Can a Drone Sell Your House?
I grew up with a Realtor for a father, and he was a good one. Like any good broker or agent, he was in constant communication with his clients. Way back in the eighties, we had to be quiet in the car, because Dad was using his CB radio, mounted in the clean-as-a-whistle Chevy Caprice Classic he drove, to communicate with his office.
By the time I was three, I knew that the car was the same as the office. (And if I did a good job "helping" Dad sell a house, I would probably get a treat at the 7-11, as long as I didn't tell Mom.) If he was driving, once we were old enough, we'd write down the messages for him. We learned early how to play answering service. None of my friend's parents had CB radios in the car, not even the doctors.
Realtors were always tech savvy
Real estate pros were the first to get pagers. Yes, even before the doctors. And we sure felt fancy when Dad had the first cell phone we had ever seen, mounted majestically on the floor of his Ford LTD Crown Victoria (he had moved on from the Chevy). It had a coiled cord, just like our landline at home. Does anyone remember those? Dad, along with all the other women and men in his field, was at the forefront of technology. The real estate business requires that an agent be reachable, because Realtors don't always get to show houses during business hours, when their clients are working (and saving up to buy those houses, the ones that'll net the Realtor a sweet commission).
Attack of the drones
So, what about drones? It looks like some sellers' agents are chomping at the bit to use them, because every real estate professional loves the idea of another tool to reach potential buyers. Starting with Doug Trudeau of Arizona, the first Realtor to be granted an exemption to use drones, more and more people have been granted those exemptions by the FAA. Yes, even before the doctors. (Would you really want your doctor to use a drone for a check up? How about a colonoscopy? No, thanks.)
The likelihood of being able to use drones to sell and market houses is growing.
How can drones sell a house?
- Live virtual tours. What if your client's flight was delayed, and they're missing the only window for a showing? No worries, drone to the rescue.
- Aerial views. Potential buyers can see a property in the context of a neighborhood. Will they be the only ones with a pool, or one of many?
- Second looks. Did you show your client a house they didn't like? But as soon as they got back to New York, they had second thoughts? Drone tour time!
- Show parts of a house you couldn't show before. Most agents don't get to take their clients on the roof to marvel at the new tiles. A flyover view will make it look great.
- Everyone else will be doing it. Remember when no one had a cell phone? And how quickly everyone had one, and it was odd not to be able to reach someone? If history is any indicator, drone use will grow quickly in the real estate industry.
Want to see a great drone home tour? Check out this one on Drone Life. Would you use a drone to sell your house? If you're a buyer, would you be interested in a drone tour before a showing? We're excited to see where this goes!
This article was written by Anne Postic. Her late father was a partner at Wolfe and Taylor, a South Carolina-based real estate company.