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Real estate & home builders
The elevation buyers actually respond to
FPV tours and real estate drone photography in Calgary
FPV tours that run from the curb, through the front door, around every room and out to the yard in one unbroken shot. Plus the aerial stills that show the lot, the street, and what backs onto it.
The problem
Interior photos do not sell the lot
A buyer scrolling a listing wants three things a ground photo cannot give them. How big is the yard, what is behind the fence, and where does this sit relative to the ravine, the pond, the school, or the highway.
One aerial elevation answers all three in a single frame, which is why listings with aerial imagery hold attention longer. For builders the same logic applies at community scale: nobody can read a lot map, but everybody can read a photograph.
The interior has the same problem in reverse. A gallery of still rooms tells a buyer nothing about how the house actually connects. An FPV tour flies the whole property in one continuous shot, so they read the layout the way they would walking it.
What we deliver
Four things that move a listing
FPV tour
A single unbroken move from the street, through the front door, around the main floor, up the stairs, and out the back to the yard. No cuts, no stitching, no dissolve between rooms. Flown manually on sub 250 gram FPV aircraft small enough to clear a doorway, which is why a gimbal drone cannot produce it. On higher value listings it is consistently the most forwarded asset in the package.
Aerial stills
Elevated three quarter views of the front elevation, rear yard, and the property in its context. Not top down, which flattens a house and tells a buyer nothing. Delivered retouched and sized for MLS, print, and social.
Community and development
Phase progress, lot availability, amenity proximity, and show home locations for builders and developers. Repeatable on a schedule as the community fills in, so the marketing asset stays current instead of aging out.
Twilight and seasonal
Blue hour exteriors with the interior lit, plus seasonal recaptures. Worth it on higher value listings and essential for show homes that need to look current year round. Pairs well with an FPV tour shot at the same visit.
Turnaround
Listing ready inside 48 hours
Real estate runs on a clock nobody else does. A listing that goes live Thursday needs images Wednesday, and a week is not a turnaround, it is a missed weekend.
Standard delivery on stills is 48 hours from the shoot, retouched and sized for MLS. Video follows within three to five business days. Same day is available when the schedule demands it, and worth asking for rather than assuming.
Booking is usually within a few days for Calgary and the surrounding towns. Weather is the main variable, and rescheduling is free rather than a fight.
Delivery
Sized for where it goes
No resizing on your end, no files that get rejected at upload.
| FPV tour | H.264 MP4 at 4K and 1080p, plus a 9:16 vertical cut for social |
|---|---|
| MLS stills | JPEG at 2048px long edge, sRGB, under the size cap |
| Full resolution JPEG and DNG for feature sheets and signage | |
| Video | H.264 MP4 at 1080p and 4K, plus a 9:16 vertical master |
| Social | Square and vertical crops with safe areas respected |
| Twilight | Blended exposures, interior lighting balanced to the sky |
| Retouching | Sky replacement, lawn and pool cleanup, and removal of bins, vehicles, and clutter |
| Turnaround | Stills in 48 hours, video in 3 to 5 business days, rush available |
| Usage | Full rights for the listing and your brokerage marketing |
Compliance
The part that matters on a residential street
Most of Calgary sits inside the YYC control zone, which means a NAV Canada authorization is required for the date and location. That is obtained ahead of time rather than skipped, which is what separates a certified operator from someone with a drone and a business card.
On site that means keeping clear of neighbouring properties, not flying over people who have not consented, and being able to answer a neighbour who asks what we are doing. It reflects on your brokerage as much as on us.
$7.5M liability through Lloyd’s of London, with certificates available for brokerages that require them on file.
Common questions
Before you email
What does a listing shoot cost?
A standard residential aerial stills package is a fixed fee that covers the shoot, retouching, and delivery. Adding the FPV tour raises it, and twilight raises it again because it is a separate visit at a specific window. Send the address and what the listing needs and you will have a number the same day.
What exactly is an FPV tour?
One continuous shot that starts at the street, flies through the front door, moves through every main room, up the stairs, and back out to the yard without a single cut. It is flown manually on a sub 250 gram FPV aircraft small enough to clear a doorway, which is why a gimbal drone cannot do it. Buyers understand the layout from it in a way no gallery of stills achieves. If you also want conventional room by room interior stills, that can be arranged on the same visit.
How fast can you turn it around?
Stills inside 48 hours as standard, video within three to five business days. Rush is available when a listing has to go live, and it is better to flag it upfront than to ask after the shoot.
Can you remove things from the photos?
Yes. Bins, parked vehicles, seasonal clutter, and construction debris are routinely removed in post. Sky replacement and lawn cleanup are standard. Anything that would misrepresent the property, such as removing a neighbouring structure, is not something we will do.
Do you work with builders on ongoing programs?
Regularly, including work for Melcor Developments. Community programs are quoted per visit across the term with the rate dropping as positions and flight plans are established on the first capture, the same model used for construction progress work.
What about condos and acreages?
Both are well suited to aerial. Condos benefit from showing the view and the building in context, acreages from showing the full parcel, which is impossible from the ground. Acreages outside the control zone are often simpler to clear than an inner city listing.
Get a quote
Send the address and the list date
Fixed quote the same day, with turnaround confirmed against your listing schedule. Say whether you want the FPV tour and it is priced in.
- Direct
- 587.434.9254
- Based in
- Calgary, Alberta
- Compliance
- Transport Canada Advanced RPAS, $7.5M liability, SFOC and NAV Canada authorizations handled in house
Request sent
Thanks. You will hear back within 24 hours, usually sooner. If it is urgent, call 587.434.9254.