Realtor uses drones to show houses

AUSTIN, Texas - A Texas realtor is the second agent in the nation to be granted permission to use the unmanned craft to show houses.

Alston Boyd says it took him a while to get the hang of it, but flying his drone has become something he loves doing. And thanks to a case-by-case Section 333 exemption from the FAA, Boyd, a licensed pilot, can use it to get aerial video of the properties he's selling.

He says he's the second real estate agent in the nation to do so.

Last month, the FAA proposed some new rules that would make it easier for entrepreneurs to fly drones commercially. If they pass, a so-called operator would have to be at least 17-years-old and pass an aeronautical test.

Experts say it may take a couple of years for those rules to go into effect.

Boyd says he take his clients around a property by land first and then ask them if there's anything they would like to see by air. The clients put a pair of goggles on and can then see what the drone sees.

Boyd is one of the few in the country that can legally fly commercially right now, but with the proposed new rules, he's glad the red tape may finally be lifted a bit.