Taking on real estate missions for DroneBase clients is a great way to generate additional income from your piloting skills. Aerial imagery is increasingly being used to help property listings stand out from the crowd. By signing up for one of our real estate shoots, you can be a part of that process.
Most real estate missions are simple, but there are strict guidelines in place to ensure that we deliver consistent quality to our clients. If you carry out a mission without following these carefully, we may ask you to re-shoot.
Here are a few things to bear in mind to help you avoid re-shoots and get the right assets the first time around.
Incomplete Shot List
A common reason that we ask pilots to carry out re-shoots is that images included in the missions shot list are missing from the final submission.
We take care to ensure that complete shot lists are clearly outlined before you accept each mission. We will also, in some cases, provide additional on-boarding support to prepare you for any aspects of the mission that are different from the norm.
If there’s a part of the shot list that you’re not sure about, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for extra clarification.
Occasionally, our real estate clients will ask for a specific image or images to highlight a key feature of a property. These special requests will be included in the "Additional Information" section in your notification email and in the mission details page on the pilot dashboard. So make sure you double-check these sections before carrying out your shoot.
It may be that there’s a shot we’ve asked for that you’re not able to capture. This could happen if there are obstructions like construction work, telephone wires or trees. You can contact us or let us know what the situation was when you submit your images.
Image and Video Quality
DroneBase clients need high-quality aerial images to best fit their needs. Another common reason for re-shoots is that the photographs captured don’t meet the standard quality requirements.
This can be for a number of reasons, ranging from camera settings and weather conditions, to carrying out a mission with hardware that’s not up to spec.
So what do we mean by poor quality? More often than not, poor quality images or video are those that are out of focus or blurry, or those that are overexposed or underexposed.
Sometimes this will be the result of specific camera settings that have been requested by the client. If this is the case, you will not be asked to reshoot.
The vast majority of our client missions require DJI drones. Specific equipment requirements will be shared with you during your on-boarding process or in the "Pre-flight Checklist" section of the mission. Check it carefully to ensure that your gear is up to the job before you start.
Weather Requirements
One of the challenges all data-collecting drone pilots will be familiar with is poor weather conditions. Some conditions like rain or high winds make completing a flight difficult or impossible, so you’ll need to plan in advance and keep a close eye on the forecast on the day you’re planning to fly.
Real estate missions should always be flown in accordance with the weather requirement selected by the customer. To ensure the photos and videos you capture are consistent with the requested weather conditions, be sure to review the weather requirements within the pre-flight checklist section of the mission.
Property Outlines
With your view from above and from ground level, it’s not always clear where the land around a certain property begins and ends. To make sure you don’t miss out elements of a property, always be sure to check the property outline you’ve been provided with carefully.
As a part of the ordering process, the customer will draw this out as part of the mission. If you have any concerns or queries after reviewing a property outline, reach out to pilots@dronebase.com and a member of our Operations team will follow up with you.
Getting it Right the First Time
Capturing the shot list correctly the first time around is important to delivering consistent results our customers count on. In residential and commercial real estate, where timing can be of the essence, it is especially important to deliver quality results.
Keep all of the tips above in mind when carrying out your real estate flight. And if you ever have any issues or concerns along the way, please don’t hesitate to reference the Pilot FAQ or contact us.
