Drone photography takes off with Realtors

Everyone’s accustomed to the sight of real estate agents placing a for sale sign in a yard. Soon they may be holding something else — the controls of a drone flying overhead.

Real estate agents are increasingly using small drones to take aerial photographs and videos of homes for sale. The images are more dramatic that ordinary photos taken at ground level and help listings stand out on the Internet, where almost everyone shopping for a home begins their search.

“Drones are a wonderful thing,” said Larry Lipman, the head of the Lipman Group Sotheby’s International Realty in Nashville. “We were the first to actually do it in the city.”

Over the past two years, he has hired a photographer to take drone photographs and videos of at least 50 properties for sale, and he encourages other Realtors in the agency to use drones, as well.

“It’s the standard. In time, most Realtors will catch on and sellers will say, ‘I don’t want a Realtor who doesn’t do it,' ” said Lipman.

Custom home builder James Carbine recently used a drone to get aerial shots of the site where his company was developing a neighborhood in Brentwood. He sent the video to his partners.

Carbine, president of Carbine & Associates, said aerial photographs can show details of a building site that are not visible from the ground.

“You can’t always get on it (the site), but you can fly over it,” he said.

Carbine was not personally at the controls of the drone, a quadracopter made by Shenzhen, China-based DJI, but as a licensed aircraft pilot he meets one of the requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA also requires commercial operators to register their drone and apply for permission to operate it. Applications are approved on a case-by-case basis.

Carbine said it’s important for the FAA to establish regulations for safe operations since drone use is growing dramatically. One reason is that they are inexpensive and easy to fly. His $1,500 model is controlled through his iPad, for example.

Derek Darmstaedter, whose company Household Photography produces drone photography for Lipman, said he started doing drone photography four years ago and currently averages four assignments per week using a $4,500 quadracopter with retractable landing gear and a gyro-stabilized camera.

A number of Realtors at Brentwood-based Synergy Realty network are using drone photography. Most shots are taken from 30 to 50 feet in the air, said Broker Dwane Crews.

“It can make an ordinary house from the curb look magnificent,” he said.

Making a good impression on the Internet is essential, said Crews.

“You have to look at good photos and videos online as your first showing. It determines whether they’ll come look at the house,” he said.

Cindy Stanton, president of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors (GNAR), said she does not use drone photography but sees its potential.

“I certainly see the value if you’re selling a large parcel of land. The aerial photo would be fantastic,” said Stanton.

The GNAR does not provide advice or training related to drones, but Stanton said the National Association of Realtors (NAR) is “really monitoring” the technology and regulations.

In September, NAR President Chris Polychron told Congress that drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), have the potential to create new jobs and businesses.

“NAR and its members are excited about these possibilities but also understand the need to balance them with protecting the privacy and safety of citizens and other users of the country’s national air space. As end-users of drone technology, Realtors want clear regulation that permits the commercial application of UASs in a way that is affordable to users and safe for their communities, both on the ground and in the air,” said Polychron.

Reach Bill Lewis at 615-262-5862 or wlewis77229@comcast.net.