The birdās-eye view provided by drones can help appraisers inspect hard-to-reach property features, measure property components and generate real-time aerial data. But is it illegal?
By DAVID TOBENKIN
John,a Dallas-based appraiser, wanted to add something special to his appraisals of several industrial properties, and heĀ decided that video footage of the properties shot from an aerial drone perfectly t the bill. Over the past six months, John, who asked us not to use his real name, used the unmanned aircraft system to take videos of the structures and their sur
“The drone provides a unique inspection experience,ā says John, who adds that the video clips were āa fun thingā that
he added free-of-charge to the reports. āIt allows us to get up higher, get a better view of the roof and rotate 360 degrees above the property to provide a view of the surrounding prop- erties. We could not provide that footage without using the drone. A picture is worth a thousand words and video is worth 10,000 words. The client loved the technology.ā