I'm really considering giving up my dream job...

[Briankbl]

I never saw this coming. If I had, it would've saved me a lot of money and heartache. I was going to try and start up a business full-time. sUAVe Home Photography, LLC. Aerial photography/videography for real estate listings. It seemed like a great idea! I got my FAA Certification right after it became legal (Part 107). I thought to myself "Hey, I'm getting in the game early! Surely the local real estate agencies are going to want my aerial work, considering I'm right here in Panama City Beach."

Then it happened. I start making the rounds to all the different agencies, selling myself and my company. Yet they all were giving me the same answer: their companies paid one or two of their agents to also take the FAA exam, all their drone work was then done in-house, leaving no room or opportunity for someone outside the company. Dead right out of the gate...

Now I simply don't know what to do. The real estate agencies have pretty much screwed over other legitimate drone pilots by paying their own agents to get certified. What should I do from here?

 

[larrym]

Pack up and move on. Unless you can find a new niche of customers. Next time, remember it is good to research demand before starting a business.

Good luck.

 

[stones]

If they're paying their own agents to get certified, aren't they in fact legitimate pilots as well? I see your quandary here but, don't really see how your getting " screwed over".

 

[edspilot]

I never saw this coming. If I had, it would've saved me a lot of money and heartache. I was going to try and start up a business full-time. sUAVe Home Photography, LLC. Aerial photography/videography for real estate listings. It seemed like a great idea! I got my FAA Certification right after it became legal (Part 107). I thought to myself "Hey, I'm getting in the game early! Surely the local real estate agencies are going to want my aerial work, considering I'm right here in Panama City Beach."

Then it happened. I start making the rounds to all the different agencies, selling myself and my company. Yet they all were giving me the same answer: their companies paid one or two of their agents to also take the FAA exam, all their drone work was then done in-house, leaving no room or opportunity for someone outside the company. Dead right out of the gate...

Now I simply don't know what to do. The real estate agencies have pretty much screwed over other legitimate drone pilots by paying their own agents to get certified. What should I do from here?

Have you checked into the national companies that need/use local drone operators?

BetterView & Drone Base are a couple. They provide the jobs and you select if you want to to them.

Search this site, there are several that "work" their respective areas.

Worth a try, if you have not already looked at them.

Best wishes,

edspilot

 

[Briankbl]

Have you checked into the national companies that need/use local drone operators?

BetterView & Drone Base are a couple. They provide the jobs and you select if you want to to them.

Search this site, there are several that "work" their respective areas.

Worth a try, if you have not already looked at them.

Best wishes,

edspilot

I really appreciate the post! I do work for Drone Base, but I haven't tried BetterView yet. Drone Base would be nice supplemental income, I just rarely get offers in my area, and I have my area as wide as possible on my profile there. If it was more consistent work, it would be perfect.

 

[Phil Tuggle]

I never saw this coming. ...What should I do from here?

Wow - It is amazing to me that ALL of the agencies have that covered in this way. That being the case, you may want to consider simply becoming a regular exterior/interior real estate photographer, and ADD the drone work to your package offerings. This is exactly what I have done for years.

My area does not hold a candle to yours in terms of outdoor beauty (we have a couple of lakes and perhaps some nice country estates - that's it), but I could not survive on simply offering aerials (i.e., I would starve). That is to say, can you just do the regular photography and video tours, with drone work offered as a bonus? Works for me.

PS: MOST real estate agents are awful photographers, and even worse videographers. I'm glad about that.

 

[John Decker]

Amazingly I've had real estate people tell me they don't want to give any potential customer too good a look at a property - they want to entice the customer in. So they don't want good aerial shots or videos!
Still, I get by by seeking out the offices that don't have their own pilots. And what was said above, by offering a complete service rather than just aerials.

 

[Phil Tuggle]

Amazingly I've had real estate people tell me they don't want to give any potential customer too good a look at a property - they want to entice the customer in. So they don't want good aerial shots or videos! ....

Well, while it is certainly true that you do want to whet the appetite of potential buyers with short videos and no more than 30 or so still images, the idea of not wanting the best possible QUALITY in those short shots is....well, pretty dumb on their part.

The first responsibility of a great listing agent is to EXPOSE the listing in the best possible light, briefly or not. Show the world the home is there, available, and attractive -- and better in some way than equally priced competition. The main images (along with attractive price vs features, of course) are the worm on the hook to get the buyer's interest.

Are these actually the successful real estate agents saying this to you? Perhaps they should just do a handful of quick freehand pencil sketches and publish those. Yeah, that's the ticket. Go figure.

 

[Briankbl]

I do offer complete services, but still no luck. Also have a Facebook business page and my own website, everything is very professional. I just can't seem to find any clients.

 

[With The Birds]

Amazingly I've had real estate people tell me they don't want to give any potential customer too good a look at a property - they want to entice the customer in. So they don't want good aerial shots or videos!
Still, I get by by seeking out the offices that don't have their own pilots. And what was said above, by offering a complete service rather than just aerials.

As ridiculous as that sounds the reality is they probably don't want third parties getting easy access to good enough material to obtain a lead on a buyer resulting in a split commission deal with the principal agent. Happens a lot. They would rather keep it on the market for longer and settle on a lower sale price than split the commission.

 

[John Decker]

As ridiculous as that sounds the reality is they probably don't want third parties getting easy access to good enough material to obtain a lead on a buyer resulting in a split commission deal with the principal agent. Happens a lot. They would rather keep it on the market for longer and settle on a lower sale price than split the commission.

I'm pretty sure that when the vendor signs up with a real estate agent they are prevented from dealing with anyone else.. as for whether or not the agents are successful or not, I have no idea, sorry.

 

[With The Birds]

I'm pretty sure that when the vendor signs up with a real estate agent they are prevented from dealing with anyone else.. as for whether or not the agents are successful or not, I have no idea, sorry.

I'm not talking about the vendor- third parties (usually agents) who introduce a lead to the listing agent.

 

[John Decker]

I'm not talking about the vendor- third parties (usually agents) who introduce a lead to the listing agent.

I see what you mean. Never thought of that. The agents didn't mention that as a possibility, they (at least one did) likened it to a girl in a bikini in a distant shot. He said it was better to leave some things up to the imagination rather than zoom in on the wrinkles. His job, once the client was on the property, was to persuade him that the wrinkles weren't important.

 

[With The Birds]

I see what you mean. Never thought of that. The agents didn't mention that as a possibility, they (at least one did) likened it to a girl in a bikini in a distant shot. He said it was better to leave some things up to the imagination rather than zoom in on the wrinkles. His job, once the client was on the property, was to persuade him that the wrinkles weren't important.

It's very prevalent in Australia in recent times.

 

[Phil Tuggle]

...They would rather keep it on the market for longer and settle on a lower sale price than split the commission.

I read your post and wondered, what is the worry? A bit off topic here but I had to check typical commissions in Australia vs the USA - WOW! I now understand your point! The average in the US is just under 6% of the sales price, and you folks seem to be at about half of that - Yipes, I'd want to keep the whole amount as well; with all else relatively the same (typical home prices, markets and absorption rates, etc), splitting 3% is not a very attractive outcome if you want to put food on the table for your family. I'm sure there are exceptions, like the lucky sale of a million dollar mansion.

I still think it is best to have at least a few really great visuals though.

 

[With The Birds]

I read your post and wondered, what is the worry? A bit off topic here but I had to check typical commissions in Australia vs the USA - WOW! I now understand your point! The average in the US is just under 6% of the sales price, and you folks seem to be at about half of that - Yipes, I'd want to keep the whole amount as well; with all else relatively the same (typical home prices, markets and absorption rates, etc), splitting 3% is not a very attractive outcome if you want to put food on the table for your family. I'm sure there are exceptions, like the lucky sale of a million dollar mansion.

I still think it is best to have at least a few really great visuals though.

Unfortunately with the ridiculously inflated prices of houses in this country you need $5m+ for a mansion in most areas. The average house is $1m now.

 

[Phil Tuggle]

Unfortunately with the ridiculously inflated prices of houses in this country you need $5m+ for a mansion in most areas. The average house is $1m now.

Well, in that case I would say shoot away and provide the best possible images and video clips. If the real estate sales market is healthy, that is going to be quite a payday for a good agent.

 

[Mifd118]

I never saw this coming. If I had, it would've saved me a lot of money and heartache. I was going to try and start up a business full-time. sUAVe Home Photography, LLC. Aerial photography/videography for real estate listings. It seemed like a great idea! I got my FAA Certification right after it became legal (Part 107). I thought to myself "Hey, I'm getting in the game early! Surely the local real estate agencies are going to want my aerial work, considering I'm right here in Panama City Beach."

Then it happened. I start making the rounds to all the different agencies, selling myself and my company. Yet they all were giving me the same answer: their companies paid one or two of their agents to also take the FAA exam, all their drone work was then done in-house, leaving no room or opportunity for someone outside the company. Dead right out of the gate...

Now I simply don't know what to do. The real estate agencies have pretty much screwed over other legitimate drone pilots by paying their own agents to get certified. What should I do from here?

 

[Mifd118]

sorry to hear about the situation in your area. Im in northern Michigan & have the same idea of turning this into a business as you but i have two friends in the real estate business. one of them says they are cautious due to being burnt by one operator who dazzled them with $25,000 worth of gear etc.they found he couldn't communicate and the photos were lousy. fortunately for me my friend gave me a good rap at a meeting and they are prepared to give me a chance, he also gave me the communication emails for every real estate in the area. I have also been drumming up business for local campgrounds/tourism, local ferry boat services, farm survey, wind tower inspection, industrial building roof inspections & even weddings. wondering if any of those may be a consideration for you.

 

[BigAl07]

Now I simply don't know what to do. The real estate agencies have pretty much screwed over other legitimate drone pilots by paying their own agents to get certified. What should I do from here?

First of all, no one screwed you over. It sounds like the REA in your area are very competitive and have realized the benefit of Aerial Images in their marketing strategies. What they have not realized is that if they are really top notch REA their time would be better served doing things other than Aerial Photography but maybe they have figured something else out that others have not yet. Fortunately in my market they want to leave photography to the professionals just like we leave Real Estate to them.

Unfortunately you got your cart ahead of the horse. Speaking from experience I can tell you 100% you don't ever invest your first dollar on a business until you have a very detailed and comprehensive Business Plan. I'm not talking about the 1-3 page templates you get from the interweed. I'm talking about research, research, and then some more research. We spent roughly 6 months preparing ours for our last company and I can tell you this much.. it totally changed our business model before we had even started. Also the BP will help you figure out your prices and will teach you about your competition. Lastly a strong BP might be required if you go to try and borrow additional capital to help sustain/grow your business.

There are several options for you here:

First off you need to get some serious marketing skills under your belt. Then get some Salesman experience (classes or shadowing a top notch salesman). Being able to sell yourself and promote your services in person is HUGE in this industry until you can build a solid reputation and business recognition in your market. You've got to be able to sell even when someone offers resistance. Some of our best sales come right after, "Oh we don't need aerial shots. We can get what we need from the ground.".

Next you need to find/make yourself stand out in the market. Be able to provide a service that is not currently offered or find a way to be a phenomenal problem solver for some portion of the industry. If you can't be different or solve a problem they have (they may not know they have this problem but you show it to them and then you solve it) then you bring no value to the table. If you don't bring value you are wasting their time.

Lastly you've got to keep in mind that Real Estate photography (especially aerial oriented) is getting saturated and the rates in most places are plummeting quickly. You don't want to put all of your eggs in one small basket. You want to be able to do LOTS of things to make $$ for your company and offer a very diverse set of skills. If you want to get business and make $$ in this industry you've got to be different and be a problem solver for your clients.

Good luck.