How do you spy on your competition?

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How do you spy on your competition?

Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes

My wife got a me a drone a few months ago. Our nephew has a 640 acre ranch and they use their drones to monitor the cattle, food and water supply. The drone has a range of 6 miles and has a 4K camera. There is a mobile home park that has cabins and furnished mobile homes about 1.5 miles away from my house. They are my competition. I pop a can open every evening, sit in the shade in my driveway, launch my drone and fly it over the mobile home park. I fly it high enough so that it can't be seen or heard. I count the vehicles in front of each property at the place. Their occupancy is about 15%. When I'm done spying, there is a button on my screen for Return To Home. It flies directly back to where it was launched from and lands itself.

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Adam Martin

Rental Property Investor · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

Again Paul you are my hero. I do long term rentals and log onto Zillow every day and save every rental in the cities I rent in, you can save up to 500. When it is time to buy I can go back to this database and see what houses rented for in the area and how long they were on the market. I have a separate account I save homes again on when I first hear I’m having a vacancy so I can track rents and more importantly have a database of recently rented houses since those are more telling than what is listed at the time. I also like looking at the pictures so I know how my finishing stack up to the competition. Make sure your drone stays high or I feel in your area it could turn into an expensive clay pigeon.

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Adam Martin
Rental Property Investor · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
Again Paul you are my hero. I do long term rentals and log onto Zillow every day and save every rental in the cities I rent in, you can save up to 500. When it is time to buy I can go back to this database and see what houses rented for in the area and how long they were on the market. I have a separate account I save homes again on when I first hear I’m having a vacancy so I can track rents and more importantly have a database of recently rented houses since those are more telling than what is listed at the time. I also like looking at the pictures so I know how my finishing stack up to the competition. Make sure your drone stays high or I feel in your area it could turn into an expensive clay pigeon.
4 Reply
Trent Reeve
Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 706 posts · 634 votes
4y
i would stay up on laws. Some cities in Kansas, it is illegal to fly a drone over private property.
1 Reply
Paul Sandhu
OP
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Trent Reeve:

i would stay up on laws. Some cities in Kansas, it is illegal to fly a drone over private property.

The drone app uses GPS. It notifies me if I'm violating any altitude or airspace violations depending on the location.
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Melanie ThomasBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · San Antonio · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 489 votes
4y
I typically hire a third party to competition shop for me.
Kudos to you for thinking outside the box!

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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
I shoot down drones that fly over my property.......
....not yours though.
3 Reply
Trent Reeve
Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 706 posts · 634 votes
4y
Quote from @Paul Sandhu:

Quote from @Trent Reeve:

i would stay up on laws. Some cities in Kansas, it is illegal to fly a drone over private property.

The drone app uses GPS. It notifies me if I'm violating any altitude or airspace violations depending on the location.
well, you said you run it over their property, just giving a heads up that some places in Kansas, its illegal. just an fyi
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Trent Reeve
Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 706 posts · 634 votes
4y
Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

I shoot down drones that fly over my property.......
....not yours though.

not legal, you could be charged. just be aware
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Trent Reeve:

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

I shoot down drones that fly over my property.......
....not yours though.

not legal, you could be charged. just be aware

I know. Don't care. Out in the boonies anyway, it's the local pastime......
3 Reply
Conner Olsen
Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 941 votes
4y
Quote from @Paul Sandhu:

My wife got a me a drone a few months ago. Our nephew has a 640 acre ranch and they use their drones to monitor the cattle, food and water supply. The drone has a range of 6 miles and has a 4K camera. There is a mobile home park that has cabins and furnished mobile homes about 1.5 miles away from my house. They are my competition. I pop a can open every evening, sit in the shade in my driveway, launch my drone and fly it over the mobile home park. I fly it high enough so that it can't be seen or heard. I count the vehicles in front of each property at the place. Their occupancy is about 15%. When I'm done spying, there is a button on my screen for Return To Home. It flies directly back to where it was launched from and lands itself.

You gonna start dropping business cards for the owners to contact you? hahaha
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Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Paul Sandhu:

Quote from @Trent Reeve:

i would stay up on laws. Some cities in Kansas, it is illegal to fly a drone over private property.

The drone app uses GPS. It notifies me if I'm violating any altitude or airspace violations depending on the location.
thats faa regulations probably not city or county regs.. meant to keep you from running into guys like me flying our planes LOL
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Joe S.Pro Member
Investor · San Antonio · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Paul Sandhu:

My wife got a me a drone a few months ago. Our nephew has a 640 acre ranch and they use their drones to monitor the cattle, food and water supply. The drone has a range of 6 miles and has a 4K camera. There is a mobile home park that has cabins and furnished mobile homes about 1.5 miles away from my house. They are my competition. I pop a can open every evening, sit in the shade in my driveway, launch my drone and fly it over the mobile home park. I fly it high enough so that it can't be seen or heard. I count the vehicles in front of each property at the place. Their occupancy is about 15%. When I'm done spying, there is a button on my screen for Return To Home. It flies directly back to where it was launched from and lands itself.

With the knowledge you collected how would it make you do anything different than what you already are?
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
@Paul Sandhu Just wanted to check - you're not flying over the neighbor ladys pools are you? :-)
1 Reply
Paul Sandhu
OP
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

@Paul Sandhu Just wanted to check - you're not flying over the neighbor ladys pools are you? :-)

I'm taking the 5th amendment.
3 Reply
Paul Sandhu
OP
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Joe S.:

With the knowledge you collected how would it make you do anything different than what you already are?

It's easy to see the occupancy of a motel. Just drive by and look in the parking lot. The mobile home park is a little different. I'm above 90% occupancy. The motels and the trailer park are around 15 to 20 percent. If the motels and trailer park have a big increase in occupancy, it means some variable has changed and I might need to tweak my marketing strategy to reach the appropriate audience.
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Jon Q.
Investor · Berkeley, CA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
4y
If you're doing your job properly, there is no "competition".
Constantly consider additional ways to be of service to your paying customers and charge them for it. Make sure that they consider the value you offer more valuable than the amount you are charging them. If you run your business this way, you will rarely have vacancy and always have paying customers.
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Jeremy Horton
Rental Property Investor · Somewhere over the Rainbow · Member since 2021 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
@Paul Sandhu
I typically pay tenants a few bucks to bend over and spread them cheeks as wide as they can when they see a drone overhead
Better if they provide proof ;)
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John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
4y
Quote from @Paul Sandhu:

My wife got a me a drone a few months ago. Our nephew has a 640 acre ranch and they use their drones to monitor the cattle, food and water supply. The drone has a range of 6 miles and has a 4K camera. There is a mobile home park that has cabins and furnished mobile homes about 1.5 miles away from my house. They are my competition. I pop a can open every evening, sit in the shade in my driveway, launch my drone and fly it over the mobile home park. I fly it high enough so that it can't be seen or heard. I count the vehicles in front of each property at the place. Their occupancy is about 15%. When I'm done spying, there is a button on my screen for Return To Home. It flies directly back to where it was launched from and lands itself.

I have a GPS enabled drone too. It is fun to fly and great for taking Ariel photography or checking for roof damage after a storm.
1 Reply
John MorganPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Grand Prairie, TX · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
4y
This is too funny. But I love it!
0 Reply
Marcus Auerbach
Investor · Milwaukee - Mequon, WI · Member since 2010 · 5k+ posts · 7k+ votes
4y
Best thing you can do as an investor is go mystery shopping and tour other rental properties - you'll be shocked sometimes what you see! I also see a lot of leases (as an agent) and 2/3 are poorly written and rents below market. A drone is really useful to check out roofs and chimneys.
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Bud Gaffney
Rental Property Investor · Boston, MA · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
Who cares about the competition. It's you and the mirror!
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