3D Real Estate

[Matt Garcia]

I just ordered my first drone from the Amazon prime sale today and I wanted to get in to real estate mapping. I have an iPhone and a Solo on the way. I am a college student with very limited resources and am looking for a program to start mapping with. I checked out pix4d but unfortunately it only works with android and site scan is way out of my budget. What would be the best but cheapest software to work with?

 

[Acroduster]

You might check into DroneDeploy. Also, don't forget, to fly commercially you will need to adhere to the new regulations released recently. These include passing a flight knowledge test and following a number of rules. Do a search for Part 107 on this site for more info.

Lastly, LEARN TO FLY IN MANUAL MODE, and set your A button to Fly:manual. If the aircraft doesn't react as you expect it to, hit that A button and take control. Always take off and land in manual mode as well.

 

[TheBlueDog]

What exactly is it that you want to do with real estate?

If you want to provide geomesh imagery that is georeferenced, this is pretty technical stuff you are dealing with. I'm looking at doing something similar using SiteScan and Drone2Map.

Wanting the cheapest software solution is like a mechanic wanting to buy the cheapest possible tools to work on your car.

 

[Matt Garcia]

I

What exactly is it that you want to do with real estate?

If you want to provide geomesh imagery that is georeferenced, this is pretty technical stuff you are dealing with. I'm looking at doing something similar using SiteScan and Drone2Map.

Wanting the cheapest software solution is like a mechanic wanting to buy the cheapest possible tools to work on your car.

I am unfamiliar with technical terms but a basically want to practice making a 3D object of my house and other buildings just for personal use for now, and possibly in the future go commercial by selling an interactive version to real estate agents. So cheap for now just to practice.

 

[TheBlueDog]

I

I am unfamiliar with technical terms but a basically want to practice making a 3D object of my house and other buildings just for personal use for now, and possibly in the future go commercial by selling an interactive version to real estate agents. So cheap for now just to practice.

If you want accurate 3D models from images that is going to require software a little more complicated than MSPaint and its not going to be cheap. Drone2Map by ESRI does just that. You are now venturing into GIS territory so you might start looking into some mapping courses to make things easier.

 

[Ed Beck]

Before getting into it please do your market research. Yes it's a cool idea, but will it sell? Will realtor's pay enough for this to make it worth your while? What kind of web site are they going to need to support 3D imaging?

 

[Ed Beck]

Some more information for you.

I'm a professional photographer and I make most of my money in the real estate market. I added aerial photography to my options and have gotten some work from it, though nowhere near the amount I've spent on it.

Now, a little about real estate economics.

A Redfin study showed that professional photographs will increase the sale value of a home by between $3,000 and $11,000. Let's take the upper number. A house sells for an extra $11,000 more than it would have, meaning an extra $660 in commission. The commission has to be split with the buyer's agent, so it's down to $330. Now the realtor has to split that with their brokerage house (unless they're the managing broker) so their delta commission is down to $165. From their perspective it doesn't pencil out on a commision basis.

It does help when it comes to getting a listing. If the realtor can tell a prospective seller that they use a pro photographer and will get more to the bottom line the seller is more likely to go with that realtor.

It also helps in time to sell. Professionally photographed houses sell on average 21 days faster than amateur photos. This is a selling point for the realtor to get a listing, and the realtor likes the faster turn.

On the topic of great new ways to show houses. You have to do your market research to determine if what you want to offer is going to be worth it. I've heard from lots of people how aerial photography will be great but the number of houses which benefit from it are not that common, unless you live in an area with spectacular homes and views. But when it comes to spending money to get it well the interest level goes down.

And very important! People are moving more and more to mobile platforms. How well would the 3D images work on mobile from an end user experience on a small-format screen? If it's not a good user experience then they just get frustrated and move on.

Seriously, I'm not trying to talk you out of it, unless you live in the south Puget Sound, in which case you need to run away as fast as you can

Before spending anything on this you need to do market research. It's a great idea, but so was new Coke.

 

[Scientific11]

You might check into DroneDeploy. Also, don't forget, to fly commercially you will need to adhere to the new regulations released recently. These include passing a flight knowledge test and following a number of rules. Do a search for Part 107 on this site for more info.

Lastly, LEARN TO FLY IN MANUAL MODE, and set your A button to Fly:manual. If the aircraft doesn't react as you expect it to, hit that A button and take control. Always take off and land in manual mode as well.

ALWAYS take off and land in manual mode. why is that

 

[STMPNGRND]

ALWAYS take off and land in manual mode. why is that

Because it reinforces piloting skills every single time you go up in the air! A lot of delusional "drone pilots" with no skill these days relying 100% on the autopilot and in consumer grade drones they are far from 100% reliable.

 

[Scientific11]

Because it reinforces piloting skills every single time you go up in the air! A lot of delusional "drone pilots" with no skill these days relying 100% on the autopilot and in consumer grade drones they are far from 100% reliable.

GOTCHA!

 

[Acroduster]

Excellent answer, STMPNGRND. The key is WHEN your quad (ANY quad, not just Solo) loses GPS clarity, it will want to drift quickly to the spot it thinks it should be - usually, and incorrectly, referred to as a "fly-away." If you have your A button set to Fly:manual, and you are well practiced in manual flight, this is never a problem. Modern airline pilots often take off and land their aircraft for the same reason, even though the computer can do it for them.

Knock on wood, I have never so much as grazed a prop on my bird after about a year of ownership, and it has jumped on me a number of times. It is why I stress the procedure on this site, put it at the top of the FAQ, and even added it to my signature below.

 

[Scientific11]

got it.. my B button is set to fly manual after i read it so much on the forum. i do practice all the time flying manually...

 

[Coatsaviation]

On the topic of real estate and drone usage for video/photos. What is an appropriate flat rate to charge per house? I read the breakdown that was provided by Edbeck, it makes a lot of sense but it still doesn't answer what would be a decent rate for those shots. I've spoken with some guys in my area that do it (they are agents them selves) and they only charge $50 just for drone shots, then drone plus regular photography they range from 100-400. Then on the other hand I've spoken with operators who aren't agents and they've charged 300-600 per house.
Is anyone doing this for business currently and can add some good insight to what would be a decent floor rate to charge per house regardless of listing price?

 

[SteveReno]

You might check into DroneDeploy. Also, don't forget, to fly commercially you will need to adhere to the new regulations released recently. These include passing a flight knowledge test and following a number of rules. Do a search for Part 107 on this site for more info.

Lastly, LEARN TO FLY IN MANUAL MODE, and set your A button to Fly:manual. If the aircraft doesn't react as you expect it to, hit that A button and take control. Always take off and land in manual mode as well.

I know others suggestion to learn manual and always take off in manual mode. PLEASE add this when suggested "if windy condions, exist, the wind can carry your drone away or into somting"
it's consistently windy here and lot of other places in the world.
New users may not understand this.

 

[Ed Beck]

(they are agents them selves)

Well there's your problem right there!

My rates are:

• Aerial Photography of a house
  • $150 if that's all I do. I also don't put a limit on the number of photos, I say I'll provide whatever it takes to show the house, usually around 4 or 5.
  • $75 if it's an add-on to my regular gig of photographing the inside and outside of the house with my D800.
• Aerial Video
  • $300 if all I do is shoot video
  • $100 if I add it to a video of your house.

This of course is the wrong way to set pricing, which should be based on cost, time to pay off the cost, and expected uses per the time frame, plus a profit. I essentially did a comparison of what people in my area were charging.

 

[bluesgeek]

On the topic of real estate and drone usage for video/photos. What is an appropriate flat rate to charge per house? I read the breakdown that was provided by Edbeck, it makes a lot of sense but it still doesn't answer what would be a decent rate for those shots. I've spoken with some guys in my area that do it (they are agents them selves) and they only charge $50 just for drone shots, then drone plus regular photography they range from 100-400. Then on the other hand I've spoken with operators who aren't agents and they've charged 300-600 per house.
Is anyone doing this for business currently and can add some good insight to what would be a decent floor rate to charge per house regardless of listing price?

I have a friend who has been adding aerial to his video production for high-end properties in 5 states for the past three years, and he says this: Within one year you won't be able to get a premium for including aerial. Rather than adding $300, it will become $100 and then aerial will just be expect at no surcharge. This downward pressure on pricing will be the result of the explosion of new commercial operators on the scene.

He's not saying that there won't be a market for premium aerial imaging services, but it's not going to be real estate for the most part, and it's going to be owned by companies that can put heavier cameras in the air.

Smartly, he is changing his focus from content to servicing the content providers by opening a drone repair shop (with an electrical engineer partner).

In my announcements to my clients regarding my new provision of aerial services, there has been great enthusiasm, but not any inquiry into the impact on production costs. This is where we are heading. The whole thing is going to be turned upside down, so if we ~can't~ provide that aerial shot, we're not going to be able to compete on price, and may find ourselves losing clients. We need to get our Part 107s just to not become dinosaurs.

 

[Coatsaviation]

Well there's your problem right there!

My rates are:

• Aerial Photography of a house
  • $150 if that's all I do. I also don't put a limit on the number of photos, I say I'll provide whatever it takes to show the house, usually around 4 or 5.
  • $75 if it's an add-on to my regular gig of photographing the inside and outside of the house with my D800.
• Aerial Video
  • $300 if all I do is shoot video
  • $100 if I add it to a video of your house.

This of course is the wrong way to set pricing, which should be based on cost, time to pay off the cost, and expected uses per the time frame, plus a profit. I essentially did a comparison of what people in my area were charging.

Thank you for posting, that is very helpful as I've talked with a few business owners who have all basically said the same thing, "coming from agents them selves they will cheap just to be cheap" and then gave advice on how to find out what my time is worth and then set a bottom line. We came to the conclusion that my bottom line was going to be around $150/house or $150/hr depending on what kind of shooting I'm doing and what is expected.
Have you seen more of a need/desire for just photos, or video as well? Also, why the price increase for video services?

 

[Ed Beck]

I've seen more of a need for photos. I've only shot a few real estate videos, and they were on high-end homes.

Increase in price for video is mostly because video requires more post-production.

 

[Ed Beck]

He's not saying that there won't be a market for premium aerial imaging services, but it's not going to be real estate for the most part, and it's going to be owned by companies that can put heavier cameras in the air.

Can you elaborate on where the premium services will be?

The whole thing is going to be turned upside down, so if we ~can't~ provide that aerial shot, we're not going to be able to compete on price, and may find ourselves losing clients. We need to get our Part 107s just to not become dinosaurs.

I agree with you to a point. In most run of the mill houses an aerial shot doesn't provide any value and in some cases detracts from the curb appeal.

Where I definitely agree with you is that in order to have an ongoing relationship with a realtor you'll need to be able to provide aerial.

 

[timzee]

If I ever decide to market to realtors, I'm going to hire YOU to come up with my marketing plan!
Great overview of the market forces at work...

Some more information for you.

I'm a professional photographer and I make most of my money in the real estate market. I added aerial photography to my options and have gotten some work from it, though nowhere near the amount I've spent on it.

Now, a little about real estate economics.

A Redfin study showed that professional photographs will increase the sale value of a home by between $3,000 and $11,000. Let's take the upper number. A house sells for an extra $11,000 more than it would have, meaning an extra $660 in commission. The commission has to be split with the buyer's agent, so it's down to $330. Now the realtor has to split that with their brokerage house (unless they're the managing broker) so their delta commission is down to $165. From their perspective it doesn't pencil out on a commision basis.

It does help when it comes to getting a listing. If the realtor can tell a prospective seller that they use a pro photographer and will get more to the bottom line the seller is more likely to go with that realtor.

It also helps in time to sell. Professionally photographed houses sell on average 21 days faster than amateur photos. This is a selling point for the realtor to get a listing, and the realtor likes the faster turn.

On the topic of great new ways to show houses. You have to do your market research to determine if what you want to offer is going to be worth it. I've heard from lots of people how aerial photography will be great but the number of houses which benefit from it are not that common, unless you live in an area with spectacular homes and views. But when it comes to spending money to get it well the interest level goes down.

And very important! People are moving more and more to mobile platforms. How well would the 3D images work on mobile from an end user experience on a small-format screen? If it's not a good user experience then they just get frustrated and move on.

Seriously, I'm not trying to talk you out of it, unless you live in the south Puget Sound, in which case you need to run away as fast as you can

Before spending anything on this you need to do market research. It's a great idea, but so was new Coke.