It’ s a Bird, It’ s a Plane, It’ s a … Drone
C. A. R. Magazine, Paul Smith
When people think of“ drones,” issues like privacy violation and accidental harm come to mind. Americans overwhelmingly back the use of drones that target extremists abroad, but are reluctant to support private drones, including those utilized for commercial purposes at home, data from Pew Research Center shows. Yet drones don’ t have to be scary, which many in the real estate industry recognized early on. Indeed, two years ago, the first REALTOR ® applied for a special waiver to use a drone for commercial purposes. In 2015, one-third of special Federal Aviation Administration( FAA) waivers to fly drones for commercial purposes came from those in the real estate profession. California Real Estate spoke with two California-based businesses that have a considerable number of REALTOR ® clients, and when it comes to using drones in real estate, the sky’ s the limit for what can be achieved in real estate marketing.
FAA Rule Change
Many industries, especially real estate, appealed to the FAA, which issued a final operational rule for the use of commercial drones last summer. Drone operators don’ t need a pilot’ s license anymore, but that doesn’ t mean anyone can fly a drone for commercial reasons. Under the new regulations, the drone must weigh 55 pounds or less, cannot fly higher than 400 feet, cannot fly within five miles of an airport or registered landing strip, and cannot go faster than 100 mph. The rule took effect in late August, 2016 and requires a remote pilot airman certificate. To obtain the certificate, an applicant needs to be at least 16 years old, needs to pass an initial FAA-approved aeronautical knowledge test or hold an existing non-student Part 61 pilot certificate, complete a flight review within the previous 24 months, and complete an FAA-provided small unmanned aircraft system( UAS) online training course. This appears to be the FAA’ s first step in facilitating greater drone use.“ With this new rule, we are taking a careful and deliberate approach that balances the need to deploy this new technology with the FAA’ s mission to protect public safety,” said Michael Huerta, Administrator of the FAA.“ But this is just our first step. We’ re already working on additional rules that will expand the range of operations.” The bottom line is that using drones for commercial purposes requires special licensing, so don’ t go out to buy a drone yet. The good news is that drone technology has considerably evolved, gotten cheaper, and more marketing options are available from companies that have gotten into the business of flying drones, especially for real estate purposes.
Top Producing Team Gilroy Office, 2016
Marta Dinsmore, Realtor GRI Intero Real Estate Services DinsmoreThePowerOfTwo. com 408.840.7420 DRE # 01352339
Sean Dinsmore, Realtor Intero Real Estate Services DinsmoreThePowerOfTwo. com 408.840.7327 DRE # 01966405
How Much Does It Cost?
It costs around $ 150 to take the aeronautical knowledge exam at a licensed testing center, according to the FAA. While it’ s not expensive, a person looking to become a professional will need to spend many hours learning how to operate a device. Drone photography usually starts in the mid-hundreds, while video and still photography is in the high hundreds to thousands.“ If a REALTOR ® is seeking to capture their own aerial footage for commercial purposes, they can do so by acquiring a UAS license certification,” Rodolfo Bianchi, a chief remote pilot and CEO of LA Video Drone, told California Real Estate. However, Bianchi noted that professionals aren’ t only licensed, they are insured. It’ s a sentiment shared by Michael Izquierdo, a drone pilot and CEO of Beverly Hills Aerials. Both Izquierdo and Bianchi capture other footage, for television, top universities, major motion picture companies, and other well-known franchises. Yet the bulk of their clientele comes from the real estate industry.
Generating Compelling Marketing
“ I am trying to create a media packet that makes clients feel like they’ re there,” because oftentimes, people are in another state or city, and learn more about a property through video. Clark acknowledged that drone video and photography can be costly, but said it’ s more than worth it.“ If you fight for a legitimate commission, which is usually five or six percent, that’ s a good paycheck. That’ s what it is there for,” he suggested.“ It costs what it costs. If the best vendor is $ 1,000 and can make your video truly beautiful, then it’ s worth it,” as it helps sell the house for top dollar and shows a client that you will go the extra mile. It is increasingly looking like the rapid adoption of drones for commercial uses is becoming the norm. REALTORS ® have shown they will not be left in the rotor dust. The future is here and it’ s currently flying around another property.
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN MARCH / APRIL 2017 gmhtoday. com