so ive been flying for about two years now mostly just for fun but people keep asking me to shoot their properties and events and stuff and i figure why not actually try to make some money doing this. the problem is i have literally no idea how to set any of it up properly. like do i need an LLC or can i just operate as a sole proprietor at first? and insurance ? everyone says you need it but nobody explains what kind or how much coverage is actually reasonable for starting out.

also pricing is killing me. ive done a few shoots for friends and just charged whatever felt right which was probably way too low looking back. is there like a standard rate for real estate aerial stuff or does it vary a lot by region? im in the midwest if that matters. any advice would be really appreciated, even just pointing me in the right direction would help a lot honestly

okay so i went through basically the same thing about 18 months ago. the LLC question honestly depends on how much risk you want to take on personally ? most people i know started as sole proprietors just to see if the money was even there before paying for the LLC setup. that said once you start doing real estate work regularly you really do want that liability separation, especially if something goes wrong near a structure or a person.

for insurance look into Avemco or SkyWatch ? SkyWatch is nice because you can do it hourly which is great when youre just starting and dont have steady clients yet. as you scale up a proper annual policy makes more sense. coverage around a million in liability is pretty standard for real estate clients, some will require it before they even talk to you.

on pricing ? real estate in the midwest is going to be lower than coastal markets but dont undersell yourself. a basic exterior shoot with edited stills is usually in the 150-250 range depending on property size. if youre adding video or twilight shots you can charge more. the big trap is doing too much for too little just to get the job, clients will expect that price forever after

just jumping in because i literally just did this last month lol. the Part 107 cert if you dont have it yet is the first thing, without that youre technically not supposed to be doing any of this for compensation. the test isnt that bad, i used the Pilot Institute course and passed first try. after that yeah the LLC and business bank account stuff felt overwhelming but honestly i just used a service like Bizee or whatever its called now and it was pretty painless