Best Drone For Real Estate In [year]

If you want to make compelling and dramatic footage to market real estate, drones allow you to generate more interest among potential buyers. They also allow you to create interactive virtual tours that are simply not possible with ground-based photography. With a wide range of drones available, it’s an overwhelming job to select a particular drone for your requirements.

After researching for 99 hours and interviewing three real-estate experts, we concluded that the Best Drone For Real Estate is the best drone for real estate. It can easily fly into a home, explore rooms, and highlight the important features of your property. We’ve also provided a buyer’s guide to help you make a wise purchase decision.

Best Drone For Real Estate

1. DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 – Best For Photography

We’ve heard several good things about the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. Being the latest model in the Phantom series, it certainly allowed DJI to reach new heights in the drone market. It is a major upgrade over the Phantom 4. With a wide array of features including flight technologies, and visual sensors at the front, back, and rear, the V2.0 provides obstacle avoidance in five different directions.

It also features a 20MP 1-inch sensor that allows it to shoot 4K video at 60fps. Due to this, we certainly consider it as a professional level drone. Although it’s not the most portable or cheapest model from DJI, it has unparalleled speed and power that makes it one of the most favourable options for drone pilots.

Not only this, there are a plethora of other features available too. We noticed that the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 offers a variety of intelligent flight modes that include three ActiveTrack Modes namely circle, spotlight, and profile. In addition to it, there is also a draw mode that allows you to draw a route for your drone. We also found that it has a TapFly Mode that allows you to fly backwards and capture aerial selfies.

On top of that, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 also offers you a variety of flying modes for varying requirements including Position (standard GPS mode), Sport (high-performance mode), Course Lock, Gesture Mode, Beginner Mode, and Home Lock. In easy words, there is no shortage of flying modes in this drone.

Talking about photographers and videographers, the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is certainly a perfect match for aerial real estate photography. There is a 20MP 1-ich sensor camera that allows you to capture raw stills and shoot 4K videos at 60p. We also noticed that there is a D-log colour profile that allows you to shoot videos at 100Mbps. We found the image quality to be extremely amazing and clear.

There’s also a mechanical shutter that allows you to take natural-looking videos. We found it to be better than virtual shutters because you don’t need to roll the shutter anymore. It also features an aperture of f/2.8-f/11 that provides you additional control and flexibility. We certainly love the image quality for both the videos and stills. Moreover, like every 1-inch sensor, you can achieve the best results with lower ISO settings.

The only issue we noticed in the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is the weight and size of this drone. It has a weight of 1375g along with the battery and propeller installed. Furthermore, the controller weighs 904g with 468g for each battery. Due to this, it is a pain to carry the whole set while travelling. With dimensions of 251x398x172, the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is noticeably large. However, the manufacturers do provide a polystyrene case for handling everything with ease. Surprisingly, we found the bag to be pretty comfortable despite its size.

We also loved the flight performance of this drone. At a full charge, it provides 30 minutes of flight time with a maximum speed of 72kph. We also noticed that it provides an amazing transmission distance of 8km with the help of OcySync 2.0 technology. However, due to drone laws in the USA, you are encouraged to fly the drone in plain sight. Still, it is capable of providing an extremely robust signal strength and you won’t have to worry about losing control over your craft.

We can relate the controller with a traditional radio controller due to its extraordinarily large size. However, we certainly love its clean white design. There’s also a smartphone holder at the top of the controller. We found the holder to be highly versatile and comfortable. The manufacturers state that it can easily hold any device up to 10-inches in landscape format which is somewhat true.

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is a highly capable drone for real estate photography and still. It has an adjustable aperture, a 1-inch sensor, and a mechanical shutter for all your footage related needs. With a great combination of speed and power, it is certainly the best drone for real estate.

2. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom – Best For Agents

As compared to other DJI drones, the Mavic 2 Zoom differs slightly in the high-end customer spectrum. Unlike the 1-inch sensor in Mavic 2 Pro, the Mavic 2 Zoom features a 2x optical zoom lens. While both the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom were launched on the same date, the Mavic 2 Zoom shows significant improvements in photographic capabilities. We loved how DJI doesn’t just introduce different variants with the same design but adds value to each of its products.

As you may already know, both the Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro are the mainline products of DJI. In that case, why should you buy the former one? As we’re discussing real estate drones that would be used mainly for photography, the name itself suggests that the drone is ideal for recording footage. It features an optical zoom lens along with a small sensor. It’s a great drone for aerial photographers and realtors who want to get closer footage of their subjects.

Moreover, it’s not just about the zooming capabilities of this drone. It also provides you with a plethora of creative opportunities that you cannot expect from a prime lens. In addition to the camera quality, the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom also provide numerous improvements to the earlier models. However, the question still remains the same whether you should opt-in for the 20MP model or the 12MP model.

We loved the foldable design of the Mavic 2 Zoom. While folding it, we were able to make it half of its flying size. This makes it highly compact and portable for travelling purposes. Moreover, it has a total weight of just 905g. Although there are plenty of other smaller drones available with the same 1-inch sensor, you won’t get optical zooming capabilities with them. Furthermore, smaller drones won’t even manage even a small amount of wind.

We noticed that the Mavic 2 Zoom has a rectangular body in which the front arms rotate outwards and the rear arms twist upwards. There’s also a gimbal guard that allows you to protect the gimbal while carrying the drone as it can break easily when left unprotected. With that said, make sure that you remove the gimbal guard before turning on your drone as it calibrates with it right after booting up.

Talking about the controller, it is the same as that of the Mavic 2 Pro. The controller allows you to attach smartphones of all sizes with a maximum thickness of 8.5mm. We also noticed that there are separate slots in the folding arms for the smartphone that plugs into the controller with the help of data cables. The DJI Go app allows you to see the camera view and access drone settings. There are two joysticks that allow you to control the drone. 

If you’ve played with a radio-controller car in your childhood, you may feel comfortable with this controller. Along with the joysticks, there are several other control schemes available to tweak the exposure, camera zoom, and gimbal. Moreover, a majority of camera controls can be accessed with the help of the companion app by DJI. In the figures, there are a total of 11 direct access controls that can be tweaked at your convenience.

We honestly enjoyed the flying experience with the Mavic 2 Zoom. The flight was incredibly easy and resembled the Mavic 2 Pro. Inside the app, there is a GPS function that allows you to monitor the position of your drone and hold it in a still position in the air. There are also additional safety features that keep the drone protected from collisions. We noticed that it uses omnidirectional obstacle sensing to avoid accidental crashes.

We also loved the back to the home feature of this drone that allows it to get back to the flight location when the battery reaches 25%. The settings can be altered at your convenience. However, we’d suggest you keep it at least 15% or above to avoid losing your drone due to the low battery. When the battery drains to its minimum, the drone will land on its current position.

Bottom Line

If you are planning to film a crowded location or a public place, you may need to deal with several law charges. However, with the help of Mavic 2 Zoom, you can film anything from a distance with its optical lens. Although the 12MP CMOS sensor doesn’t promise the best image    quality, it can shoot both raw videos and stills. With its lightweight design and variety of flying modes, you can enjoy a highly versatile flying experience with this drone. Overall, we are highly satisfied with this drone and recommend it for all the realtors looking to take cinematic property footage.

3. DJI Mavic Mini – Best LED Lights & Sensors

As the name suggests, the DJI Mavic Mini is a small drone, often called a “toy drone” by users. The smaller size of this drone allows it to bypass the legal restrictions in various countries. Despite its small size, it is capable of several big tasks such as real estate photography. It’s the most affordable drone even after so many years.

Considering its price range and size, it’s not wise to compare it with high-end models of DJI such as Phantom and Air. Instead, we’ll compare it with DJI’s last small drone, the Spark. The Mavic Mini shares a lot of common traits. We consider it as a shrunken version of your good old Spark. The only difference is that the mini features a foldable design that makes it even more portable and compact.

The body reflects a sharp look with clean edges and a streamlined front part. The camera is attached at the bottom along with a three-axis gimbal. It’s the first drone of this size to have a three-axis gimbal and that’s pretty impressive. Due to this, it provides much more stable footage than that of the Spark.

Moreover, as it’s a Mavic, the camera lies in the front instead of hanging through the bottom part of your drone like in the Phantom series. The camera is also covered with a transparent plastic case that keeps the camera secure when you’re not using it. All the ports can be found on the backside of your drone. The battery door is also located at the back and opens upward.

Close to the battery, there is a Micro SD card slot and a USB slot. We were disappointed with the fact that it doesn’t support UB type-c. Due to this, you not only have to purchase external connectors but also experience a slower charging experience. The Mavic Mini’s bottom part includes the power button, four LED lights, sensors, and cooling vents. All this is packed in the small and compact Mavic Mini.

However, we noticed that there are no sensors at the front, side, or back of the drone. This is done to keep it lightweight, small, and cost-efficient. It is a no-brainer that you need to be careful with tight spaces, curves, and complex turns. It has an overall weight of 249g which is just 1g lesser than required by the legal drone restrictions in the US and the UK.

DJI Mavic Mini’s size can be compared to a smartphone. It can easily fit in your pocket and carry with ease. The controller is also of the same size as that of your drone. In Mavic Mini, the controller features foldable antennas and detachable joysticks just like Mavic Air. Despite its amazingly small size, it’s not low on features and specifications.

It includes visual positioning and GPS with the help of bottom sensors to detect its location. While testing it, we had a couple of problems with the GPS system. It took some time to determine the exact location of the drone. As we were flying it, the low-battery indicator started bleeping and the craft was hovering over a dense forest. Thanks to the return home feature due to which it came back to the take-off position safely.

This was a really stressful experience for us. If the GPS system failed anyway, we had planned to use the real-time camera stream to fly the drone and get it back to the location. While playing around with it, we also managed to get a couple of cinematic captures with the help of QuickShots mode. There are various flying modes available in the Mavic Mini including Circle, Rocket, Helix, and Dronie.

All these four flying modes work with great stability and fly the drone with a breeze. We certainly believe that the flying modes are developed considering the QuickShots feature in mind. Assume that you need to capture real estate in an area. You can simply draw a circle around your subject and use the QuickShots technology to take pictures from every angle. This is something really hard to do with manual controls until you’re an expert pilot.

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, the features and performance of the DJI Mavic Mini are just incredible. However, if you’re comparing it against a high-end drone, it’s not a fair match. The Mavic Mini provides you a lot more than the Spark and if you’re looking for an easy and affordable way to shoot attractive real estate footage, this is the deal for you. The smaller package also allows you to bypass legal restrictions in several countries that also save you hundreds of dollars.

4. DJI Mavic Air – Best For Videos

While the Phantom 4 Pro is a great drone, we can never think of carrying it while travelling. That’s why we really love how the DJI Mavic Air is more portable and lighter. It’s a great solution for people looking to travel while carrying their drones. Among its three siblings, the Mavic Air is not only cheaper but also a compact gadget, thanks to its foldable design.

The best part is that it just weighs 430 grams. Moreover, it’s half the size of the controller of DJI Phantom 3. This is certainly a huge difference in size. Even if we plan to add charging equipment and batteries, we’d still have plenty of space left in the carrying case. Furthermore, like all other DJI products, the Mavic Air is also an extremely-well built drone.

The drone and controller feel premium in hands and look like they’ll last for a very long time. We tested it in different weather conditions and took it off from a variety of terrains. Although it’s not something that we’d suggest you do, the drone survived almost all situations pretty well. In addition to it, it didn’t even suffer from any kind of water damage.

We also loved how the charger of this drone is equipped with two standard USB slots. These slots allow you to charge the controller and your smartphone at the same time. This feature comes really handy in places where you have only a single source of power. We also tested the “fly more” combo of DJI. For just $200 more, the manufacturers offer you more batteries, more props, a shoulder bag, and a battery charging hub.

We were amazed to see how each component in the combo is useful. The battery hub allows you to charge four batteries at once so you never run out of power. Talking about the design, the Mavic Air is available in three different colour options namely Arctic White, Onyx Black, and Flame Red. As a personal preference, we like the Arctic White colour as it feels more prestigious. There’s a nice and compact case that protects the Mavic Air.

There’d also be a plastic gimbal protector that allows you to cover your gimbal in case of travelling. Like other DJI models, the gimbal appears to be fragile in the Mavic Air too. The carrying case that came with the “fly more” pack is certainly praiseworthy. Along with being stylish and compact, it fits everything easily and still leaves some extra room for more batteries.

As we’ll talk about batteries later in this guide, we’d let you know why you should carry a couple of extra batteries while flying this drone. The best thing about the charging hub is that it charges all the batteries at once and not one by one. This means you can attach four batteries, go to sleep, and wake up with four fully charged batteries.

The DJI Phantom series is also known for its massive remote controller size. On contrary to the traditions, the Mavic Air provides you with a highly small and compact controller. In comparison to Phantom 3, the controller and Mavic Air itself are smaller than the control of the primer.

There are two radio antennas that can be folded and the joysticks can be tugged inside for even more convenience. This also allows you to carry it in your pocket without any inconvenience.

The setup of this controller is easy too. All you need to do is unfold the radio antenna, take out the joysticks, and attach your phone to the controller via side cable. The process hardly takes less than 30 seconds to finish. The drone can be turned on by pressing the battery button twice.

Once both the controller and drone are turned on, you need to wait for the controller to synchronize with your Mavic Air. The syncing process can take up to a couple of minutes.

As soon as the controller is synced with your drone, you’ll see a green LED indicator on your controller. All you need to do now is download the DJI Go app and start operating the drone right away. The app works pretty well and doesn’t have any glitches. It also allows you to configure various settings.

Bottom Line

All in all, our experience with Mavic Air has been greatly positive. With this drone, you no longer need heavier and bulkier units for real estate photography. It has great obstacle avoidance and can be used easily for recording property interiors. What we like about the DJI Mavic Air is that we can easily carry it anywhere. The camera is capable of recording videos in 4K which is pretty amazing. It is certainly the best drone for real estate photography.

5. Parrot Anafi – Best For Seasonal Pilots

Back in June when Parrot introduced the all-new Anafi Aircraft, we felt that a worthy competitor has arrived for DJI and we were not wrong. It is a very capable drone that fits the bill for seasonal pilots and aerial photographers. Whether it is about flight-time, camera, or responsiveness, the drone is perfect in all sense considering its price range.

Although there is some uncertainty as the DJI’s Mavic and Phantom have set industry standards with their cutting-edge products, the Parrot Anafi is packed with a variety of unique features that make it stand apart from the crowd. However, we won’t suggest you compare it with DJI as it misses out on the finishing touches to compete with DJI.

It uses a Sony IMX230 sensor which is an ambarella video processor capable of shooting 21MP photos and videos in 4K. There’s also a 3-axis gimbal for additional stability. The camera also supports a vertical tilt of 180 degrees that make it even more flexible. This also means that you can fly it under your subject and record its bottom part with ease.

We also noticed that the camera provides a lossless zoom of 2.8x which is quite unbelievable at such a price range. In a nutshell, the camera performance is undoubtedly excellent in terms of quality, crispness, and sharpness. The camera quality matches the DJI Mavic Air and there isn’t much difference between the two.

However, while we were tweaking the camera, we had a few issues with the software. Anafi promises an HD mode that allows you to transform your shots with the touch of a button. It’s said that the feature balances the exposure between dark and bright areas (mostly in low-light conditions) to provide you with a detailed capture and save time in image processing.

But in reality, the HDR option was quite disappointing to us. We tried to take shots during sunsets but the image appeared to be grainy and noisy. Moreover, the colour saturation was also messed up all over the place. Even when HDR mode was disabled, the conditions were the same. Although we were able to fix the issues with some minor changes in the software, it still requires some advanced knowledge of drone cameras. We were expecting parrot to release a firmware upgrade with patches for these issues.

Talking about the performance of Parrot Anafi, we have mixed thoughts about it. However, when you consider the major points, it’s far better than the DJI’s Mavic Air. It boasts a flight time of 25 minutes on a single charge of the battery. We found the figures to be accurate as we pushed the drone to its limits during the tests.

We believe that you can get an even better flight time when the weather conditions are good. Even a couple of extra minutes make a great difference between Parrot and DJI.

We also found the Anafi to be the quietest drone in the rundown. If you want to keep your work undisturbed, you may not want to attract a lot of attention. In that case, keeping quiet makes you unnoticed and allows you to finish your job easily. However, the speed, manoeuvrability, and range are not the best in Anafi.

We were able to hit the speed of 33 mph and noticed that it can easily withstand winds of 31 mph. There are several customizable settings such as rotation speed and camera tilt sensitivity that can alter the speed of this drone. Therefore, you can feel free to experiment and figure out a setting that allows you to attain the maximum speed.

The Parrot Anafi also allows you to shift between two readymade speed modes namely Sport and Film. If you want to take aerial footage of your real estate property, you may go with the former one.

Otherwise, you can choose the latter. We love this option because it allows you to attain steady and smooth flight options with just a click of a button. However, we noticed that connectivity adjustments are comparatively hard in this drone.

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, the Parrot Anafi is an impressive drone with a variety of features. The most prominent things that set it apart from the crowd are the camera and flight time of this drone. Even though it’s a Chinese product, the hardware is finest in terms of quality. However, we have a beef with the software of this drone. Talking about the camera, it is one of the best real estate drones that allow you to take cinematic stills with great picture quality, except the HDR mode.

Buyer’s Guide

1. Camera Quality

As your work requires capturing footage, you must pay good attention to the camera quality of your drone. We’ve noticed that only a handful of manufacturers such as DJI and Yuneec provide you with the required camera quality. Apart from these two, you won’t require anything else.

Clearly, DJI Phantom 4 Pro leads the pack. However, it doesn’t mean that you’re left with no options. Therefore, make sure that you take your time and consider your budget before choosing a real estate drone.

2. Video Quality

As said above, the camera is the most important thing when looking for a real estate drone. While you may think that you need a 4kK video quality, it might not be the best match for you. Most of the time, clients prefer 1080P video quality over 4K. We’ve rarely seen people investing in 4K video quality.

After several hours of testing, we found that the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom has a great video quality, ideal for client requirements.

3. EIS vs Gimbals

If a drone claims that it can electronically smoothen a video, you are being fooled. Although a lot of drones do great electronic image stabilization, most of them crop the original image and decrease the quality. In that case, we’d highly suggest you choose a drone that gas a physical gimbal for filming.

A three-axis gimbal will be perfect for real estate photography. Based on our tests, we have found that the DJI Mavic Mini has great gimbal image stabilization.

4. Signal Strength (Range)

A lot of people believe that drone range is an overrated specification. However, when it comes to the performance of your drone, it plays a major role. You won’t need a drone with a range of 4 miles as the rules encourage you to always keep your drone in sight. However, with a higher range, you can be assured that the signal strength will be good.

It is evident that long-range drones have better signal strength. In real estate photography, you may need to fly your drone between buildings, small spaces, and even trees. With a better range and control, you can get great footage. We are confident that the DJI Mavic Air has the most prominent signal strength out of all other drones.

As a general rule of thumb, make sure that you stay away from drones with Wi-Fi. These drones can easily interfere with the signals in the area and get out of control.

4. Flight Time

When talking about real estate photography, you must make sure that your drone provides you with a flight time of at least 20 minutes. This allows you to ensure that you can get your footage done in one go and won’t have to recharge the drone again and again.

However, it is still a good idea to keep spare batteries. We have noticed that the Parrot ANAFI has a great flight time.

5. Price

Before you burn all your money on a drone, make sure you understand your requirements. Moreover, it would be wiser if you can also invest in a secondary drone This allows you to keep things going even if you encounter a problem with your main drone.

6. Obstacle Avoidance

Although obstacle avoidance is not a mandatory feature for real estate drones, it can certainly come in handy in a variety of circumstances. The obstacle avoidance can be located either on the front, sideway, or rear part of your drone. This prevents your drone from striking an object or a tree.

FAQs

1. How are they used in real estate?

In real estate, drones are used to take amazing aerial images to provide a unique perspective while featuring a property. They can be used for glorifying all types of real estate listings including apartments, residential homes, commercial properties, resorts, and many more. Drones allow you to market your properties in a dynamic way.

The most prominent benefit of using a drone in real estate is that it allows you to show the location of nearby amenities and attractions.

2. Can my neighbour fly over to my house?

It highly depends on the context of the recording. For instance, if a drone flies over your house, it may not necessarily become an issue of trespass. However, if the same drone repeatedly flies over your house, it is definitely a privacy concern.

Moreover, if there is a rental or commercial property near your house, there are high chances that your house is being recorded along with other properties in the area to show the location.

3. Do Realtors need a license?

If you are a real estate agent, you have two major options for drone photography – hiring a vendor or doing it yourself. If you choose the latter, you need to obtain a remote pilot certificate. It requires you to pass a written test along with a fee of $150. There’s also an online course by FAA that teaches you about the weather, safety, and emergency procedures of a drone.

The Takeaway

If you want to market your property professionally, real estate drones are an essential thing. These drones allow you to capture immersive and cinematic footage of your property and highlight its significant features. Having a real estate drone allows you to capture all your properties anytime, anywhere.

We’ve tested a variety of products and came up with results that fit the requirements of most of the users. If you want to choose the best drone for real estate, you can blindly follow the rundown above. Our buyer’s guide will help you understand your requirements.