We are breaking down the best real estate drones for 2019. In the past decade, online real estate listings have really stepped up their game. Realtors now have images with higher resolution, more detail, and a stronger overall aesthetic. Drone photography is the next frontier in marketing listings.

By capturing properties at all possible angles, agents can set their listings apart from the rest. Using drone photography is the most cost-efficient, practical way to add professional style aerial images to real estate listings. And with the proliferation of manual drones, it is now affordable for large brokerages and solitary agents alike to utilize this technology.

And thankfully, in 2019, real estate agents won’t need to pay a drone photography firm to take professional-grade aerial photos for them. Drones are now user-friendly and durable enough that agents can afford them and figure how to use them pretty quickly.

What Realtors Should Look For in a Real Estate Drone?

There are many variables when choosing the perfect real estate drone. They are not all created equal. So jumping on Amazon and buying whatever is sale will probably not work in any agents favor. The drone market is full of different products catering to specific needs.

There are drones built for durability, drones built for speed, and drones built for other niche uses. For real estate photography needs, agents need a specific type of photography drone.

While there is some flexibility when seeking out real estate drones, it is important that they specialize in the four following areas:

Real Estate Drones Should Shoot in High Resolution

While it is important to find a well-built drone, remember to confirm the drone’s camera resolution. Most now come with a camera standard, but not all cameras are created equal. Buying a top-tier drone that does not deliver in the camera resolution department will not benefit your real estate photography needs.

Realtors should remember to check the following specs before making a drone purchase:

Resolution (at least 600 hp)
Frame Rate
Megapixel Level
File Type of Photos/Videos (make sure they are compatible with your devices)
Available Shooting Modes (filters, rapid shoot, etc.)

Real Estate Drones Should Have Sufficient Transmission Range

Another important feature of drones is the transmission range. That is the distance you can transmit commands from the remote control to the drone.

A drone with weak control range can cause headaches. Just imagine trying to get a good aerial shot of your property, but your real estate drone goes out of range, causing you to lose control, waste battery time, and loose footage.

Real Estate Drones Should Have Sufficient Battery Life

The battery life (or flight time) of your drone is dependent on the strength of its batteries. A good rule of thumb is to seek out a drone with a strong enough battery that, when fully charged, can operate for at least 15 minutes. It is always a good idea to buy a second battery that can be charged and switched out during a photo shoot. This ensures adequate photography time.

Real Estate Drone Should Be Easily Maneuvered and Stable

It is important a real estate drone is not only stable but can be easily maneuvered during a real estate photo shoot. The last thing an agent wants is a real estate drone that shakes, begins to lose altitude, or has a tough time staying level.

The Best Indoor Drone for Real Estate Photography

Altair Aerial AA818 Plus Hornet

The Hornet is pretty amazing. It is under $300 and is designed specifically for photography. The Hornet has a battery life of 15 minutes and 720 hp high-definition camera. It is controlled and synced with any tablet or smartphone. It also has automatic orientation adjustment. This drone is great because it is designed for beginners and is really easy to use.

Get the AA8181 Plus Hornet, here.

Best Drones For Outdoor Real Estate Photography

Yuneec Typhoon H Pro

With a retail price of $1100, the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro offers the types of features you need in a reliable real estate drone.
The Typhoon H Pro has a 4K HD camera that shoots in 12 megapixels. With a range of 1.6km, the battery life provides flight time of up to 25 minutes.

While there are other cameras on the market with higher levels of megapixel resolution, the photos are still high quality, and the video quality is still up to snuff (4k HD).

Beyond the quality of the images shot with the Yuneec, this drone offers some of the best manual piloting available in a photography drone. The high-quality controls of this drone allow for stable flight and easy maneuvering. The Typhoon H pro also comes with sensors that prevent collisions with nearby objects.

Designed for the professional photography market, the Typhoon H Pro is a great option for Realtors looking to use real estate drone photography.

Get the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro, here.

3DR Solo

Coming in at around $500, the 3DR solo offers flexibility when it comes to camera choice. While the drone itself does not include a camera, the device is compatible with several GoPro models (Hero 3, Hero 4), giving you flexibility when it comes to camera quality.

The 3DR solo is highly durable; its built like a little tank. The drone offers multiple flight modes that are perfect for your real estate photography needs.

With an 8km range and a 25 minute flight time, the 3DR gives you what you need to take the best photos for your real estate listings.

Get the 3DR Solo, here.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

With a retail price of $1200, the DJI Phantom 4 is definitely built for the professional market. While pricier, it boasts a variety of modes, a great camera and video capabilities, and long battery life.

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro offers 4k video and 20-megapixel resolution, a range of over 7 kilometers, and a flight time/battery life of 30 minutes.

Not only does this drone offer high-quality images with the burst mode feature, but you can also get plenty of “quick shots” for your image gallery.

Other modes include bracket mode, which is very helpful in creating HDR composites.

Get the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, here.

Final Thoughts

As Online real estate listings continue envolve by offering more interactivity, drone photography and videography is a great opportunity to market properties. Real estate drones are great for aerial or angle shots you cannot easily get with a traditional DSLR camera.

Remember it’s all about the right drone for the job. Discounted drones, drones designed for kids, or even more touchy drones built for hobbyists won’t do the trick. For real estate drone photography drones need to be solidly built, with either a built-in camera or compatibility with an action camera such as a GoPro. If you go with the built-in camera option, remember to select a drone that shoots in high-quality resolution.

Your drone should offer a high level of flight stability, easy maneuverability, a high-quality camera, sufficient flight range, and a flight time that can last through your real estate photo shoot.

Need more ways to showcase listings? Single Property Sites offers free accounts for listing websites that can show off all of your drone photography, videos, virtual tours, and more.

The post The Best Real Estate Drones for 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Statsica is reporting that 6.27 Million homes are projected to sell this year. And, the NAR’s Home Buyer and Seller Generational Guide reported 8% of all homes listed were FSBOs. If you do the math, that is over half a million FSBO leads this year in the US alone.

Converting FSBO leads can be very lucrative for listing agents. The trick is knowing how to talk to these niche sellers, understanding their objections, and knowing how to present the value  that real estate agents add to any real estate transaction. In this ultimate guide for converting FSBO leads, we will look at the #1 secret for understanding FSBO sellers and how to quickly win them over. Be sure to check out our free FSBO script, too.

Free FSBO Leads

The first thing real estate agent’s will need to start capitalizing off of FSBO sellers are leads. Agents farming their area usually come across these listings naturally. Other free, useful options include:

Zillow’s “Make me Move” option
ForSaleByOwner.com/FSBO.com
FSBO seller groups on Facebook
Craigslist FSBO Real Estate Listings

Show, Don’t Tell!

Most FSBO sellers have decided to sell their home independently because they believe it will save them money by cutting out the middleman. Thankfully, this is factually untrue.

We’ve all heard the stat that homes sold by agents close for 13% higher than FSBOs. NAR reported that sellers with an agent gain were average of $60,000 dollars more! It’s crazy that 39% of FSBO owners don’t want to list with an agent because of the commission. Even after the agent’s cost, they are still losing money.

The number one thing agents should not do is tell FSBO sellers this information! These sellers don’t want to hear it. In fact, it will make them dig their heels in even more. Instead, the trick is to show them your value.

FSBO conversions are a different animal than traditional sellers. It takes time and savvy to get their listings. But the truth is, the competition to win them over is a lot lower, which makes FSBOs great listing opportunities.

Show FSBO Sellers Your Value

The number one secret to winning over FSBO sellers is to show your value. Never tell FSBO sellers about your value, always show them.

When first approaching a FSBO seller, it should be as a Realtor who wants to help them sell their home. The way to show FSBO sellers your value is by asking if you can bring a client by or spread the word to your network about their property. If the FSBO seller has already been hounded by other listing agents, you will appear refreshing. In any case, they will be grateful for the free networking.

Offer Marketing Pointers

Being personal is key. Remember, these leads don’t want to be pitched. Instead of telling FSBO sellers about your perfect marketing plan for any listing, show them. Ask to see the property.
While they show you the property, give them some freebies about staging, photography, and complement their home. You may even offer them a free service like Single Property Sites or recommend an industry photographer. Don’t worry that your tips will lead to a sale, the stats show that they won’t. It’s also a good time to try and find out how quickly they need to sell.

Show Their Need for Legal Expertise

Allow for a week or two to lapse between reaching out. Stop by one last time, to show them one of their greatest needs: legal expertise. Share with them some of the legal paperwork or local contracts they will have to go through should they sell.

It’s easy to say you had an extra copy and didn’t know if they would want to check one out. Explain that it is really helpful to familiarize yourself with the documents well before the time crunch of closing. If it’s their first look, their eyeballs will be popping out of their heads.

Offer your email address should they need anything else and encourage them in the sale of their home. Praise them for their efforts.

Timing

Patience is the best practice at this point. Schedule a check-in for a month out, and let them simmer. Chances are, they will come to you sooner rather later. Some FSBOs take longer to come around than others, but when they finally do cave, they will remember the one agent that helped them and showed their value, not the ones that pitched them their listing presentation or spewed stats at them.

By always be the first ask questions and the first to listen, agents can stand out to FSBO sellers. The key is to tangibly demonstrate the value that an agent can add, always showing and never telling. By following this one secret, agents can convert FSBO leads into listings.

The post The #1 Secret to Converting FSBO Leads appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

The study found that on average, homes listed May 1^st through 15^th sold 18.5 days quicker than those listed outside of that timeframe. Additionally, homes that sold within that same timeframe were purchased for approximately 1 percent more than the average listing. While 1 percent doesn’t sound like much, it is still an additional premium of about $1,700.

With the spring housing season freshly kicking off and record low home inventory, the housing market is highly competitive. This holds true even more so for metro areas that experience intense seasonal changes, as more people search for homes once the weather is nice out. States with warmer climates such as California tend to see a bit more flexibility.

The post New Study Reveals Best Time to Sell a House appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

The county has seen about a 30 percent decline in the housing market, with less than 6,000 offerings listed for sale. When compared to other markets, San Diego is really hurting on availability.

Though this is ultimately bad news for buyers, sellers are at a great advantage, with handfuls of potential buyers coming in as soon as their property hits the San Diego MLS, Sandicor.

With such low inventory, buyers know that hesitation is their worst enemy and often come in at full price, if not over the asking price. The downfall of low inventory from a buyer’s perspective is that they must lower expectations, as there are few alternatives in such a market.

For those who are not flexible in location, they are stuck. At this point buyers have to build up the courage and take the leap in a town that everyone else seems to be going crazy over as well.

The post Shortage of Real Estate Inventory in San Diego appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

According to data from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University and the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems, the price of pre-owned homes saw a 22 percent increase in comparison to this time last year. Data also showed that the average price of a home sale has increased by 9 percent since February 2015.

North Texas has seen rather tight inventory over the last couple of years. This year, the number of new listings went up 20 percent. Even with the increase in the number of available homes on the market, the area is still considered to have an incredibly tight inventory. In a regular market, a 6-month inventory is seen as normal, North Texas currently has a 2.1-month inventory.

The rise in sales is due in part to the increase of properties coming onto the market, in combination with the still tight supply.

In 2016, North Texas home sales are up 17 percent from the same period last year.

In February, real estate agents sold 6,836 pre-owned single-family homes and 498 condominiums and townhouses, with a median MLS price of $208,000.

There has been an influx of people moving into North Texas due to the strong job growth the area has been seeing over the last couple of years.

Real estate agents say that the number of homes hitting the market has started to increase, as sellers get ready for the traditional spring and summer selling season. Sales for the month of March are expected to be up substantially as well, making North Texas a hot market to watch.

Do you feel that North Texas will continue to see increase over the next few months?

The post Dallas/Fort Worth Homes Soar in February appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Due to this influx, there has also been an increase in home prices. Even though there are currently more homeowners in North Texas than ever before, the area is still nearly 10 percent lower than the rest of the nation. With 56 percent of residents being homeowners in the area, in comparison to 64 percent of the population nationwide, North Texas remains at one of the lowest percentage rate among major U.S. cities.

As of January, home prices in the area have increased up to 10 percent since early 2015, hitting a record high for the area. New home in the area are exceeding $300,000, while pre-owned properties are averaging around $200,000.

According to the Texas Association of Realtors, the median household income for Texas homebuyers is now over $86,000.

With a shift in perception about renting vs. owning, Millennials’ play a large role in the dip, as most Texans in there 20’s are renters. Apartment living, which was one a temporary lifestyle, has become a permanent lifestyle for many. Apartment communities offer high quality and superior amenities in comparison to what they once were.

New Dallas-area apartments average more than $1,500 a month, which equates to more than a mortgage payment on a house that is over $250,000. However, many of the younger residents will choose to pay rent than to move into the suburbs where they can afford to purchase a home.

With the booming job market in Dallas, many younger individuals are moving in and choosing to rent, creating an influx in renting and apartment construction. Last year, about 20 percent more apartments were built in the D-FW area than single-family homes. Even more apartments are under construction today.

The post The Reason Behind the Homeownership Dip in the Dallas- Fort Worth Market appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

The Dallas area is the number three on the list of major U.S. markets for home price gains, only being surpassed by Denver (11.8 percent) and San Francisco (11.6 percent) at numbers one and two.

Houston saw a 5.7 percent increase. Though still at an increase, it stands lower than the nationwide rate.

As the spring buying season is fast approaching, prices across the country continue to see an increase. This buying season is forecasted as being a good one due in part to low rates and a continued growth in jobs and income.

It has been forecasted that home prices will rise by approximately 5.5 percent this coming year across the nation as long as employment growth remains steady.

The post Dallas Area Home Prices Still Increasing Ahead of National Rates appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

The measure, SB 214, would increase the classification of battery, aggravated battery, assault, aggravated assault, and sexual battery against agents and associates while showing property. For example, an occurrence that may be currently classified as a misdemeanor of the first degree may be reclassified as a felony of the third degree.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, told the Palm Beach Post that agents need to be better protected by state laws because the crimes that are committed against them are “premeditated.”

The safety of real estate agents has become increasingly more prevalent, with a 2015 survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors finding that 40 percent of its members “experienced a situation that made them fear for their personal safety or safety of their personal information.” Of this 40 percent, 2 percent actually reported being robbed and 1 percent claimed to have been assaulted.

Before the bill moves on to the full Senate, the Florida Senate bill must pass two more committees. A related House proposal (HB 47) is currently awaiting full vote in the Florida House of Representatives.

Have you ever experienced a situation that made you fear for your safety? Do you feel these harsher penalties should be seen across all states? Let us know your thoughts below!

Additional Resources:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/florida-bill-stiffens-penalities-for-crimes-agains/nqWNm/

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/36358-florida-considering-harsher-penalties-for-crimes-against-real-estate-agents

The post Florida to Consider Harsher Penalties for Crimes Against Real Estate Agents appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

According to the Miami Association of Realtors, there was approximately 14,000 single-family homes that sold in Miami-Dade County last year, an increase of 3.1 percent in from 2014.

Last year was the third straight year of record-breaking sales in Miami-Dade, with the expectation for 2016 to continue on strong. The trend is likely to continue this year due to low inventory of single-family homes, in combination with lack of room for new builds.

In addition to the number of home sales, Miami-Dade has seen a substantial increase in prices, hitting $285,000 in 2015, an 8.2 percent gain from 2014.

Unfortunately, condo sales did not have the same outcome as single-family homes. An abundance of new condo construction east of Interstate 95 along with currency woes for the Latin American and European buyers who are seen as large investors in the Southern Florida market, condo sales struggled. 2015 saw approximately 16,000 condo sales, a reduction of 2.8 percent from 2014.

While condo sales went down, there was still a 5.3 percent increase in condo prices from 2014 to 2015.

What do you think 2016 holds in store for Southern Florida real estate? Do you think this will be the fourth consecutive year of record-breaking sales? Let us know your thoughts below!

The post Miami-Dade Record Breaking Home Sales in 2015 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

After two years of steady decline, homeownership rates in the U.S. have slowly been back on the rise, marking this quarter as the second straight quarter in rising homeownership. This is due to continued job growth and loosening credit requirements.

In a reporting from the Census Bureau, the percentage of Americans who own their homes went from 63.7 percent, up to 63.8 percent in the fourth quarter, a .1 percent rise in comparison to the previous three months. Though minimal, the increase followed one in the third quarter after the market saw a string of declines that started in late 2013.

Lifted by the growth in jobs and U.S. employment rate, renters are once again beginning to jump back into homeownership. In December, home sales saw the highest jump on record when they rose 14.7 percent. According to the National Association of Realtors, first-time buyers, matching the highest share since August, made 32 percent of those home purchases.

Though we are seeing higher rates than the 48-year low in the second quarter, rates still remain below the peak of 69.2 percent that was once reached. Homeownership is expected to gradually rise over the next few years.

What trends, if any, have you noticed among renters and homeowners? Leave your comments below!

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