bear.
From the CASA website –
CASA may…
…issue a fine of up to $1,375 per offence.
CASA may also…
…restrict or cancel your accreditation, licence, certificate, or registration.
If you’re summoned to attend a court, you could be:
- convicted of a crime
- restricted from flying
- fined up to $13,750.”
So in reality, besides injuring people or damaging peoples’ property, it’s not worth the risk.
There are ‘cowboys’ out there that will tell you ‘she’ll be right mate’, but they’ll want to be paid in cash, and unfortunately, YOU may end up in a whole heap of trouble.
The Person Taking Your Photos Should Be Qualified and Accredited, and follow the rules and regulations
Which Real Estate Agent.com.au
I stumbled upon Which Real Estate Agent.com.au and found some interesting information that you may also find interesting and beneficial.
Along with Real Estate Photography prices, they also provide “5 benefits of real estate drone photography”. I’ve provided the links to their website above.
These are the 5 benefits of real estate drone photography they’ve listed
“There are many advantages in utilising real estate drone photography to offer a bird’s eye view of your property and local area.
- Create impact and drama: Compared to ground-based photography, drone
imagery is dramatic and can create a sense of awe with sweeping shots of the landscape or exterior fly-arounds of your property. - Detail: You can show off your entire property in all its dimensions, inside and out, helping buyers fully visualise the space. Selling points and property features can be highlighted, such as the condition of the roof, beautiful landscaping or pools and waterfronts.
- Context: You can help buyers understand the property’s position in the context of its surroundings. Buyers like to know about the local neighbourhood and drone photography can instantly show proximity to local amenities such as schools, parks, beaches or transport routes. Drone photos also portray the general vibe of an area, such as if it’s leafy or industrial.
- Adding value: A professional drone operator can create compelling virtual tours, with the drone flying right in the front door of your house and travelling through all the rooms, coupled with voiceovers and soundtracks for added appeal.
- Shareability: Because of the “wow” factor and the creative possibilities, drone photography is highly engaging and if done well, buyers are more likely to share the video on social media while on their property hunting journey.
There are, however, some disadvantages to drone use. For ordinary properties, they may be of limited value, being more suited to properties at the higher end of the market. Drones are also inappropriate for fixed position photography and are unsuitable for small interior spaces.
There are also sometimes security issues to contend with, such as avoiding capturing images of neighbours, or exposing any vulnerabilities the house may have to intruders, causing a security risk. And drone imagery will not remove the need for the traditional street level or curb shots which are still expected in listings by buyers.
However, drone photography can give you the competitive edge, showing viewers that you will go the extra mile to create truly jaw-dropping listings, so it’s definitely worth considering as part of your internet marketing strategy.
How much does real estate drone photography cost?
Drone operators usually quote on a job-by-job basis because of the sheer number of variables involved. These include site location, personnel and equipment required, the amount of preparation required (site surveying, or obtaining special permissions, etc.) and length of time needed on site.
While prices vary, outsourcing to a camera drone operator will usually cost between $300 to $500 to produce a one to five minute video plus 10 high quality aerial still photos taken in and outside the home. Detailed video tours of the whole house may raise the cost to as much as $1,000.
Taken By Drone.com has chosen to not provide video content.
All our Drones are video capable, and may on application and discussion, decide to provide video to clients,
but our preference is to be purely photos orientated, excluding our RTK work.
Credit where credit is due
If you found the information from Which Real Estate Agent.com.au informative, we would appreciate you giving them a visit and checking out all the information they have to offer.