Often today you can look at a bird’s eye view of Outer Banks real estate in the listing agent’s listing description. Seeing how far the house is from the ocean is a great marketing tool. It also gives a buyer a better perspective on what they are buying. Most of these photos today are taken by drones.
Buyers are looking for this perspective and sellers should seriously consider asking an agent to provide this type of photo. Unfortunately it is not quite as simple as purchasing a $300 drone and spending an hour or two on a calm and clear day taking pictures. The FAA considers taking pictures of real estate for marketing purposes a commercial use. Commercial use of a drone requires a Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA. Furthermore, North Carolina also has their own regulations for the commercial use of a drone. They want the pilot to have North Carolina permit from the NC Division of Aviation.
You may be asking yourself, what difference does it make if my Realtor is licensed remote pilot or not? A person with both the FAA certificate and the North Carolina permit has taken the tests to get their licenses and will know how to best fly a drone in a safe manner. Drones have caused accidents in the past. A licensed pilot has learned the best ways to avoid accidents and under what conditions it is safe to fly. What would happen if your agent (or any unlicensed drone pilot) had an accident? Because a seller hired them would that seller have some additional liability? There are also places around the Outer Banks where drones are not permitted to fly or there are restrictions to flying. For example, special permission has to be given by the National Park Service to fly over the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Also, flying close to an airport could also have some restrictions that you don’t want someone working for you to violate.
In looking at the FAA Registry, very few Outer Banks Realtors are licensed. If your agent is promising you drone shots then you may want to find out who will be doing it and check the registry. There are also some very good local drone pilots if your agent is not offering drone pictures.
Scott Team Realty has both the FAA Remote Pilot’s License and the permit from the state of North Carolina. Where flying a drone is permitted we will utilize this fairly new marketing tool to help sell our listings. Please feel free to contact us to learn more about how we expose our listings to the most buyers through our comprehensive marketing campaign.
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