As with many
things if life these days, real estate is an ever changing entity. Shifting economic and market conditions,
revised legislative requirements and the changing whims of buyers and sellers
all play a role in impacting how we market and sell properties.
Perhaps the biggest change of all in our
industry however has come from advances in technology. One of the latest technological breakthroughs
has been the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) commonly referred to as
drones. Much the same as the GoPro
camera craze that hit the market a few years ago, drones are quickly becoming
the rage with photo enthusiasts looking to take their picture taking creativity
to new heights and they were one of the hot gift items this past Christmas.
Myself along with others in my office were some of the early adopters in using
drone photography to market properties. The picture on the header of this blog site was shot with a drone and the accompanying photo is a drone hovering in the yard of one of my listings. Drones are excellent way to not only showcase a home, but they also
serve to show the home's neighbourhood and surrounding area which is especially
effective in a rural setting. There is a
dark side however to using drones commercially and this comes in the form of
potential liabilities for property and or other damages resulting from the
improper use of drones.
If you are thinking about purchasing a drone here
are some things to consider. First Transport Canada requires that any person(s)
using a drone for commercial purposes such as aerial real estate photography
must apply for a Special Flight Operations Certificate and these are apparently not
easy to get. Transport Canada also requires
that you have a minimum of $100,000 in liability insurance which in today's
world is a pittance, $1 million in liability insurance would be better. As REALTORS® we are required by law to carry
Errors and Omissions insurance and this does not cover drones.
Even if you are thinking about getting a
drone for recreational or pleasure use, don't be taken in by all the hype, online
videos etc. There is a new drone coming
to market available for pre-order now by the name of Lily. To launch the Lily drone you simply toss it
into the air and it will follow you down a ski slope or trail on your dirt
bike. It sounds cool right? The only problem
is, most ski resorts including our own Blue Mountain has strictly banned the
use of personal drones on the property and commercially flown drones require
their consent.
Camera drones open up a whole new world of
picture and video taking possibilities. Our real estate brokerage Royal LePAGE Locations North has decided that drone photography is best left to the experts,
those that adhere to all of the legislative and insurance requirements that have
been established governing this new device.
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