If you are getting ready to sell, you have probably wondered whether professional photos are worth paying for, or whether a good phone camera will do. Then there is the drone question. Aerial shots look impressive, but do they actually help a home sell?
We went to the research instead of guessing. In this post we cover what buyers say they look at, what the studies on professional photography found, what the data really says about drone footage (it is thinner than most marketing claims suggest), and the FAA rules that apply to drone flights here in Charlotte.
Table of Contents:
Why Listing Photos Matter So Much
Do Professional Photos Really Sell Homes for More?
What a Professional Photographer Does That a Phone Cannot
Does Drone Footage Actually Help? What the Data Says
When Drone Photos Are Worth It
Drone Rules Every Charlotte Seller Should Know
Which Photo Package Fits Your Listing?
Your Next Step
Why Listing Photos Matter So Much
Your listing photos are your first showing. According to the National Association of Realtors' 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, 43% of buyers said the very first step in their search was looking online at homes for sale, and 51% of buyers found the home they actually bought on the internet.
When NAR asked buyers who searched online which website features were very useful, photos came out on top at 83%. Detailed property information followed at 79%, then floor plans at 57%. Virtual tours came in at 41%, and videos at 29%.
Photos have held that top spot in NAR's buyer surveys year after year. The takeaway is simple. Before a buyer ever reads your description or steps through your front door, they decide from your photos whether your home is worth their Saturday afternoon.
Do Professional Photos Really Sell Homes for More?
The most cited study comes from Redfin. In 2013 the brokerage compared homes shot by professionals on DSLR cameras with homes shot on point-and-shoot cameras, using listings priced between $200,000 and $1 million. The professionally photographed homes sold for $3,400 to $11,200 more relative to their list price, depending on the price range.
In the $400,000 range, the professionally photographed homes sold about three weeks faster and for more than $10,000 more relative to list price. Redfin also looked at image sharpness. Listings with the sharpest 10% of photos sold at or above list price 44% of the time, compared with 13% for listings with average sharpness. One more detail worth knowing: above $1 million, Redfin found little difference in sale price, likely because nearly every listing at that level already uses professional photos.
Academic research points the same way. Economists Justin Benefield, Christopher Cain and Ken Johnson studied about 4,000 listings for a paper in The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics. Having at least one photo raised sale price by up to 3.9%, and each additional photo added roughly $150 to $200. Interior photos carried more weight than exterior ones, and Johnson suggested a ratio of four to five interior shots for every exterior shot.
To be fair about the limits: Redfin's study is from 2013 and was run by a brokerage that offers professional photography, and studies like these show a strong link rather than proof of cause. The Benefield study also found that more photos added about 16.5 days to time on market, likely because buyers had more to weigh. Still, every credible source we found points the same direction. Better photos go with better prices.
What a Professional Photographer Does That a Phone Cannot
Modern phones take great pictures of people. Rooms are harder. A real estate photographer brings a wide-angle lens that captures a whole room without bending the walls, lighting gear and blended exposures so you can see both the room and the view out the window, and editing that gets colors and white balance right so a white wall actually looks white.
They also know composition. Shooting from the right height, keeping vertical lines straight, and choosing the angles that show flow from room to room all make a home feel bigger and brighter online. Sharpness matters too, as Redfin's data on the sharpest photos shows.
The photos are only as good as the home in front of the camera, though. Decluttering, opening the blinds, turning on every light and tidying the yard will do more for your photos than any lens. Professional photography makes a prepared home shine. It cannot hide a messy one.
Does Drone Footage Actually Help? What the Data Says
You will see a statistic all over the internet claiming that homes with aerial photos sell 68% faster. We tried to trace it. The earliest version we could find is a 2016 RISMedia article that credits it to "MLS Statistics" without naming a study, a market or a method. We could not find a published, peer-reviewed study behind it, so we do not lean on that number, and you should be skeptical when you see it.
What we can say with confidence comes from buyer surveys. In NAR's 2025 report, photos were very useful to 83% of online buyers, while videos were very useful to 29% and virtual tours to 41%. Drone stills are photos, so a strong aerial shot can earn its place in your photo set. A long cinematic drone video is a nice extra, but fewer buyers rely on video to make decisions.
The honest answer is that drone footage helps when it shows something a buyer cannot see from the ground. Used that way, it answers real questions. Used on every listing out of habit, it adds cost without telling buyers anything new.
When Drone Photos Are Worth It
Aerial shots earn their keep when the land, the setting or the location is part of what you are selling. Good candidates include:
Larger lots and acreage, where a ground photo cannot show the property lines or how much usable land there is.
Waterfront and lake homes, like those around Lake Norman or Lake Wylie, where the view, the dock and the shoreline sell the home.
Homes with a standout backyard, pool or outdoor living space that is hard to capture from ground level.
Homes near amenities buyers care about, such as a park, greenway, golf course or neighborhood pool, where one aerial shot shows how close they are.
Unique or architecturally interesting roofs, layouts or settings.
Drone shots add less for a townhome or condo, a home on a tight lot surrounded by close neighbors, or a home where an aerial view would mostly show a busy road, power lines or a commercial building next door. In those cases a couple of extra interior shots or a floor plan will usually do more for you.
Drone Rules Every Charlotte Seller Should Know
Flying a drone to market a home is commercial use in the eyes of the Federal Aviation Administration. That means the pilot needs a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, which requires passing the FAA's knowledge test. The drone also has to be registered with the FAA, which costs $5 and lasts three years, and since September 16, 2023, registered drones generally must broadcast Remote ID.
Location matters a lot here. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is surrounded by Class B controlled airspace, and FAA rules say no one may fly a drone in Class B, C or D airspace without prior authorization from air traffic control. Much of the Charlotte area sits inside that airspace, so a qualified pilot will check the airspace and get approval before flying over your home.
Before you hire anyone, ask to see their Part 107 certificate and proof of liability insurance, and look at their past real estate work. A friend with a drone and no certificate is not a bargain if something goes wrong. It is also good manners to let close neighbors know when a flight is planned.
Which Photo Package Fits Your Listing?
Not every home needs every tool. Here is a quick way to think through the options.
Your Next Step
If you are thinking about selling, start by finding out what your home is worth in today's market with our free home value tool. It gives you a starting point for deciding how much to invest in getting your home ready.
Then reach out to The Finigan Group using the form below. We are happy to walk through your home, talk about which photos will show it best, and tell you honestly whether drone footage makes sense for your property.
Sources
NAR: 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report
Redfin: Homes Listed with Professional Photos Sell Quicker and for More Money
Benefield, Cain and Johnson, The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics
NAR Styled, Staged and Sold: Why You Need to Add More Photos to Your Listing
RISMedia: Drones for Real Estate Marketing, Are They Worth It? (2016)
FAA: Certificated Remote Pilots including Commercial Operators
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