Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the recent upswing in recreational drone use.
What was once a prohibitively expensive hobby for a select few people is now a common sight in parks and mountain bike courses, and as a result, the FAA has been scrambling to keep regulations relevant and up-to-date regarding safe and noninvasive use of personal UAVs.
Drones are insanely valuable to the industry
Drones have proven especially invaluable to real estate, so the FAA’s rulings are of no small significance to Realtors nationwide. After lengthy debates and several high-profile conferences over the past few years, however, we are finally seeing notable progression in this field.
Chris Polychron, President of the National Association of Realtors, delivered a reassurance of sorts to Congress during a judiciary hearing regarding the FAA’s new regulations.
NAR is focused on responsible use
The report emphasized the NAR’s concentration on making the “safe and responsible use of drones an educational priority,” which is in line with Polychron’s claims that drone use is a huge advantage to the world of real estate.
Privacy is one of the biggest issues one faces when attempting to photograph a property with a drone. Trolling around with a camera without alarming neighbors is challenging enough; throw an unmanned vehicle in the air and people start panicking.
For this reason, NAR made it clear that Realtors nationwide are ready to comply with any FAA rulings—all in the name of staying ahead of the competition while providing a safe, comfortable environment for any nonpartisan bystanders.
The future of drones in real estate
Although a whopping 1,400 companies now own licenses for commercial drone use, the tactic is still far from commonplace. Polychron is confident that, once the FAA finalizes their verdicts and establishes a model of operation that fits the “safe and responsible” criteria, the majority of Realtors will be able to incorporate drones into their methodology.
At the end of the day, aerial photography and the ability to shoot high-definition, three-dimensional video from varying heights and angles will prove to be revolutionary in the real estate field, if for no other reason that it provides the client with the richest amount of detail and information.
Realtors, take note: within the next six months or so, you will have some decisions to make—i.e., whether or not to modernize. The next chapter in real estate chronology is being written as we speak, so don’t miss the revolution.
#AerialDrones
