Elevating your skills, Part Two: Becoming a drone real estate pro

Scott Simmie | Sep 23 2020 - 4:08 pm PT

One of the great ways to earn money with a drone is by shooting real estate. To truly excel, you’ll want your images to pop out against the competition. That’s why the online course we’re about to explore, and the second story in our two-part series on elevating your skills, is worth a serious look.

So you own a drone. And the prospect of using that flying camera to earn some money (perhaps so you can buy your next drone) appeals. We’ve been there! And we know one of the most popular routes into earning income is via shooting real estate. But it’s a crowded marketplace. And if you want to get anywhere in this field, it’s important that your work stands out from the crowd. In the early days, it was enough merely to have a drone with a GoPro strapped to the bottom. Not anymore. Now, with consumer and prosumer drones saturating the market, you have to bring more to the table than the competition. You need to bring a professional approach and images that pop. And that’s where today’s course comes in.

Online learning pros

AlteX Academy has a reputation for excellence. Its top-caliber drone instruction has taken a very large number of satisfied students from total beginners to qualified professionals. A couple of years back, as regulations were changing in Canada, it jumped into the world of online learning. The company took this very seriously, mapping out its online content in great detail. AlteX also took time selecting a back-end Learning Management System, or LMS, to best serve the needs of its students. The words “good enough” were simply not in the AlteX lexicon. It had to be perfect. (I can say this with a certain authority, because I was fortunate enough to do some work with the AlteX team. They. Are. Pros.)

So when we learned that AlteX was expanding its online offerings, we were keen to take a look.

We like what we see.

Specialized courses

AlteX had already nailed general drone instruction. It also was known for the consulting work it carried out with high-value clients. Many companies looking to integrate drones into their workplaces, or seeking to improve their processes, work with AlteX to tap its workflow expertise.

AlteX evaluates each client’s operating requirements and designs a complete workflow from planning, operating, to post-flight management of RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) operations. Today’s growing volumes of information on new technologies cause companies to look for innovative ways to operate more effectively and efficiently. Organizations that successfully navigate through these challenges enjoy a competitive edge as they increase productivity levels.
AlteX Technologies

Now, AlteX is expanding its professional offerings with a new line of affordable, accessible online courses focusing on specialized skills development. The first two it’s offering are Drone Real Estate Photography and Intro to Drone Survey and Geomatics. They’re both great topics for someone looking to expand their repertoire.

“AlteX is driven by student success,” says operations director Yifei Zhao. “We believe in helping students to create value with drones. Application-based courses help students to acquire a specific skill so they can utilize drones to deliver results.”

Real estate photography

Sure, anyone can pop up a drone and take a photo of some property. But what kind of shots will help to sell the house? What will grab a potential buyer? What techniques will take your aerial imagery from average to outstanding? AlteX believes the answers are in this course, which comprises multiple segments:

Within those main segments are multiple videos. AlteX’s Yifei Zhao (above right) plays the role of an interviewer/student, asking instructor Matthew Stallone (above left) questions designed to elicit the answers students need. Stallone has been involved with real estate photography (among other things) for about 10 years. When drones started to become a tool of choice, Stallone jumped into the drone world. And Zhao, prior to immersing herself in the world of drones as an early adopter, builder, and pilot, had a background in the film industry. She knows her visuals and is absolutely meticulous when it comes to quality. She is a perfectionist, in the very best sense of the word.

Cost effective

The course contains about three hours of video content, as well as further curated resources you can access at any time. The video quality and content are excellent, easy to watch, and instructive. The price for the full package is $59, and that’s in Canadian dollars. Those in the US will find this a particularly compelling deal.

Down the road, we’ll explore the Intro to Drone Survey and Geomatics course (also at that same price point). Zhao says these two courses are just the beginning:

Definitely adding more application based courses! We are creating a complete curriculum for drones. From intro level to advanced drone applications. Also from business-focused courses to technical ones as well. We plan to add another 20 courses in the next six months. AlteX will be the one place for drone pilots to find all necessary drone courses to acquire all kinds of application-based skills!
Yifei Zhao, operations director, AlteX