The question isn't whether drone photos look good. It's whether an aerial view changes what a buyer understands about this particular property. For some properties it adds a great deal; for others it adds little.
Where aerials change the outcome
The land is part of the price. Acreage, long driveways, a pool in its setting, privacy: if the lot is in the listing description, it should be in the photos, and lots are best shown from above.
Water or views are part of the price. Lagoon frontage in Brick, the Navesink behind a Rumson lawn, a ridge view in Montclair: the premium feature is hard to see from the ground. These listings benefit most clearly.
Location is the selling point. Three blocks to the beach, backing onto preserved land, a walk to the train: one well-composed aerial shows it plainly, and suburban buyers compare listings on exactly these facts.
The property is large or complex. Estates, farms, multi-building parcels, and new construction on open land are hard to understand from ground photos alone; an aerial shows how the pieces fit together.
Where ground photography alone serves better
The interior is the selling point. A renovated kitchen in a colonial on a small lot sells from the inside. An aerial of a small lot mostly shows how small it is.
The surroundings work against the property. An aerial shows everything nearby. If that includes a highway sound wall, the photo hurts the listing. A good operator checks the map before quoting and tells you.
Dense blocks without a standout location. An aerial of a mid-block rowhouse looks like every other aerial on the block. The budget is better spent on interior photography.
The usual answer: a few aerials in a ground set
Most suburban New Jersey listings fall in between, and the right answer is a few aerials added to a strong ground set: one elevated front view, one overhead of the lot, and one location shot if the location is a selling point. That's how most of our listing packages are structured.
When you send us a property, we make this assessment first, and if aerials won't help, we'll tell you.