Drone Aerials: A Five-Question Test Before You Add Them to a Listing

Drone aerials are one of the most requested add-ons, and one of the most often wasted. A beautiful aerial of a roof that looks like every other roof on the street doesn't help anyone. Before you add them, run the listing through these five questions.

The five-question test

1. Is the lot bigger, deeper or more unusual than the street suggests? If the backyard, acreage or lot shape is a selling point, aerials show it in one frame. See the Maple Ridge acreage and Pitt Meadows equestrian examples.

2. Is something valuable nearby? A beach, park, trail, school or SkyTrain station within a short walk becomes obvious from above. In the description it's a claim; in an aerial, buyers can see it.

3. Does the view sell the home? View homes on hillsides, like Burke Mountain or West Vancouver, benefit from aerials that show the outlook. The same goes for homes near the water and trails in Port Moody.

4. Is the property hard to understand from the ground? Large townhome sites, homes with outbuildings, and sloped lots with multiple levels all read more clearly from above.

5. Will you actually use the aerials? On the webpage, in neighbourhood posts and in a brochure? If they'd only sit at the end of the MLS gallery, reconsider.

Scoring: two or more "yes" answers means aerials will likely earn their cost. One or none, and the budget usually does more as twilight photos or a Floor View Tour.

Street view versus aerial view of the same property

Photos, video or both

Drone Aerials can be booked as aerial photos, aerial video, or both. A simple way to decide:

• Photos when the goal is one or two clear frames: the lot outline, the view, the distance to the park
• Video when you're already producing a Video Tour or Cinematic Video and want an opening or closing shot that sets the scene
• Both for acreages, waterfront and view homes where the setting is most of the story

Brief the shots, don't just book them

Tell us what the aerials need to prove, and the flight is planned around it. Useful briefs sound like:

• "Show the full lot and how far back the fence goes"
• "Show the walk from the front door to the park"
• "Show the view over the neighbouring roofs toward the water"
• "Show the barn, the arena and the access road in one frame"

A brief like "get some drone shots" tends to produce generic top-down images that don't answer any buyer's question.

Airspace and weather in Metro Vancouver

Every drone flight in Canada follows Transport Canada rules, which cover drone registration, pilot certification, and where and how drones can fly around people and buildings. Parts of Metro Vancouver are controlled airspace, including much of Richmond around YVR, which is covered in how YVR airspace changes the timeline, as well as areas near other airports, heliports and float-plane bases. Flights there need authorization and can take extra lead time, and some addresses can't be flown at all.

What that means for your listing:

1. Mention drone at booking, not the day before, so the location can be checked early.
2. Don't promise aerials to your sellers until the address has been confirmed as flyable.
3. Have a plan B, such as a Floor View Tour or a twilight exterior, in case the location rules out a flight.

Rain and wind also ground drones, and a wet stretch can mean several unflyable days in a row. Keep a backup date, and don't make aerials the only thing launch day depends on.

Where drone usually isn't worth it

• Mid-floor condo units, where the aerial shows the building rather than the home
• Tight urban lots with nothing distinctive around them
• Homes whose selling point is the interior
• Listings where the neighbourhood context is already obvious from a single street photo
• Properties where neighbouring buildings or a busy road would dominate the frame

In those cases, a floor plan, a twilight exterior or sharper neighbourhood copy in the description usually does more for the listing.

Getting more from the aerials you book

If the listing passes the test, make the aerials work across the whole campaign:

• Use the strongest aerial as the second image in the MLS gallery, right after the cover, when the setting is the selling point
• Mark nearby amenities on a copy of an aerial for the property webpage and social posts
• Put one aerial on the brochure cover or back page for view and acreage homes

Booking

Drone Aerials can be added to any RealtyShot shoot. Tell us what you want the aerials to show (lot, view or proximity) so the shots are planned around it. If you're weighing drone against other add-ons, the listing media decision guide puts it in context.

Aerials are worth it when they show buyers something they couldn't see any other way. When they don't, spend the budget where it will.