Commercial Real Estate (CRE) is a varied industry with unique challenges and tight margins. Maintaining efficiency and high standards is vital, whether you’re putting together a listing or managing a commercial property.
The adoption of drone technology can help in both regards. Commercial Real Estate companies using drones are seeing creative, practical, and safety benefits. Our Enterprise Guide to Drones in the Commercial Real Estate Industry has all the details.
Taking Listings to the Next Level
There are millions of commercial properties in the United States. Each and every one of them will, at some point, have to be marketed to new tenants or buyers.
Just as with residential real estate, moving a business to a new property is a big decision. As such, potential buyers and tenants want and require as much information as possible before taking the leap.
For businesses in search of new premises to work from, the hunt is a little different for those making a residential move. The search area will probably be much larger, and the setting of the property may be a more important factor, alongside external features like parking and access roads.
For all of these reasons, the adoption of drones as part of the listing creation process has taken off.
With a drone, commercial realtors are able to capture high-resolution photos and videos that show a property in context and highlight its best features from above.
Compared to static photos on the ground, dynamic aerial imagery provides both creative flair and practical benefits.
Prospective buyers and tenants can get a better feel for a commercial property and more easily determine whether to go ahead and arrange a viewing. It’s also easier to showcase a property’s highlights from above, whether that’s an architectural feature or its proximity to a nearby landmark.
In a sea of commercial property listings, those with drone photos and videos are better positioned to stand out.
Beyond Property Listings
The Commercial Real Estate industry encompasses more than property listings, negotiations, sales, and leases. Many CRE companies also take responsibility for the management of commercial properties. Ensuring structural integrity and that internal systems are fully operational are two key elements when it comes to keeping tenants in business.
But there are challenges. Regular inspections and maintenance represent a costly, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous subset of tasks for property managers to contend with.
Take roof inspections as an example. A drone can provide a crew on the ground with a quick and easy way to identify structural problems or damage. In some cases, these flights are all that are needed for property managers to take a decision on the next steps. They can save maintenance teams from carrying tools up to the top of a structure only to waste precious time searching for the source of an issue or, in some cases, coming to the conclusion that their presence was never even required.
The same benefits can be seen in other types of maintenance, from parking lot inspections to HVAC unit checks.
Besides speed and cost savings, there’s a huge safety reason for using drones for this type of task. Ladder-related accidents remain one of the leading causes of serious injuries and deaths across American worksites. It makes sense to use a drone to get a visual assessment when you can.
Depending on the type of commercial property you are seeking to list, additional insights or data may be required to provide a more rounded package to prospective buyers and tenants.
For example, drone technology can be used to generate orthomosaic maps of terrain, which can give a precise picture of a site before, during, or after a construction project. Our Insights Roof Reports are also on hand to provide detailed analysis on the condition of commercial structures and recommend any work that needs completing before they are fit for use.
Drones are changing commercial real estate, from the aesthetic improvement they bring to listings to the enormous cost and safety benefits they bring to property inspections. To find out more, take a look at our Commercial Real Estate page.
