so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and ive been doing a few gigs here and there for a local real estate agency but its all very casual and they dont pay amazing. my day job is fine but honestly i spend more time thinking about drone stuff than actual work and i keep wondering if theres a real living to be made doing this full time.

the thing is i dont really know anyone whos done it successfully. like everyone i talk to either says go for it or says the market is saturated and you wont make rent. i have a Mavic 3 Pro and recently picked up a used Autel for inspections but im not sure if my gear is even the right stuff to be competitive. mostly asking people who have actually tried to make a go of it whether its realistic or if im romanticizing the whole thing

honestly the real estate route is the hardest place to build a sustainable income because the margins are just brutal, agents dont want to pay much and theres always some guy with a cheaper drone willing to undercut you. what actually changed things for me was getting into infrastructure inspection work - cell towers, bridges, that kind of thing. it pays significantly better and once you build a relationship with a couple engineering firms or telecom contractors you get repeat work. takes a while to get that first contract though, not gonna lie.

your Mavic 3 Pro is fine for most things but if you want to get serious about inspection work you'll probably want to look at something with a better zoom or a thermal payload down the line. dont rush that though, get the clients first then figure out what gear they actually need you to have.

im kind of in the same boat as you so i cant give you the definitive answer but i did talk to someone at a local AUVSI meetup who said the people making consistent money are usually doing one specific thing really well rather than trying to do everything. like he only does roof inspections for insurance adjusters and apparently stays pretty busy. just thought that was interesting, the niche thing seems to come up a lot