When Does a Listing Actually Need Drone Photography?

Not every home needs an aerial shoot. But for most listings, a few strategic drone photos can do more to sell a listing than a dozen ground-level photos ever could.

We recently teamed up with Redfin to share our take on when real estate drone photography earns its place in a marketing package — and when it's better to skip it. Featured on Redfin! Powered by Rocket:| 7 Reasons Real Estate Drone Photography Is Worth It

Our take

As we told Redfin: "Drone photography delivers the most value for listings with distinctive lot sizes, acreage, waterfront property, or if the home is on a golf course. Aerial shots help buyers understand the proximity to neighborhood amenities like pools, clubhouses, tennis courts, and parks, while also giving a clearer sense of the property's layout and how it fits into the surrounding area."

That last point is the one sellers underestimate most. A buyer scrolling through listings on their phone can't tell how a home sits on its lot, how close it is to the clubhouse, or whether that "wooded lot" is actually private. A single aerial photo answers all of that at a single glance.

Where it makes the biggest difference

In our experience, drone photography pulls the most weight for:

• Acreage and large lots: showing the full footprint of a property that's impossible to capture from the ground

• Golf course and amenity-adjacent homes: putting the proximity to pools, courts, and clubhouses in context

• Waterfront and view properties: where the setting is as much a selling point as the house itself

When to save your budget

Drone photography isn't a universal upgrade. For a standard home on a small city lot with no standout outdoor features, the added expense rarely moves the needle. Ground-level photography, shot well, is often enough.

The real question isn't "should every listing have drone photos?" It's "does this property have something an aerial view can show that ground photos can't?" When the answer is yes, it's worth every penny. When it's no, that budget is better spent elsewhere.

This post is part of a media collaboration with Redfin. Read the full article here: https://www.redfin.com/blog/reasons-to-use-real-estate-drone-photography/