Best Drone for Real Estate 2019

Drone regulation changes everywhere are impacting on the choices for best real estate drones.  Licensing changes in the USA and Canada are impacting not just on who can fly, but what drone is going to be the best choice for take photos and videos for real estate.

I recently had the opportunity to obtain an Advanced Pilot Certificate (Canada’s equivalent to the US FAA part 107) and that experience now shapes the advice we give our readers, like real estate professionals, in the process of chosing a drone.

Last year our top choice was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro.  A beefy quadcopter that handles extremely well in wind with an awesome 1″ CMOS sensor producing 20 megapixel stills.  Months after we wrote the article, however, we learned that the Phantom 4 Series was transitioning to ‘end of life’ status which means very limited support going forward and the drone is no longer available for purchase on the DJI Store.

Since then, DJI has released the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom it’s new flagship pro-sumer drones that seem to have all the features realtors would be interest in: compact, folding arms, 20 megapixel stills (Mavic 2 Pro), camera zoom (Mavic 2 Zoom) and 31 minutes of battery life.

Best of all, perhaps, is that the Mavic 2 Series can be purchased with an optional Smart Controller with a built in display that connects instantly to the aircraft.  No more fumbling to connect a tablet or smartphone and be bothered by phone crashes.

These features alone make the Mavic 2 Series our #1 drone for real estate in 2019.  Choosing between the two models isn’t the easiest to do though, and it all comes down to the zoom feature and how much effort you want to put into editing your photos.

If you have some basic photo editing skills, you can just crop the 20 megapixel stills produced by the Mavic 2 Pro to pretty much equal the stills you would have zooming in with the Mavic 2 Zoom.

Another regulatory change that’s happened lately is the requirement that drones be declared compliant by the manufacturer to be eligible for specific actions like proximity to bystanders, use in controlled airspace and flights over people.

Canada’s new drone regulations that took effect last month are among the first in the world to list which drones are acceptable for these task.  And if you’ve been paying attention to drone law changes in other countries these changes seem to be happening everywhere at the same time.  So be prepared for something similar to arrive in the USA in the future.

It’s because of these changes that the Mavic 2 Series gets another checkmark as the best drone for real estate.  Already declared compliant in Canada for flying in controlled airspace and within 15 feet of bystanders, it makes sense to assume it would also fit similarly into any classification system the FAA could institute.

Avoid Wifi

Our 2nd choice drone from last year, the Mavic Air, has been dropped from the list for the simple fact that it’s controller connects to the aircraft with a wifi connection.  The Mavic 2 Series uses a system called Occusync 2.0 that is much stronger than wifi and much more resistant to interference that could affect your flight or even cause a flyaway.

We experienced this recently while completing a flight review for our Canadian drone pilot license.  Our test flight was very close to a residence with a 10kW solar panel and the amount of electro-magnetic interfence we encountered significantly affected our flight with the Mavic Air.

It struggled to respond to controls, and the visual feed from the aircraft kept getting jumbled.  Not an ideal situation if you’re trying to capture photos of a new listing; and even worse if the clients are peeking over your shoulder.

We still like the Mavic Air, but it’s new place is as our ‘backup’ drone when we want to pack light. We love the 4K video it records, and it’s so small we can pack it anywhere.

For now, we’re sold on the Mavic 2 Series.  Regardless of whether you chose the Pro or Zoom models, you’re going to be extremely happy with the results.

They’re easy to fly with automated flight modes that are ideal for a variety of shots you can use for real estate.

Fly More Kit With Extra Batteries

We recommend purchasing either of the Mavic 2 Series with the optional Fly More Kit, which gives you a discounted bundle that includes a car charger, extra batteries and more.  It’s a great value.

Lastly, make sure you purchase DJI Care with your Mavic 2.  It’s like ‘Apple Care’ for your drone, and gives you up to two replacement units in the first year (for a small additional charge) and protects you from all kinds of accidents such as water damage and collisions.  DJI Care is only $139 and it’s incredibly cheap protection.