To check out roofs, chimneys ,gutters etc? Some of our roofs are flat with a center drain that needs to be checked out a few times of year,.... 2 are up 4 stories and not easy to get up to,..reg roofs too, and a few other things that it might be useful.

Never flown one,..not sure I would be good at it,

Checking out clutter in backyard of resident.

Checking for PIT BULLS in backyards.

Have thought about it very hard, especially as cameras improved and prices came down. It would be good for the rental biz, but there were various side biz'es that could be extra income streams if you had the right kind of equipment, especially in real estate photography/ranching/hostile terrain.

In the Houston/Galveston area a few years ago, I chatted with a guy who had a biz inspecting refineries' stacks via drones, up until the FAA started getting more involved. Then his biz was put on hold until the FAA figured out the new regulations, etc, for drone biz'es.

That was when I stopped thinking about it quite so hard, until things settled down and evened out in terms of rules and regulations. It's annoying to set things up to do x, and then find that the rules to do x have changed from what was perfectly fine to do yesterday.

Hollis,

Step one: rather than spend $1000 for the decemt drone and learning to fly it (and fix it when I crash it!) I pay a hobbyist $20 to fly HIS.

We are experimenting with a drone for rental ads. Hoping to fly straight up and show nearby schools, parks, shopping...Plus the novelty of the drone footage on the website.

So far those videos also show the hoard in the neighbor’s backyard!

For that reason I plan to use still photos from the drone.

Sky pictures are perfect for showing props with acreage or woods or vacant lots. Much more interesting than a street view or satellite pic.

I have long considered them for inspecting chimney flashing and roof vents.

Best: tax deductible toy...er...TOOL!

I just now saw this on my Yahoo page, A REAL CHEAPIE,..don't know if it is of any quality BUT it may be a good practice one to learn how to fly,

Ooo, like the idea of showing schools' proximity to rental. I have a sfh that is less than a mile from elementary, middle, and high school. Even better, the country between the latter two is very pretty. (Elementary, not so much, but I could make it work, if I instruct the pilot to go a little west of the property and then south.)

Look closely at the rules for drones in your state. There are places where you can fly, can not fly, and hours, etc.

Also above a certain weight, flying a drone requires a license. However, a drone weighing less doesn't require anything. Be sure to look for one of the small ones that were specifically made to sneak under the weight requirement.