Home | Newsletter | Advertise
loading...

FAA Investigates The Use of Drones in Real Estate

  • July 7th 2014

by Lark Turner

✉️ Want to forward this article? Click here.

FAA Investigates The Use of Drones in Real Estate: Figure 1

Realtors are using drones to capture aerial photos of properties in New York City and in the Hamptons, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) isn’t exactly excited about it.

The FAA recently demanded to know exactly how realtors are using the devices, according to the New York Post. That’s an ominous sign for the practice, because the commercial use of drones is prohibited in the U.S.

A broker told the Post that using drones to photograph new projects in the city was cheaper than the alternative.

“You can get them online for 1,500 bucks,’’ the broker told the paper. “It’s a lot cheaper than hiring a photographer and a plane for an aerial shot. As long as they aren’t used for spying, what’s the problem?’’

Technically the FAA says the problem is that commercial uses are prohibited, although some realtors claim their use isn’t commercial because they don’t charge clients for the photos, at least not directly. But safety is another issue. Last October drone crash-landed in Manhattan and nearly hit a pedestrian.

Inman reports that several real estate companies in New York City and the Hamptons have received subpoenas from the FAA regarding the practice.

Image: Flickr user Don McCullough

See other articles related to: drones, faa, realtors

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/faa_wants_to_investigate_realtors_using_drones_to_take_listing_pictures/8699.

DC Real Estate Guides

Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market

We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Start browsing below!

First-Timer Primers

Intro guides for first-time home buyers

Red Flags Revealed During a Home Inspection Top 5 Tax Breaks For Homeowners Tax Relief for DC Homeowners
Condo Fee Tutorial What is a Rent Back? 10 Ways To Tell If a Home Renovation is Well Done
Obtaining a Basic Business License For Your Rental What is an Adjustable Rate Mortgage? The Splitting the Rent Formula
How Much Cash Do You Need to Buy a House? Is This Condo Building Financially Healthy? Interest Rates and Mortgage Points
The Scoop on Mortgage Insurance

Unique Spaces

Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro

The Most Intriguing Loft in DC The R Street Firehouse DC’s One-Room House
Dupont Circle’s Old Frat House To Become Alley Home Best Transition From a Garage To a Home The Roundhouse
Tilden Gardens Restaurant-Turned-Home Hits Market Next Week Logan Circle’s Most Intriguing Garage Frank Lloyd Wright Goes Green in Kensington
Sears Bungalow Gets a Modern Makeover Old Town General Store Becomes Three-Level Home Making the Most of a Skinny House
A Studio 27 Renovation on Capitol Hill Once a Carriage House, Now a Home The Bank that Became a Home
From Pie to Hooch to Heroin to Home The Live-Aboards of Gangplank Marina A Treehouse with Rock Creek Park As A Backyard
Modern Tranquility in Sperryville Saddle Up For Stable Living Throwing a Curve at 550 Square Feet
A Modern Hilltop Retreat Tilden Street Restaurant Becomes Spacious Home Focus on Design: A Vastu Unit at 22 West
The DC Area’s First Net Zero Home A Yankee Goes Green DC’s First Carbon Neutral Home
Eco-Friendly Alley House Off H Street The Gym, The Stables and The Firehouse