Real estate drone video on the Costa Blanca, flown to a plan.

Agents and brokers listing villas where the setting is part of the argument: a hillside plot, a sea view, a house a short walk from a bay. Owners who sell or rent such a house and want buyers and guests to understand it before they arrive.

A drone is not an upgrade for every listing. I recommend it when:

• the size and shape of the plot are not obvious from the ground;
• the view, the sea or the mountains are a reason to buy;
• the road access and the surroundings answer a buyer’s first questions.

It adds little on a small plot in a dense street, where the drone would mostly show neighbouring roofs, and it is not an option where a flight is not allowed. In those cases I will tell you that ground frames sell the villa better.

The flight sits inside the same shot plan as the photography:

• Sun. The hour when the plot, the pool and the edges of the house read clearly and the shadows help.
• Route. The take-off point, the path and the heights, chosen so each viewpoint has a purpose.
• Positions. The few viewpoints that matter: the approach, the plot from the sea side, the house against its surroundings.

Before each shoot day I check airspace and local restrictions for the exact address. I fly only with the property owner’s consent and keep clear of neighbouring plots and people. I do not promise a flight until those checks are done: if it is not possible at your address, I tell you before you commit. The checks and the official sources behind them are listed in the guide Drone rules for photographing a villa in Spain.

Drone stills arrive in the same file sets as the photography. The aerial film is a short piece that presents the villa as a place: the approach, the plot, the view. Its length and style are agreed in the plan, and delivery formats are set in the quote.

On a combined day the ground frames follow the plan, and the aerial frames are taken at the hour the plan names. Before take-off I re-check the conditions: wind, visibility and anything new around the plot. If they are not right, the date moves and the plan stays.

I reply within one working day with dates and a draft plan. Files arrive within a week of the shoot day, in one delivery. Rush delivery is possible and is quoted with the date.

Altea, Altea Hills, Benidorm, Finestrat, Moraira, Jávea, Calpe, Dénia and La Nucía, and nearby on the Costa Blanca. I work in English, Spanish and Polish.