Home inspections are an essential part of the home buying process, and the technology used to help the home inspector is evolving quickly. One such emerging technology that’s changing how home inspections are conducted is drones, which help inspectors more easily examine roofs, chimneys, and other hard-to-reach parts of homes. These devices also allow inspectors to gather aerial footage of properties, something that’s much harder to do using traditional methods like ladders or helicopters.
Before we can determine how drones can be used in home inspections, we need to understand what they can do. Drones are RPA’s that stands for Remotely Piloted Aircraft and are generally used to describe any type of unmanned aerial vehicle. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is a more common term, but UAVs often refer to anything from small drones to large aircraft.
Real-time aerial photography is transforming many industries, but perhaps none so much as that of home inspections. Rather than being limited to inspecting from just one angle (or worse, not being able to see at all), drones provide a quick and easy way for home inspectors to get complete 360-degree views of properties before making their final assessments. Inspections using RPA technology are also incredibly fast; today’s roof and exterior inspections can be completed in as little as 30 minutes.
Using drones to inspect homes can take some of the pressure off real estate agents who, in turn, find it easier to sell a home when there is a more thorough inspection of every nook and cranny. While construction companies and real estate agents most commonly use drones, they have already begun to change how home inspections occur. They allow buyers to get a detailed look at their prospective home’s condition before making an offer.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a home, you should probably have it inspected first. But there’s a reason most people don’t choose to get their home inspected until after they have already made an offer: It costs hundreds of dollars, and buyers feel like they’re just wasting money on something that doesn’t matter. However, this perception is changing as more states allow home inspectors to use drones and carry out inspections from afar.
Like any new technology, drones have some challenges, including a high degree of difficulty in accessing hard-to-reach areas during windy days. However, since these technological hiccups will likely be worked out over time, don’t let them deter you from considering whether your company could benefit from drone use.
