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Drones Used in Real Estate Market

Drones have gained global attention for their ability to spy on people in times of war, but these unmanned flying objects have plenty of peaceful  applications, and a Lynchburg man is pioneering one - swooping in to help realtors sell property.

When Phil and Carol McKalips decided to sell their home in Central Virginia, it was late in the year, and they knew an extraordinary marketing effort might be needed to attract a smaller group of buyers.  The place is beautifully maintained, in a great, family-friendly neighborhood, but the coolest selling point can’t be seen from the curb.

300 feet up, however, a small drone sees it all.  At the controls, Jamie Ohler whose Lynchburg-based company partners with realtors nationwide.

“There’s a lake that’s just not even a quarter of a mile back from this house, and we can see that, take a picture of the house right in front of the lake, and you can’t get that any other way.”

The drone weighs about five pounds, costs less than $1,500 and can be operated by Ohler’s 9-year-old son.

“Ready - start filming please.  Let’s see how good we can get in here. How’s that?  Nice?  Get it?  Nice.”

The stills and video they capture from above will be posted online - part of a virtual tour offered on various real estate websites.

The realtor, Tricia Traugott, is thrilled.  She says plenty of people want to sell houses.  “It is competitive, and anything that you can offer your client - especially with so many people searching online for their properties before they even come out - giving them that visual, in this case with the lake behind and the mountains, and being autumn it’s beautiful, it’s a great opportunity to showcase their house.”

For many years, agents have taken airplane rides or hot air balloons to get footage of exclusive estates.  Now, for a few hundred dollars, Traugott can provide the same chance to homeowners like Phil McKalips

“We’re looking at making sure that we have a lot of opportunities for people who are coming in from out of the area.  How do they get a sense of the place, of the neighborhood they’re going to be living in. This just seemed like a great way to give somebody an emotional attachment to the house - not just the inside but the outside and what their community is going to look like.”

He’s also enjoyed the process of capturing the neighborhood from on high. “It’s actually been quite exciting to watch.  Who doesn’t love little helicopters.  I always wanted one as a kid.”

There is just one small cloud on the horizon for Jamie Ohler and his drone - the Federal  Aviation Administration has not approved the use of unmanned flying objects and could crack down at any time.  Hausman.
 

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief
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