so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and have done a handful of jobs for friends and a local real estate agent who found me through word of mouth. nothing crazy, maybe 4-5 paid gigs total. but my day job is getting kind of unbearable and ive been daydreaming about whether i could actually do this full time or even just enough to supplement income while i figure things out.

the thing is i dont really know what the market looks like outside of real estate photography. i know people do construction progress stuff, inspections, weddings maybe? but i have no idea how to actually find those clients or what they pay. the real estate agent pays me like $150 per property which feels low but i didnt negotiate so thats on me.

anyone here actually making a living off this or doing it as a solid side income? would love to hear how you got started finding actual clients, not just the occasional neighbor asking for a favor

$150 per property is definitely on the low end, especially if you're delivering edited stills and maybe a video walkthrough. most markets around me those jobs go for $200-350 depending on property size and turnaround time. so first thing i'd say is raise your rates, seriously, because starting low makes it hard to walk them back up later.

on the bigger question though — yeah you can make decent money but real estate alone probably won't get you there unless you're doing volume. the guys i know who actually replaced a full salary are doing a mix of things. real estate obviously, but also cell tower and rooftop inspections which pay way better per hour, some do insurance work which is steady but you gotta get in with the right adjusters, and a few do mapping or survey support for construction firms. that last one often needs you to learn some photogrammetry software like pix4d or reality capture which has a learning curve but opens doors.

honestly the biggest thing i'd tell anyone trying to go freelance is treat it like a real business from day one. get proper insurance, not just liability but also hull coverage for your gear, set up an LLC, and start putting yourself out there on linkedin of all places — that's actually where i've gotten some of my better commercial leads. it takes time but it's doable

im kind of in the same boat as you so grain of salt on my advice lol, but i've been told that construction documentation is where a lot of steady work is. like not just pretty aerials but actual progress photos on a set schedule for project managers. not glamorous but its repeat business which sounds way better than chasing one-off real estate jobs