Drone technology has revolutionized the way we view our world. Nowhere is this more true than in real estate. Cambria Trent, principal broker with Cambria Fine Homes LLC and
Windermere Real Estate in Lane County, OR, had this to say about drone use in her industry.
Drone photography in real estate, Trent tells Shelf exclusively, “is an integral part of accurately representing and marketing properties in the age of online house hunting.”
“The use of drones in both photography and videography tell a different story than a handheld camera is able to,” she says.
And this is doubly important for properties with acreage or interesting features which may not reflect quite as inspiring at eye level, Trent continues.
What’s clear: if you’re in real estate, the time is now to invest in a drone. Let our ranking of the best drones for real estate photography help you get started.
Our Top Picks
Here’s a wide-angle view of what we liked about the three drones in our ranking.
  | Overall Best: DJI Mavic Air Quadcopter. The best drone for real estate photography is the DJI Mavic quadcopter, offering 1080p resolution and smartphone control. |
  | Budget Pick: Parrot PF728000 ANAFI Drone. With a 4K HDR camera, the Parrot ANAFI is our pick for the best budget drone for real estate. |
  | Professional Pick: DJI Mavic Air Fly More Combo. Take care of your clients with the DJI Mavic Air Fly More Combo, the best professional real estate drone available. |
A Closer Look: Best Drones for Real Estate Photography
Here’s a complete picture of what we liked, and a few things reviewers didn’t like, about each drone in our ranking.
1. DJI Mavic Air Quadcopter
The best drones for real estate photography overall.
Brand: Parrot | Resolution: FHD 1520/4k | Flight Time: 25 minutes | Range: 6562′ | Price: 💰💰💰
Setting this quadcopter apart from other drones for real estate is the ability to stitch up to 25 photos into a single panorama in only eight seconds. It also supports 4K video at 30 fps, with FHD 1080p video capture resolution. And flights last up to 21 minutes on the Mavic Air Intelligent Flight lithium battery.
This drone comes with a remote control, but it can also be operated directly from your smartphone. That’s while the DJI GO editor lets you cut footage and send it to clients in only a matter of minutes. Those in real estate use the drone to get a closer look at rooftops. And without a doubt, the video quality is good enough for professional home tour videos.
And because you’re busy enough, the Mavic Air is easy to use right out of the box, based on feedback.
Reviewers Like
- Will last for a long time
- Amazing piece of engineering
- Gives a huge edge with listings
Reviewers Dislike
- Flight time could be better
- Some WiFi interference experienced
2. Parrot PF728000 ANAFI Drone
The best drone for real estate photography on a budget.
Brand: DJI | Resolution: FHD 1080p/4k | Flight Time: 21 minutes | Range: 3 miles | Price: 💰💰💰
Those just starting out in real estate are likely on a limited budget. For this reason, we suggest the Parrot ANAFI as the best entry-level budget drone for real estate photography.
This foldable quadcopter drone has a 4K HDR Camera and a 180° vertical swivel. Other notable features include the intelligent Li-Po battery, charging 60% faster through a power delivery USB type C charger.
What’s more, burst mode captures up to 10 photos per second, and 21 MP with no loss of quality. There’s also Geofence, SmartRth, and Find My Drone functions. One realtor who bought the drone used it to highlight listings, and other local events, showcasing the area’s appeal.
According to feedback, the picture quality is good, the portability is excellent, and they didn’t even need to read the instructions to be up and flying in less than 10 minutes.
Reviewers Like
- On-the-go charging
- Straightforward software download
- Troubleshoots roof issues without a ladder
Reviewers Dislike
- Glare can sometimes be an issue
- Pushes through updates automatically
- Parrot customer support could be better
3. DJI Mavic Air Fly More Combo
The best professional drone for real estate photography.
Brand: DJI | Resolution: 4K HD | Flight Time: 34 minutes | Range: 1.5 miles | Price: 💰💰💰
Because you go all out for your clients, the drone you use should be the very best available. For these purposes, the best professional drone for real estate photography is the DJI Mavic Air Fly More Combo. This drone offers slow motion video at 1080p and 120 fps, with HDR algorithms helping you get the right exposure each and every time.
On top of all that, we like the 8 gigabytes of internal storage and ActiveTrack, letting you pick and track up to 16 subjects simultaneously.
Brokers who’ve tried the drone say this drone has never let them down. Over the course of 300 flights, one agent commented that the drone was easy to fly, and a stable platform for both photos and video.
Reviewers Like
- Great 4K video
- Batteries easy to change
- Sold in a complete bundle, everything you need
Reviewers Dislike
- WiFi could be better
- Some battery charging issues
- A little unstable in high winds
Our Process
For this guide on the best drones for real estate photography, our team spent 3 hours researching the most popular options from over 9 brands and manufacturers big and small. We then read about 5 user reviews per drone (both positive and negative) to discover what shoppers thought. We also talked with a real estate broker for an inside scoop. After comparing this data, we narrowed our list down to the top 3 real estate drones on the market. You can count on this research to guide you to a mindful purchasing decision.
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Further Reading
