Property media that answers the buyer's questions
Aerial and ground photography, video, twilight, 3D tours, floor plans and short social video, planned as one shoot and delivered to one project record.
One visit, every format the listing needs
A buyer scrolling a listing is trying to answer a few questions fast. How big is it. What does it look like from the street and from above. Where is it in relation to the water, the school, the highway. Does the layout work. Property media exists to answer those questions before anyone books a showing, and the formats each answer a different one.
Ground photography shows rooms and finishes. Aerial photography shows the lot, the setbacks, the neighbourhood and the view. Video shows how spaces connect. Twilight images give the listing a lead photo that stands out in a grid of daylight shots. A 3D tour lets a buyer walk the home from another province. A floor plan with measurements settles the size argument. Vertical social video puts the property in front of people who are not searching yet.
You rarely need all of them. A small condo with no view may need good interiors and a floor plan. A waterfront acreage needs the drone more than anything else. The job of the person planning the shoot is to match the formats to the property and the buyer, then capture them in as few visits as possible. The rest of this section explains each format in depth, starting with real estate photography and ending with how to choose a listing package.
What each format is for
| Format | Answers the question | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground photography | What do the rooms look like? | Every listing | Wide lenses that distort rooms; clutter |
| Aerial photography | Where is it, and how big is the lot? | Acreage, waterfront, view homes, new builds, commercial | Airspace near airports; people and neighbours in frame |
| Aerial and ground video | How does it feel to move through? | Higher-value homes, unique properties, projects | Length; music licensing; shaky footage |
| Twilight and dusk | Why should I click this one? | Homes with good lighting, pools, views | Weather; a short light window; night flight rules |
| 3D virtual tour | Does the layout work for me? | Out-of-town buyers, condos, rentals | MLS branding rules; privacy of contents |
| Floor plan and measurements | How big is it really? | Almost every listing | Measurement standard and disclosure |
| Vertical social video | Would I stop scrolling for this? | Agents building a following; launches | FPV rules; platform formats |
Where property media usually fails
Three vendors, three visits
The photographer, the tour capture and the drone pilot each book their own time. The seller cleans the house three times and the light is different in every set.
Files scattered across inboxes
Photos come by one link, the video by another, the floor plan by email. The assistant uploads the wrong version to the MLS.
Nobody checked the airspace
The listing is two kilometres from a heliport or inside controlled airspace. The pilot arrives and cannot fly without an authorization that takes time to get.
The square footage is challenged
A buyer's agent measures the house and gets a different number. The listing agent cannot say where the figure came from.
The branded tour gets pulled
A 3D tour link with the agent's name and phone number is placed in the MLS virtual tour field, which many boards require to be unbranded.
What changes when a drone is involved
Ground photography is a photography job. Aerial work is also an aviation job, and that changes the planning. In Canada, drones between 250 grams and 25 kilograms fall under Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Regulations. The pilot needs a Transport Canada pilot certificate, the aircraft must be registered, and the rules for how close you can fly to people and whether you can fly in controlled airspace depend on whether the pilot holds a Basic or Advanced certificate. Changes that took effect in November 2025 added new options for Advanced pilots, including sheltered operations close to structures. In the United States, commercial drone work falls under FAA Part 107, and flights in controlled airspace near airports usually need LAANC authorization.
For a listing shoot this means three practical things. The pilot checks the airspace before accepting the job. The pilot plans where they will stand, where the aircraft will take off, and how they will keep clear of people who are not part of the shoot. And the pilot may need to talk to the neighbours, the strata or the property manager before flying over shared space. It is not the realtor's problem, but it affects the schedule.
DroneLink flights on Vancouver Island are flown by Elite Drone Solutions, a Transport Canada certified operator with Advanced Operations certified pilots. Outside the Island, you tell us where the property is and we confirm a certified local operator before you commit. That network is being built now. Read the Canadian drone rules for the detail.
Who needs what from whom
Seller or owner
- They need from you
- A clear prep list, a shoot time, and to know their neighbours will be told about the drone.
- You need from them
- Access, a clean and staged home, cars moved, pets and people out of the shots.
- On the DroneLink record
- The prep list is attached to the order. The owner sees the same schedule the agent sees.
Listing agent
- They need from you
- Every file ready for MLS upload, social and print, on the day promised.
- You need from them
- The address, the lock-box or contact, the list of must-have shots, and branding for the branded versions.
- On the DroneLink record
- Order online, then review and approve photos in the project, with comments pinned to the image.
Strata or property manager
- They need from you
- Notice before a drone flies over common property, and assurance that residents are not filmed.
- You need from them
- Permission to use common areas and the roof or amenity spaces for take-off and capture.
- On the DroneLink record
- The flight notice and any strata approval are stored with the project so they are easy to show.
Neighbours
- They need from you
- To know why a drone is overhead and that their yard is not the subject.
- You need from them
- Patience for a few minutes of flight.
- On the DroneLink record
- The pilot frames away from neighbouring yards and windows and answers questions on site.
Pilot
- They need from you
- The address early enough to check airspace and plan the flight.
- You need from them
- A certified pilot who flies within the rules and shows the paperwork if asked.
- On the DroneLink record
- The flight record sits in the same project as the deliverables.
From order to MLS upload
Order
Choose the formats from the catalogue and enter the address. The airspace, the site and the light are checked against the date you want.
Plan
The pilot-photographer plans the aerial positions, the sun angle for the front elevation and the twilight window if one is booked. The seller receives a prep list.
Capture
One visit where possible: interiors, exteriors, aerials, tour scanning and measuring. Twilight is a second, short visit at the end of the day.
Edit and review
Images are edited and posted to the project. You mark the ones you want, comment on the image, and approve.
Deliver
Final files arrive by link in MLS, web and print sizes, with branded and unbranded tour and video links. Everything stays on the project record for the next listing or the next owner.
Developers, builders and commercial owners
The same formats serve more than resale listings. A developer pre-selling a project needs aerial views from the future balcony heights and site context for renderings. BDM3d Studios, our sister company in architectural visualization, uses aerial capture to place its renderings in real surroundings; see BDM3d. A builder needs a finished-home set for the portfolio and warranty records. A hotel or winery needs commercial and hospitality media that is shot around guests and operations.
Because every shoot sits in a project record, the next job at the same property starts with the last one. Pre-sale aerials, construction progress shots and a resale set years later live in one place, not in expired download links.
Questions
Do I need a licence to fly a drone for real estate photos in Canada?
Yes, for drones between 250 g and 25 kg you need a Transport Canada pilot certificate and a registered drone, whether the work is paid or not. The Basic certificate covers simple flights away from people and outside controlled airspace. Many listing locations need an Advanced certificate because of nearby people or airports.
Can a drone fly over my neighbour's house to photograph my listing?
Drone rules focus on safety and distance from people, while privacy law and trespass law also apply. A professional pilot frames the subject property, avoids capturing identifiable people in neighbouring yards, and does not hover over other properties longer than needed. If the neighbour has concerns, talk to them before the shoot.
How long does a real estate photo shoot take?
It depends on the size of the home and the formats booked. Interiors of a typical house take a couple of hours; aerials and a 3D tour add time. Twilight is a separate short visit at dusk.
Can you use drone photos on the MLS?
Yes. Aerial photos are standard listing photos. The rules to watch are the board's rules on branding and on misleading edits, and whether the photographer's licence lets you use the images for the purpose you want.
Do drone photographers work outside Vancouver Island?
DroneLink flights on Vancouver Island are flown by Elite Drone Solutions. Elsewhere, tell us where the property is and we confirm a certified local operator before you commit. The network is being built now.
What does property media cost?
Cost depends on the number of formats, the size of the property, the travel, whether a second visit is needed for twilight, and any airspace authorization. Order online to see the options for your address.
Tell us about your Vancouver site.
An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with the price, who will fly it and when.