Want a sure fire way to get that million dollar shot from above? In the past, agents would have to hire a pilot, climb trees, or put ladders on top of pickup trucks. Not anymore. With less than $1,000 and some basic flight training, homespun amateur pilots are guiding unmanned helicopters with GoPro cameras attached. It’s a long way since the days of model rockets I used to send flying into the air hoping I would be able to find them when they returned to earth! How cool was that takeoff though!
At Independence Realty, we are always looking for innovative new ways to market and sell our clients property for them, and I believe that this technology will offer incredible new photos and images to engage our buyers interest. I’m looking forward to flying one myself. I’m just waiting for the snow to melt up here in the high country!
The FAA however, has not made a decision as to how they will regulate this yet though. Any commercial use of drones is still offically prohibited. Many real estate agents are going forward with the use of this technology anyways, and their protection is that they will only fly the drones on private property and will stay below 400 feet. They also don’t sell the photos, they just use them in their marketing. Is this a commercial use? Yes. Has anyone been fined yet? No.
The National Association of Realtors is among a coalition of more than two dozen industry groups asking the FAA to set guidelines that would allow them to utilize drones in advance of official guidelines that should allow some commercial uses, expected sometime in 2015. Despite the drones’ potential to boost home sales, the Realtors association is telling its agents to resist using them until regulatory issues are settled.
Interested in using drones for your real estate business or hiring one that does? Check out the two great articles below, and then call our office at 877.604.9088. We would love to discuss this new technology and how it could help you market and sell your high country land or mountain home!
http://www.startribune.com/housing/255038911.html
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