so ive been doing real estate aerial for about 8 months now and honestly the pricing thing is still driving me crazy. when i first started i was charging like $150 for a full property shoot which looking back was insane, i was basically paying for my own gas and nothing else. slowly crept up to $250 and now im sitting around $300-350 depending on the property size but i keep second guessing myself every time i send a quote.

the agents in my area seem to expect these really low prices because theres a few guys undercutting everyone and i dont know if i should just match them or hold my ground. had a realtor ghost me last week after i sent a $320 quote for a pretty big waterfront place, like multiple structures, dock, the whole thing. that one stung a bit.

anyway just curious what other people are charging and how you even figured out where to land on price. do you have like a base rate and then add ons or is it more just vibes based on the property

the undercutting thing is real and honestly it never fully goes away. what helped me was just deciding i wasnt competing with the $99 guys anymore, full stop. different market, different clients. the realtors who ghost you over $320 for a waterfront property are the same ones who will nickel and dime you on revisions and call you at 7am asking where their photos are.

i do a base rate for standard residential, then i have a separate rate for anything over a certain acreage or with water features, commercial buildings i price completely differently. took me probably a year to stop feeling weird about sending quotes. also worth factoring in your Part 107 renewal, insurance, software subscriptions ? most new pilots forget all that stuff when they work out what they actually need to earn per shoot.

im kind of in the same boat honestly, been at this about 6 months and just raised my prices for the first time last month and was so nervous about it lol. only lost one client and they were kind of a pain anyway so. i think you just have to do it and see what happens