FAQs
General
How do I book an appointment?
You may quickly and easily book an appointment online! Simply go to our Book Now page to see all of our availability and options. The availability that you see in our interactive calendar is the same availability that we see on our end and is updated instantaneously.
Why do I need a credit card when booking my appointment?
A credit card is required to book an appointment and lock-in your time slot. We will not charge your card until after your appointment is complete and you may change the card we use for billing at anytime leading up to the completion of your appointment. Credit card information is stored securely with our credit card processing provider and we do not have access to card details. Currently, we do not accept any other payment options, other than a major credit or debit card.
Do I need to do anything before you arrive to take real-estate listing photos?
We highly recommend that you prepare the property by making sure any clutter is picked up and out of the way and the property has been tidied up. Also, if there are any vehicles or other items that you wish to not have in the photos, please move them ahead of our arrival. You may download our full Appointment Preparation Checklist here.
When will I get my photos and other products I ordered? What about my video?
Your photographs and/or virtual tour will be delivered on the next business day by 6 pm central time (end-of-day) following your appointment, Monday through Saturday. If you have not received your photos by 9pm the business day following your appointment, please contact us. Appointments on Saturday will have their photos delivered on the following Monday. Sunday delivery is available for a small convenience fee. Floor Plans may take 24-72 hours to process by Matterport and will be sent to you as soon as they become available.
Video and other specialty services, such as interactive aerial tours, take a little more work to edit. Videos and other specialty services may take up to 72 business hours to process and deliver.
How are my photos delivered?
All photos, tours, and floor plans will be delivered by email from our Photo Team; please add photos@topdownphotos.com to your trusted contacts. Each email will include a unique URL to access the photos or tour to view and/or download.
How do I download my photos?
To download your photos, click on the three dots in the upper right corner, it will give you the option to download the photos. The photos will download in a zip file, so once the files are downloaded, right click on the zip file and select "Extract All". Select the folder to which you want to save the files and the pictures will then be available to upload to the MLS.
How do I upload the Virtual Tour to NTREIS MLS?
The virtual tour may be added to the MLS by going to Matrix and then selecting the Input tab at the top. Select the property you would like to add the tour to and select the "Virtual Tours/URLs" link. Copy the unbranded virtual tour link and put it in "Virtual Tour URL - MLS Compliant (1 of 2)" and remove any link in spot 2 of 2. Click "Submit Listing" and your link will now update on the MLS!
When I attempt to upload the pictures to the MLS, I receive a notice about the recommended photo size, why is that?
The photos we provide are sized to 2048x1365 for greater field of view. Please note that if you are uploading the photos to NTREIS, you may receive a notice saying the preferred size is 2048x1536. This is a normal message because the aspect ratio is slightly different, however, you may ignore this message because all of the photos are of high quality and density. NTREIS will accept this size and all of the photos will be available on all listing platforms without any modification.
What if I don’t like the photos produced?
Your satisfaction is our top priority. Therefore, if you do not like a photo, please reach out to us to resolve the issue.
What if I have to cancel or reschedule my appointment?
If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you may do so outside 24 hours conveniently online from the confirmation email you received when booking your appointment or through our client scheduling app. Within 24 hours, please contact us using the contact methods provided in the appointment confirmation or reminder emails. We have a 24 hour cancellation policy. If you cancel outside 24 hours, no problem and no fees. Within 24 hours, we will collect a small cancellation fee. Our full cancellation and rescheduling policy may be found here.
It’s forecast to be raining on the day of my appointment, what do I do?
For ground-based photos and virtual tour, we will arrive as scheduled. Similar to our rescheduling policy, outside of 24 hours you may reschedule your appointment due to weather using our client scheduling app. Within 24 hours, please contact us using the contact methods provided in the appointment confirmation or reminder emails and we will try to reschedule you for the next date and time available during good weather. If you decide to keep your current appointment on an inclement weather day and are disappointed with your photos, a new callout fee to redo some or all of the photos may apply.
If inclement weather develops on the day of an aerial appointment, or if the safety of our photographer is of concern, we will try to reschedule you for the next date and time available during good weather. No cancellation/rescheduling fee applies in these circumstances.
What are appointment Add-on’s?
Appointment Add-on’s are additional services that you may choose or we may add after an appointment for things such as extra square footage, additional flight time, or trip fees. Add-on’s that we apply after a booking or appointment will be communicated to you before charging your payment method. See a complete list of our Add-on’s!
What is Premium Editing?
Premium Editing is an Add-on where we remove unwanted objects from photos, or enhances photos such as greening grass. See if you can spot the differences in the photos below. If you are aware of any premium edits you would like prior to your appointment, please add them to the notes at the time of booking. Pricing is per photo and requires an extra day or more to process. Note: the pictures below were commissioned by a private party and are shown as an example. We will not remove any objects or manipulate photos where they may go against MLS best practices.
What is Crowd Rendering?
Crowd Rendering is an Ad-on where we add people, vehicles, landscaping, or other objects to a photo to give a sense of activity. Even if your structure is still under construction, we can render a photo to look like a finished project. Pricing is per photo and requires an extra day or more to process.
Aerials
What do you use to take aerial photos?
We use the latest small unmanned aircraft (drone) technology to photograph your property.
How high can you take photos from the air?
Our equipment is capable of flying over 1500 feet above ground. In most areas, we can do our photography up to 400 feet without FAA approval. This height is typically enough to capture your whole property. For larger land plots and acreage, we may have to take shots from multiple angles or apply for a waiver for even higher altitudes. If a waiver is required, additional lead time will be required to file the necessary permits.
What is the photo quality I can expect from aerial photos?
Even from higher altitudes, the photo quality produced is stunning. With a powerful HDR camera capable of producing 4K video and 20-megapixel stills, you will not miss a thing even from high in the sky.
Are you allowed to do aerial photography near an airport?
Yes, but with some restrictions. If the property we are taking aerial photos of is near an airport we may need to notify the FAA 24-72 hours ahead of time, depending on the altitude of operation. You may still book an appointment online, however, we may need to reach out to you if we foresee any complications due to airspace. Feel free to contact us ahead of booking an appointment if you would like us to lookup the airspace around your property.
Can you take photos from the air at night?
It depends on the service you select. For real-estate, except for dusk or dawn photos, photographing a property at night is not very practical. The lighting is simply too low to take a good picture. Dusk to dawn photos, however, bring a different element to listing photos and may add value to how a customer sees a property.
For first responder, industrial, and game applications, we offer thermal imaging which helps with situational awareness and aids the search for persons and other objects admitting heat.
Virtual Tours
What is a virtual tour?
3D virtual tours allow a potential buyer to “walk-through” a property from the comfort of their home without the need to physically walk the property. A client can walk a property at their own pace and can move around every corner to look at a space 360 degrees, floor to ceiling.
What is the visual quality I can expect from a virtual tour?
3D virtual tours are shot using a 134 megapixel 360 degree camera capable of producing high resolution, professional print quality images. In other words, every little detail is captured in stunning high definition. You will feel as if you are physically viewing the space.
How will a 3D virtual tour improve my listing?
3D virtual tours will give you an edge over your competition and will make a listing stand out to a potential buyer.
99% of sellers have said a 3D tour would give their listing a competitive edge.
82% of sellers have said they would switch to a listing agent that offers 3D virtual tours.
90% of buyers would be more compelled by a listing with a 3D virtual tour.
Sell at a 4% to 9% higher sale price.
Decrease time-on-market by 31%.
Floor Plans
How are your floor plans measured?
Using the same cutting edge technology in our 3D virtual tours, a space is measured within 99% accuracy at a fraction of the time.