1. The Most Expensive US State to Own a Home Is California

Here’s the first of many real estate fun facts: California is the most expensive state to own a home in America, with a median sale price of $859,300 as of May 2024. Several factors, including a high demand for investors and limited land availability, drive this high cost of homeownership. Additionally, the state’s desirable climate and endless job opportunities attract homebuyers worldwide, increasing demand and prices.

2. There Are More Single Female Homeowners Than Single Male Homeowners in America

Here’s one of the most interesting facts about real estate: Did you know that as of 2022, single women own more homes than men? This trend is due to women’s increasing financial independence. Single women see properties as a secure investment and are more willing to prioritize owning a home than men. Despite earning less on average than men, single women are now outpacing men in homeownership across many states.

3. The Most Expensive Zip Code in the US is 94027

If you still don’t know this by now, the most expensive zip code in the US is 94027, located in Atherton, California. Atherton boasts a median home sale price of approximately $10 million, driven by its affluent residents, many of whom are tech billionaires, celebrities, and executives from Silicon Valley. In addition, large lots and strict zoning laws that limit housing density sustain these high property values, keeping them exclusive and appealing.

4. Corner Properties Are Considered Less Desirable in Some Countries

In some countries, corner properties are considered less attractive because of many factors. While they are more visible and have more sidewalks, corner homes usually have fewer neighbors, face increased traffic noise, and have a higher risk for burglaries. Additionally, corner properties are less appealing to potential buyers as they are more exposed to pedestrians and passersby. Would you be interested in a corner property?

5. Sears Used to Sell Mail-order Houses

If you think that Amazon pioneered purchase-and-ship products, you need to remember about retail giant Sears, Roebuck and Co. In the early 20th century, Americans could order Sears kit homes through Sears catalogs and receive the home kit by mail. Sears sold more than 70,000 home kits before it stopped production in 1940. Today, you’ll still see some of these Sears catalog homes on the market, but they immediately sell out because of their historical charm.

6. The Most Expensive Home for Sale in the US Is in Florida

With today’s real estate trends, it won’t be long before we see another “most expensive” home sale in the US. But currently, a waterfront mansion known as Gordon Pointe in Naples, Florida, holds that record. The estate features a main house, two guesthouses, a yacht basin, and a private dock for six boats. Spanning 9.04 acres, the Gordon Pointe highlights the growing market for ultra-luxury properties.

7. Most Expensive City to Buy a House Is in Hong Kong

For over a decade, Hong Kong has been the most expensive city in the world to buy a home. Because of limited land availability and high demand, the average property price in Hong Kong is more than $1.25 million. Despite the pandemic and economic downturn, Hong Kong’s real estate market continues to command some of the highest prices globally.

8. World’s Most Affordable City for Real Estate Is in Pakistan

Because of its economic conditions and infrastructural challenges, Karachi has consistently been ranked as one of the least expensive cities to live in. The average cost per square foot is only $24. While its low cost of real estate sounds great, Karachi is one of the least livable cities in the world. Factors such as pollution and political instability contribute to its low livability.

9. Burj Khalifa’s Elevator Travels Through 140 Floors

Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, boasts an elevator system that reaches unimaginable heights. One of its elevators travels through 140 floors, making it the world’s tallest elevator. This feature is just one of the building’s many records, which includes having the most floors and the highest occupied floor in any building.

10. 1 in 10 Americans Sell Their Homes Because of Concerns About Paranormal Activity

Have you ever had creepy real estate listings? In the US, one in ten homeowners sold their homes because of concerns about paranormal activity. Many of these property homeowners reported strange noises, voices, and lights turning on and off by themselves. This phenomenon highlights how superstitions and fear can influence real estate decisions.

11. A Canadian Company Owns the Mall of America

The largest mall in the US, the Mall of America, is owned by the Ghermezian family through their Canadian company, Triple Five Group. The Ghermezians, originally from Iran, have developed several malls, including the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. Their ownership of these malls highlights the international reach of their real estate business. Did you know that the Mall of America has its own zip code?

12. The Iconic Hollywood Sign Was Originally a Real Estate Stunt

The iconic Hollywood sign in Los Angeles was initially built as a real estate advertisement to promote the sale of properties. The sign originally read “Hollywoodland,” but the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce removed the last four letters over time. Today, the Hollywood sign symbolizes the entertainment industry and is a historic landmark in LA.

13. The Largest Residential Home Is in Mumbai, India

Antilia, the largest residential home in the world, is located in Mumbai, India. Owned by Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, this 27-story building spans 400,000 square feet and costs between $1 and $2 billion. The house features luxury amenities such as three helipads, nine high-speed elevators, a 50-seat theater, a snow room, and a 168-car garage. It definitely fits my criteria for weird houses!

14. Russia Sold Alaska to the US for 2 Cents per Acre

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the US for $7.2 million, which equated to approximately two cents per acre. At the time, Alaska wasn’t seen as valuable because of its harsh living conditions, though it later proved rich in natural resources such as gold, oil, and timber.

15. It’s Bad Luck to Move into a New House on a Friday

Want more fun facts about real estate? Moving into a new house on a Friday is considered bad luck in many cultures. This superstition is rooted in the belief that moving on a Friday, especially Friday the 13th, may bring misfortune and prevent household members from settling comfortably and living a peaceful life. While most people consider this a superstition, others still take it seriously, avoiding moving on an “unlucky” Friday.

16. San Francisco Home Is on the Market for $488,000, but There’s a Catch

A San Francisco home in the Russian Hill neighborhood is on the market for an unbelievable price of $488,000. However, there’s a catch—the buyer won’t be able to move in until 2053 because of a long-term lease held by the current tenant. According to the property listing on Zillow, this unique arrangement is an investment opportunity for the right buyer.

17. Japan Demolishes Houses After 30 Years

I guess this will be one of the fun facts about real estate you’ll share online: The oldest structures worldwide are often expensive because of their historic charm and timeless appeal. However, demolishing and rebuilding homes after approximately 30 years is standard practice in Japan. 

Properties in Japan depreciate over time, and homes are often considered valueless once they reach this age, prompting frequent construction. This approach is influenced by many factors, including the necessity to meet evolving green building trends, earthquake safety standards, and a cultural preference for modernity.

18. A Vietnam Building Is Full of Coffee Shops

Fancy some coffee? Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has a unique building known as “The Cafe Apartment.” This nine-story structure has coffee shops offering a distinct ambiance and specialty drinks. Over the years, the building has become a popular destination for locals and tourists, providing a variety of cafes where you can enjoy a drink while overlooking the bustling city. Perhaps the only factor influencing your choice of a coffee shop for the day is its interior design.

19. The Average American Will Likely Move 11 Times

Here’s one of the interesting facts in real estate I wasn’t expecting: The average American will likely move 11 times in their lifetime and will likely need a real estate agent each time. Americans move houses because of job changes, family size, income, marital status, or the desire for a better neighborhood. Typically, most moves occur between 18 and 50, while fewer relocations happen after age 60. How many times have you moved houses so far?

20. Staged Homes Tend to Sell More Quickly

Do you usually stage your property listings or leave them as they are? According to National Association of Realtors (NAR) data, staged homes can sell three to 30 times quicker than non-staged ones. Home staging expedites the selling process and enhances the home’s appeal by helping potential buyers envision themselves living there. Now, those are some facts that real estate agents should remember.

21. There Is a Toilet House in South Korea

In South Korea, there’s a unique museum known as Haewoojae, or “Mr. Toilet House.” This toilet-shaped structure was initially the home of Sim Jae-Deok, who was dedicated to improving the quality of toilet facilities and promoting hygienic restrooms in the city. Today, it functions as a museum, showcasing the history and evolution of toilets from different eras. Would you be willing to sell a toilet-shaped property?

22. Castles for Sale in the UK

While homebuyers in the US are often drawn to the latest smart home technology, those in the United Kingdom may find a different type of luxury appealing. If your client has millions to invest, tell them it’s possible to buy historic castles in Scotland and Ireland. These castles, often set in sprawling estates, offer luxurious living and a chance to own a piece of history.

23. It’s Bad Luck to Give a Knife as a Housewarming Gift

Need more fun facts about real estate? Gifting a knife during a housewarming is considered bad luck in some cultures. According to superstitions, a knife symbolizes severing a relationship or cutting ties between the giver and the homeowner. But if you want to give a knife as a housewarming gift, include a penny with the knife. This way, the homeowner can return the penny to you as “payment” for the knife. So, technically, it’s not a gift!

24. Architectural Eagles Symbolize Freedom From Mortgages

There are many ways homeowners celebrate the full payment of their mortgage. One of the more popular (and deeply American) ways was to put a cast iron eagle on the outside of a home. The eagle represents strength and freedom, which align with financial independence.

25. Scotland Homeowners Paint Their Doors Red to Show They’re Mortgage-free

In Scotland, painting the home’s front door signifies that the homeowner has paid off their mortgage. This tradition brings a sense of pride and accomplishment and allows homeowners to celebrate their financial independence. What else is better worth proclaiming than this?!

FAQs

What are some interesting facts about being a real estate agent?

What are some fun facts about houses?

Why is it called real estate?

Bringing It All Together

If you love some of these real estate fun facts, share them online using the best social media templates. They’ll be a sure hit for your audience. Do you have more interesting facts about real estate up your sleeve? I’d love to hear them. Let us know in the comments!

The post Real Estate Fun Facts: 25 Weird & Wacky Truths You Won’t Believe appeared first on The Close.

Real Estate Agent Memes 

Come on, we can’t take ourselves too seriously all the time. Let’s have some fun with the madness that ensues when working as a real estate agent. And hey, if you’re aiming to grow your Instagram following, how about brightening up your feed with some funny real estate agent memes? You might be wondering how posts that appeal to agents could help your business, but just picture the referrals that could come your way from agents who have the same sense of humor! 

1. You know who you are…

2. Back to basics

3. Hmmm, for some reason, I don’t believe you

4. Award-winning agents

5. I even helped him with his CMA!

6. Thinking vs doing

7. We’ve all been there…

8. I need this shower curtain, actually…

9. Repeat after me: SELLING SUNSET IS NOT REAL LIFE

10. What we all really want to say

11. The final straw was me talking about rent stabilization

12. Starting to think the market is slowing down…

13. Sneaky

14. Did my guidance counselor lie to me?

15. First rodeo

16. Beast mode activated

17. 100% commission brokers

Client Memes 

When compiling memes for realtors, we couldn’t leave out the ones who make our job worthwhile—our clients. After all, without clients, being a realtor is pretty much pointless, right? Plus, I’m sure we’ve all had moments when we thought about creating a side hustle by turning our client experiences into memes. But for now, just getting a good laugh at some of these will have to do. 

18. It’s complicated!

19. I really should just put it on silent

20. You’re the expert!

21. I wonder how many client pictures I’m lurking in the background of…

22. Important research!

23. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that

24. Future me, shmuture me

25. Sometimes, the training pays off

26. Oh hey, how’s the sale going?

27. Silly goose

28. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say!

29. It’s a 20-minute drive… I’ll be there in 10

30. Did I ask you?

31. This is the wrong market for you…

32. Yeah, no problem! How does the 47th of Octvember work for you?

33. One of the best feelings a real estate agent can have

34. Just smile and nod, smile and nod…

Pro Tip: Looking for more clever memes that you can share with buyers and sellers? Coffee & Contracts offers fresh viral memes from the Broke Agent every month that you can customize and use to promote your brand, not theirs! They also have hundreds of realtor-created templates for Reels, Stories, posts, and more.

Real Estate Marketing Memes 

Have you ever noticed that your Instagram or Facebook feed is filled with the same old real estate marketing posts from all the agents you follow? It can start to feel repetitive, right? Shake things up by adding a touch of humor to your timeline with a relatable real estate marketing meme. Show off your fun side and watch how you attract new clients who appreciate a good sense of humor. 

35. Headshots are never good enough!

36. So much for that career writing listing descriptions…

37. Have you seen my new headshot?

38. Don’t you have Photoshop?

39. Hello?

40. This one will be different!

41. Location, location, location!

42. No one will know…

43. Just step away from Canva

44. You get what you pay for

45. Money, money, money!

46. New listing alert

47. Property pictures

48. Where are all the leads?!

49. Phone pics

50. Outdoor kitchen, anyone?

51. This isn’t Zillow?

Work-life Balance Memes 

No one should be all work and no play all of the time. But in real estate, it can be easy to get wrapped up in the demands of the job. If you’re feeling stressed and bogged down, take a break and check out these fun real estate memes that might just hit a little too close to home. 

52. Sometimes Sundays need to be Sun-days

53. We’ve all been there

54. What days off?

55. Summertime!

56. There’s no crying in real estate!

57. Just waiting for a response to my offer…

58. Just kidding!

59. Weekend warrior

60. I’ve never been more balanced in my life.

61. Just trying to relax

62. Finally! Time to relax and unwind…

63. That must be nice for you.

64. 365 days a year

65. If you know, you know…

66. I’m not stressed at all!

67. Sleep? What’s that?

68. This should be illegal

What to Do With Memes About Real Estate

The best thing about real estate agent memes is that they can be used in various ways. Whether you want to brighten someone’s mood, use them in your marketing, or break the ice with a potential client. Showing off your real estate skills doesn’t always have to come in the form of business information. Sometimes, connecting with potential clients is about forming a bond outside of business-related topics. 

• Social media: Create a post with a meme and share it on your timeline or story. A platform like Canva makes the process simple, as you can easily design and customize your post with various templates and tools.
• Mailing campaigns: Step outside the norm and jazz up your postcards with a funny real estate meme. Personalize the message on the back to match the meme and bring joy to your clients with a little dose of humor in their mailbox!
• Newsletters: When you send your clients a newsletter, consider incorporating some realtor memes that will stand out and keep clients reading.
• Text messages: If you are working with a client down on their luck, choose a funny meme and send it to them in a text message to provide reassurance that they will achieve their real estate goals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are some funny real estate videos?

Where can I get real estate facts?

What helps motivate real estate agents?

How do I become a real estate content creator?

Bringing It All Together

Do your cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling too much? Because mine do after compiling these for you. If you have a real estate meme to add to our collection, let us know in the comments!

The post 68 Hilarious Real Estate Memes Realtors Can’t Stop Sharing appeared first on The Close.

Agent Jokes

Being a real estate agent is no joke, but finding humor in the daily grind is a way to cut down on stress and may just be one of the keys to success. Sure, we’ve all heard the house hunter jokes, but we also have to be able to poke fun at ourselves. Check out some of our favorite realtor jokes and real estate broker jokes that we hope you enjoy as much as we do.

1. The dual agent: How does a dual agent sleep? Well, first, he lies on one side, then he lies on the other.

2. Not that bright: The last buyer I worked with wasn’t that bright. When I handed him an exclusive buyer agreement that said “sign here” at the bottom, instead of signing his name, he just wrote “Capricorn.”

3.The wedding: I’m getting married to a top-producing Realtor tomorrow. He’s so dreamy. Check out the diamond engagement ring he sold me.

4. A natural miracle: A Realtor’s brain is a miracle of nature. It starts working the day they’re born and stops working as soon as they need to pitch a homeowner.

5. The two-story house: My clients put in an offer on a two-story house. One story before the offer, another story after the offer.

6. The truck driver client: My truck driver client was such a pain. Kept saying he wanted a house with long haul ways.

7. Don’t trust the listing agent: A listing agent I know promises a free abacus with every closed deal, but I wouldn’t count on it.

8. Being on time: The only problem with being on time for your showings is that no one else is there to appreciate it.

9. Formal licensing: Good news! The federal government has announced that they will begin using real estate licenses as official ID. The rationale is that not everyone has a driver’s license.

10. A realtor’s prayer: Dear Lord, all I ask is that you prove to me that money won’t make me happier by tripling my GCI this year.

11. Real estate success: After reading books by Tom Ferry and Brian Buffini and going to seven coaching seminars this year, I think I’ve finally discovered the secret to making serious money in the real estate industry. I’m going to become a real estate coach!

12. Communication skills: My managing broker just told me I was fired for having poor communication skills. I didn’t know what to say to that.

13. Home run: A commercial broker was working with a client who wanted to buy a hockey rink, but had trouble estimating closing costs. She ended up losing the client because she could only give him a ballpark estimate.

Dad Joke Inspired

I absolutely love jokes about realtors—they help us not take ourselves too seriously. But when you throw in a classic real estate pun delivered in the beloved “dad-joke” style, it’s pure comedy gold! These are the jokes that never fail to make everyone crack a smile.

14. House attire: What does a house wear? Address.

15. The lightest building: What kind of building weighs the least? A lighthouse.

16. The lowest inventory: Did you hear about the last remaining unit in the apartment building? It was last but not leased.

17. Realtor magazine: A Realtor I know asked me if I read “Realtor Magazine.” I said I did read it—periodically.

18. A pretty catchy tune: What’s a Realtor’s favorite Christmas song? For Lease Navidad. 

19. Climate change: I got worried about climate change when Realtors in Iowa started advertising their listings as “potential waterfront property.”

20. Insects: How many insects do you need to make money from your rental unit? Tenants.

21. Doctor House, MD: Why did the house go to the doctor? It had a window pane.

22. The one about the roof: Did you hear the joke about the roof? I doubt you’d get it—it’s over your head.

23. Zombies: Which room in your house are zombies most afraid of? The living room.

24. Hipster real estate: What’s the worst thing about broken elevator puns? They’re not very uplifting.

25. The Cheap Apartment Buyer: My buyer didn’t have a lot of money to spend on an apartment, so I asked the listing agent what would be the condominimum offer the owner would accept.

26. I could take ‘em: “Eh, that Realtor doesn’t look so strong. I bet I can take him in a fight!” “Are you crazy? That guy says he flips houses in his spare time!”

27. The nautical need: Why did the new real estate agent get on a boat? He was a sailor’s agent.

Pick-up Lines

While pick-up lines are things you should never say to your clients, these real estate jokes are perfect for livening up your social media or entertaining your inner circle. They’re also a fantastic way to spice up your postcard mailers in a new and fun way.

28. Couldn’t help but notice: Hey, girl, are you a mortgage? Because you’ve got my interest!

29. NAR no-no: Hey, big guy, are you a NAR violation? Because you’ve got fine written all over you.

30. Lien on me: Hey cowboy, I’m not asking you for an easement, just a mere right of recreation and amusement.

31. My nickname: Around the office, the other Realtors call me coffee ’cause I grind so fine.

32. My heart belongs to you: You probably don’t know it, but you have a lien on my heart.

33. Signal is strong: Is your name Wi-Fi? Because I’m feeling a connection here.

34. Cold caller: Hey good lookin’, I cold call expireds all day, but if you give me your phone number, I’ll make a hot call tonight.

35. Did you feel that too: Is this listing in an earthquake zone, or did you just rock my world?

36. State regs: I’m sorry, but state regulations and the NAR code of ethics require me to disclose how beautiful your eyes are.

37. First-timer: Talking to you makes me feel like a first-time homebuyer—nervous but thrilled.

38. Where’ve you been: Hey hunk, your showing today must have been on the equator because you’re hot!

39. Garden is secluded: This listing has a beautiful garden where we can put our tulips together.

40. The outfit: Hey sailor, you like my blazer? It’s made out of girlfriend material.

41. Legalese: If you were words on my exclusive buyer agency agreement, you’d be the fine print.

42. Inspector is here: Baby, we can definitely skip the inspection because I can already tell you’re flawless!

43. Time for a redesign: Sadly, I had to fire my web designer today and get a Placester site. We just weren’t on the same landing page anymore.

44. Let’s skedaddle: What do you say you and me get out of here and go back to my place to check out my pocket listings?

45. Meet me on the porch: With curb appeal like that, you’re a prime property in my heart’s MLS.

46. Due diligence: Hey baby, what’s your sign, and are you already working with another agent?

47. So social: You must have a killer Facebook ad strategy because you made quite the impression on me.

Affiliate Relationships

We have the pleasure of collaborating with many amazing individuals in the real estate industry, and it’s a journey filled with its fair share of ups and downs. Take a moment to smile over our diverse and interesting experiences in this field.

48. Say it ain’t so: What’s the difference between a Realtor and a mortgage broker? The mortgage broker knows he’s boring.

49. The truth is out there: What do professional, affordable contractors have in common with UFOs? You always hear stories about them, but no one you know has actually seen one.

50. No interest in company: Why did the mortgage broker always eat lunch by himself? He was a loaner.

The IT Department

Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or a bit hesitant, the ever-evolving world of real estate tech is something we all have to get accustomed to. We don’t all have to be tech wizards, but approaching it with a bit of humor can definitely make it more manageable.

51. The perfect CRM: CRM salesperson: “This CRM will cut your workload in half.” Real estate agent: “That’s great, I’ll take two!”

52. The zestimate: An agent shows up at a seller’s appointment and repeats his favorite mantra, crossing his fingers and chanting, “They have not checked their Zestimate. They have not checked their Zestimate. They have not checked their Zestimate.” 

53. Subscription fee: You know what the difference is between you and my CRM? My CRM costs $70 a month, but you’re priceless.

What to Do With Jokes About Real Estate

The best thing about real estate agent jokes is that they can be used in various ways. Whether you want to brighten someone’s mood, use them in your marketing, or break the ice with a potential client. Showing off your real estate skills doesn’t always have to come in the form of business information. Sometimes, connecting with potential clients is about forming a bond outside of business-related topics. 

• Social media: Create a post with the joke and share it on your timeline or story. A platform like Canva makes the process simple, as you can easily design and customize your post with various templates and tools.
• Mailing campaigns: Step outside the norm and jazz up your postcards with a funny joke. Personalize the message on the back to match the joke and bring joy to your clients with a little dose of humor in their mailbox!
• Newsletters: When you send your clients a newsletter, consider incorporating some realtor puns that will stand out and keep clients reading.
• Text messages: If you are working with a client down on their luck, choose a funny joke and send it to them in a text message to provide reassurance that they will achieve their real estate goals.
• Handwritten notes: Change up your handwritten notes with some jokes. Maybe this will become your “thing” that clients know you for and look forward to your notes throughout the year.

FAQs

How can I use real estate quotes?

What are some funny real estate videos?

Where can I get real estate facts?

Bringing It All Together

As they say, laughter is the best medicine. So now that you’ve had your dose, or at least had a good eye-roll, you can get back to your business with a renewed attitude. Do you have any great real estate jokes, puns, or pick-up lines we missed? Let us know in the comments!

The post 53 Real Estate Jokes, Puns & Pick-up Lines appeared first on The Close.

Personality Marketing

Most of these funny real estate videos show what agents do when clients aren’t looking. Whether it’s appeasing clients, trying to show off on the Gram, or relating to the industry’s current state, we relate to whatever the agents are going through while laughing at ourselves. The great thing about these hilarious real estate videos is that they are the best way to build up your personality marketing or brand. These videos spotlight agents’ personalities and show off their knowledge of the market in a fun way. 

There’s a wide variety of personalities on display, so get creative and dream up your own spin on some topics for your funny real estate advertising efforts. Creating fun and engaging videos takes planning, so brainstorm ideas before you start working on your theatrical masterpiece. These funny real estate clips don’t lend themselves to fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants organization, but you can get some inspo from these masters. 

1. What Is Luxury?

Visualization is the key to success. You have to see it to be it. 

2. Back Street Exploitation

Funny TV show? Check. Effective AI-generated face overlay? Check. Backstreet Boys harmony? Check. What’s not to love? If you’re looking for a source of inspiration for your funny real estate video ideas, look no further than Shawn King’s social channels. 

3. Real Estate Agents Be Like…

IYKYK! The pain is so real. We can all relate to the stress of working as a real estate agent. 

4. Winning Negotiation Strategies

Tough negotiator. (Wait ’til the end!) 

5. Of Course, You’ll Sell Her House

Parodies of movies are easier to create than you think!

6. House Hunting 101

“Take your time, but just remember this place has a pool!” We all know those agents who never listen to their clients. 

7. Freddie Mercury, The Realtor

“That’s funny. I’ve really only gotten Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa.” Matt Lionetti is one funny real estate agent who creates tons of entertaining real estate content.

8. Funny Fabulous Realtor

Sometimes just dishing on your frustrations while driving to work can win the day. 

9. What Do You Do for a Living?

Sometimes the lines get blurred, amirite?

10. Clear to Close

The wunderkinds of Metzen Realty of “Escrow” fame have done it again! This one is destined to become one of the best funny real estate videos on the internet. 

11. Entrepreneur

“I’m a entrepreneur. I make the rules.” We’ve all been there, dealing with that nightmare real estate client. 

Clever Listing Videos

There are some really creative agents out there thinking outside the box when it comes to creating fun listing videos and funny realtor ads. Who knew real estate agents were so inventive? We could all use more hilarious real estate videos like these that also help sell listings, right?

12. This House Has It All

With so many amenities, there’s “no need to nap on a dirty bench.”

13. This Is Real Life

“I’ll be that host that mentions everything that you could have just seen in the photos. Cheers, darling!”

14. Floss Every Day

It’s the stare for me. What a creative way to showcase a listing’s features while showcasing your distinctive personality. I hope Gabe continues to make these types of funny real estate videos.

Next Level Recruiting

If you’re a broker, you know that recruiting new agents is the lifeblood of your real estate business. Take a lesson from these brokers and their hilarious and innovative approaches to funny real estate ads for recruiting. Don’t be afraid to set the tone for your business so you can attract the right people to fill out your roster.

15. I Will Do Anything

Kelly Johnston will do just about anything for his agents. Seeing a broker work so hard to entice agents to join his firm is refreshing. His funny real estate videos not only help recruit agents with the skills to succeed, but also have a strong sense of humor. 

16. Call Me Maybe

Here’s my number…

Targeting Buyers

Agents looking to find their next buyer clients should focus a lot on digital marketing. The bottom line is that buyers are already looking online for homes. After all, according to the National Association of Realtors, 97% of all homebuyers use the Internet in their home search. So, it’s important for you to be where all those eyeballs are. 

Create some strategic, clever ways to stop the scroll, and you’ll be pulling those buyers in with your unique form of marketing in no time. Take cues from some of these fun real estate videos.

17. This House Is Awesome

This kid really knows his real estate!

18. Realtor Dad Jokes

Seriously, who doesn’t love a good realtor dad joke? 

The Close Takeaway: There’s never been a more important time to master your social media game. If you need help with your social media content, consider working with a real estate marketing company like Coffee & Contracts to streamline your content creation. 

19. The Best Time to Buy Real Estate

Oh, the wasted days of youth…

Targeting Sellers

Buyers aren’t the only ones with eyeballs on the internet. You should definitely create some exciting social media videos for sellers, too. The objective is to show off your mad marketing skills so sellers can feel confident you can sell their house too. Don’t be afraid to get creative, have some fun, and get your whole brokerage involved so everyone benefits from the effort. 

20. Our Marketing Is Fly

“Don’t be hatin’ on me cuz your marketing’s old.”

21. Disappearing Agent

He’s incognito. Maybe he’s afraid to say something he shouldn’t say, but it’s still better to communicate with your sellers than become a master of disguise. On the other hand, highlighting this guy’s shortcomings makes for a funny real estate video to play up your unique selling point.

She makes real estate look easy—it’s all about the details. There’s nothing wrong with hiring professional videographers to help you create a funny real estate video masterpiece. You might even consider turning it into a TV commercial.

The Classics

These videos are not new and have actually been on our list for a while, but they keep getting more traction. That’s the staying power of sites like YouTube—the longer they stay up, the more views they get, and they keep generating real estate leads. 

Truthfully, these videos are so good that they still thrill as much as the day they were created. Making real estate videos funny with this kind of staying power takes a bit more effort, but if you can create an amazing video that continues to generate new leads years after you post it, would it be worth it?

22. Buyers—Ready, Set, Go!

We’re no longer in this kind of market, but this is still one of the funniest real estate videos out there and the one that gets stuck in my head on repeat. The Metzen Realty guys have a knack for creating catchy songs, but this is the one that started it all. And it’s still the best one, in my opinion, gaining more than 103,000 views in just three years.

23. Doggie Dreams

You gotta dream big, amirite? This video is exponential in production value, garnering 128,000 views in seven years. But that doesn’t mean you can’t repurpose the idea and recreate your own version for your listing. One of the top comments on this video says it all—“This video was fantastic!! Great job on showing the home’s features with a good sense of humor!” 

24. Is It Included?

This agent knows a lot, just not about this listing. This funny nine-year-old video has clocked 12,000 views for Tucker Real Estate. 

25. Mrs. DoubtBuyer

You gotta do whatever it takes to get the listing. Shawn King is one of our favorite creators at The Close. He proves, over and over again, that when you aren’t afraid to make fun of yourself, the sky’s the limit with creativity. Go check out his accounts on Instagram and TikTok to see tons more fun videos for some great inspo. 

26. Serious Buyers Only

It’s so true, it’s hard not to feel his pain when the math doesn’t math. This video is from a comedy show and not from an agent, but it’s so relatable. And it’s garnered 73,000 views since it was posted seven years ago.

27. You Need a Realtor 

It’s so creepy that it’s good! This video was posted 13 years ago, but it still gets views on YouTube. It has accumulated 53,000 views since then. That’s a lot of eyeballs. 

Bringing It All Together

Who doesn’t love a good, funny real estate video to brighten up their day? I love seeing creative agents make amazing content to help build their businesses. And with video, you’re truly only limited by your own imagination. So, take some inspo from these videos, but also find a way to be yourself. Be unique but authentic. Find ways to connect with your audience, and they’ll love you for it.

Seen any great real estate videos I missed? Have a comment about any of these videos on this list? Share with me in the comments!

The post 27 Funny Real Estate Videos You Need Right Now appeared first on The Close.

1. Arizona’s Biggest Man Cave

An estate with a race track (Source: Zillow)

This house has a place for Go-Karts inside the massive garage (Source: Zillow).

Wow, I’ll probably never leave my house again if this is where I live. This man cave boasts a Go-Kart race track, shooting range, golf simulator, basketball gym, pool, and more. If you get this kind of listing, the perfect target market would be sports and recreation enthusiasts. Think NBA players, sports professionals, tech moguls, or even royals. Would you consider this Arizona property if you had an extra $20 million lying around? 

2. The Show Must Go On

A totally normal single-family property … from the outside (Source: Realtor.com)

Use the built-in theater to host a virtual tour. (Source: Realtor.com)

An entertainment room with a stage and tables and chairs for audiences (Source: Realtor.com)

At first glance, this place doesn’t look that weird. But you’ll never really know until you enter the house. Owned by a theater enthusiast, this home would appeal to producers and creatives in the entertainment industry. Inside, you’ll be greeted by rooms with quirky decor, a theater, a bar, and dens. It could be ideal for theater buffs and people who love entertaining, but you could also use virtual home staging to overlay these weird features and attract more buyers. This place in New Berlin, Wisconsin—which has only been on Realtor for less than a month, is currently listed for $415,000 and under agreement as of this writing.

3. Straight Out of a Sci-Fi Film

A gray post-modern house with a pool, glass windows, and stunning views of nature (Source: Realtor.com)

Is this the Marvel Avengers’ new base? (Source: Realtor.com)

A game room overlooking Portland’s skyline. I’m in. (Source: Realtor.com)

A modern wine cellar and tasting room (Source: Realtor.com)

With a nearly $9 million listing price, this ultramodern Portland house looks straight out of a sci-fi film. It has stainless steel front doors, glass walls, stone floors, and imported Italian stone slabs. If you get a similar listing, this house’s selling point would be the 270-degree views of the city and river from its glass windows. Bring your wine glass for this tasting room as you celebrate the nice commission this will bring. 

4. Live Under a Rock … Literally

A historic rock house in the desert for $749,000. Built in 1929, this home is now up for sale for the first time in 45 years. Above Araby Cove in Palm Springs, the property features handmade fireplace tools, handcrafted doors and windows, and a secret room behind a bookcase. Another unique thing about this home is that the original owner, Perle Martin Wheeler, has her name carved into a nook in the wall. The listing agent could use this feature as a “treasure hunt” during an open house for guests to find the nook. 

5. 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

Who drank all the beer while building this house? (Source: Realtor.com)

What a view while preparing dinner (Source: Realtor.com)

Check out this artsy dining room. (Source: Realtor.com)

Woah, there are a lot of extraordinary houses in Arizona. As of writing, this property in Tucson is already contingent. It has three bedrooms, three deep-rock fireplaces, a guest cottage, and an outdoor kitchen. According to the listing description, the bottles serve as insulation for this home, but I imagine they also allow sunlight to filter in.

6. Welcome Home, Your Majesty

Time to look for clients who would love to live like Disney princesses. (Source: Zillow)

It must be nice to wake up in a castle. (Source: Zillow)

OK, here’s a “normal” house in Connecticut. It actually looks very normal … if you’re royalty. This majestic castle boasts 18,777 square feet of living space, nine bedrooms, 10 baths, and 12 fireplaces (yup, 12). It’s listed at nearly $30 million and sits on 375 acres. Luxury and high-end listings often take longer to sell since the pool of buyers is much smaller. You need a unique marketing campaign when advertising a property like this, like fancy full-color brochures and a single-listing website.

7. Wanted: Trick-or-Treaters

A real-life haunted house. The stuff of homebuyer’s dreams; nightmares, that is. (Source: Zillow)

A house complete with its own dead people. (Source: Zillow)

Built around 1890, the Haunted Castle House in Missouri has since been an icon at the Lake of Ozarks. There is a cemetery in the back yard. People visit the house for paranormal investigations, guided tours, and special events. Currently, this place is off the market. If you get a haunted house listing, market it to historic preservationists, paranormal enthusiasts, filmmakers, and tourism professionals. Also, check with your state’s disclosure laws on what you must share with prospective buyers.

8. The Mardi Gras House

According to the listing, it’s referred to as the Mardi Gras House because of its vibrant hues and proximity to all things Mardi Gras. It features a grand foyer, five bedrooms, a wraparound porch, and two balconies. Currently, this Victorian beauty is on the market for $560,000. If you ever get this listing, mentioning it was previously called the Petrinovich House Inn and built as a boarding house in the historic Church Street East neighborhood would be helpful, especially if someone wants to run it as an Airbnb.

9. Ready for Takeoff

A parking lot for all of your client’s planes. (Source: Realtor.com)

Who needs cars when the neighborhood has its own runway (Source: Realtor.com)

A massive garage with parked bikes and a space that can fit an aircraft (Source: Realtor.com)

OK, we don’t see houses with hangars and runways every day. So, I guess this isn’t normal. Do you have potential buyers who own airplanes? Or clients who are aviation enthusiasts? This single-family property in Texas features three bedrooms, quartz countertops, storm shelters, a fire pit, and a game room. Pilots or executives who own a plane are the perfect market for this type of property. The runway is privately owned for a public use airport.

10. Strike While the Iron Is Hot

Help your clients strike their way to homebuying victory with these dueling bowling alleys. This posh manor looks more wonderful than weird. Located in Alpine, NJ (which explains the $20 million asking price), the property features over 22,700 square feet of living space, a brick exterior, 25 rooms, a tennis court, a home theater, and two state-of-the-art bowling alleys. 

11. Origami House

If you ever want to live in a house with panoramic views of nature and a likeness to origami folding, this one’s for you. Currently posted for $11.8 million, this home was designed by the architects of the Audain Art Museum in Whistler, Canada. I don’t know about you, but I get dizzy looking at it from this angle. The views and interior design make it worth it.

12. A Hobbit House

Tolkien fans, this looks like a house from Lord of the Rings. (Source: Realtor.com)

Does Frodo live here? (Source: Compass)

This unique “hobbit” home sits on a four-acre lot in Elverson, Pennsylvania. It’s the lot for sale, but still, you get to keep the house built into the grass. This lot has only been on the market for eight days, and I’m guessing it wouldn’t be there for long, what with its $400,000 price tag. The house features a grass roof to save on heating and cooling costs, arched walls, and big windows.

13. Looks Pretty Normal From the Outside

Wait until you see the inside! (Source: Realtor.com)

You’ll never guess what the owner’s favorite color is. (Source: Realtor.com)

That’s a lot of… orange (Source: Realtor.com)

At first, this looks like any other house in Palm Springs. But wow, you never really know what’s inside a home until you step in. Those shades of pink and orange are a little weird if you ask me. This house can be a movie set. What else is unique about this home is that it was the residence of a local legend, Jack Stephan, known as the Plumber to the Stars.

14. A Tree (House) Grows in Oregon

A work of art that costs $5.9 million (Source: Zillow)

It must’ve taken so much time to build this masterpiece. (Source: Zillow)

There’s a lot to love about this jaw-dropping home in Oregon. Every nook and cranny is a work of art. It has an outdoor entertainment space, pool, signature staircase, and rooms with magnificent views of mountains. You’ll see tree branches and intricate wood carvings in some furniture, walls, and doors. This exotic and beautiful home is listed for $5.9 million and has been on Zillow for over two years. As you know, luxury listings can take longer to sell; especially, fully customized ones. 

15. A Spaceship Home

This home will have your buyers saying, “Beam me up, Scotty.” (Source: Realtor.com)

This home sure looks like it can land anywhere. (Source: Realtor.com)

This one-of-a-kind dome-shaped house in Somonauk, Illinois, is on sale for $475,000. Not only does it look like it’s about to fly away, but it is settled on a 12-foot foundation with the ability to rotate electronically or manually. If your buyers don’t like their view, they can simply change it. Other than its exterior, everything looks completely normal inside. 

16. The Robert Bruno Steel House

This house is shaped like a pig, or space-age creature. (Source: Zillow)

Now that’s a fashionable house. (Source: Vogue)

How do you feel about a unique twisty and bendy staircase? (Source: Zillow)

The famous Robert Bruno Steel House in Ransom Canyon, Texas, is still on the market for $1.5 million. The house features a gourmet kitchen, three bedrooms, a walk-out balcony, and walls made from recycled steel. It’s wonky, wild, and wonderful inside and used as a backdrop in a Vogue Magazine photo shoot.

Tips for Marketing Weird Houses

Promoting weird real estate listings can be fun. Here are some strategies to effectively market eccentric and funny houses.

• Stage the house creatively: Enhance the overall vibe of the property by using furniture and decor that match each space. You can also use a virtual home staging company to overlay outdated or funky furniture and decor.
• Highlight the property’s unique features: When posting listings of weird houses on Realtor, emphasize the properties’ interesting features, out-of-the-ordinary architecture, and unconventional design and layout. Write a realistic description of what it’s like to live on the property.
• Host an open house: Organize open houses to showcase the property. Invite influencers and vloggers specializing in real estate or architecture to promote the weirdest homes for sale.
• Network; target niche audiences: Identify people interested in funny houses. This could be artists, collectors, or even celebrities looking for a unique abode.
• Social media marketing: Use social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok to showcase weird houses for sale. Create engaging reels, post photos, and add relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience.

FAQs: Weird Real Estate Listings

What is the most unusual house?

What is the best real estate listing site?

Bringing It All Together

When it comes to a property’s design and architecture, everything is subjective. Remember—there’s always a story behind each home’s eccentric layout and quirky rooms. Have you stumbled upon any weird real estate listings recently? Share your discovery in the comments.

The post 16 Weird Real Estate Listings You Won’t Believe appeared first on The Close.

1. ‘You Have Horrible Taste’

Your seller has taxidermied every cat he has ever owned and placed them around the house. You’re encouraging him to remove the dead animals and stage the home more neutrally. However, your seller is standing firm. How about just one taxidermied cat, you suggest? Nope. It’s all 45 or no house. Your blood pressure is rising, 90 glass cat eyes are staring at you, and you want to shout, “You have horrible taste! No one will buy a house looking like this!” But you don’t. You’re a professional. 

Every agent has had sellers who think their decor choices epitomize style and design. They resist all calls to declutter and repaint the neon green and orange bathroom before a house viewing and maybe pull up the maroon shag carpet while they’re in there.

We can all agree that taste is very personal and that many looks are acceptable in the broad spectrum of design. However, as an agent, you know that staging a home will appeal to more buyers and command a higher dollar. But, as much as you’d like to, you can’t tell them that they have horrible taste. 

Say This Instead

You have a beautiful collection of stuffed cats. It is so meaningful and important to you. However, we might have potential buyers who are allergic or may miss their dear departed cats. They will spend the whole time looking at your cats, thinking about their cats, not your lovely property. Let me show you some simple things we can do to stage your home that might even bring a higher sales price! 

2. ‘Let’s Base the Listing Price on the Zestimate’

I’ll be the first to say that Zestimates are getting better, but they still create a lot of confusion and false hope for sellers. We have a whole article explaining what a Zestimate is and how (and why) it’s often wrong. Briefly: a Zestimate is not an appraisal—it’s a number created by a sophisticated algorithm.

If the home needs repairs, sellers might be pondering the question, “What not to tell your realtor when selling,” so ask additional questions about the home’s condition and explain why disclosing all material defects is mandatory. All that you learn—all of these little details—are part of your pricing strategy but not part of the Zestimate. 

But it’s especially challenging for agents listing a home when the seller is married to the Zestimate. Even if you think the Zestimate isn’t that far off, you want to ensure your clients understand your value and that your experience and local market knowledge make you the right person to sell their home. The last thing you want to say is, sure, let’s base the listing price on the Zestimate. 

Say This Instead

Explain how Zillow comes up with its numbers, but use your comparative market analysis to justify your price point. You’re the local expert and the one who can explain why a higher or lower price will get top dollar in your local market. You will win them over with correct data and a persuasive point of view. 

3. ‘Call Me Anytime, 24/7’

Frankly, you should be open and available to your clients. It’s a big part of what agents do. However, you don’t need to suggest that clients can call you any time of the night or day. Either it’s a false promise, and you’ve set up unrealistic expectations that will lead to frustrations—or it’s a genuine offer, and you haven’t slept in four years. Either way, it’s not great. 

You are a busy agent and a crucial part of one of the most important financial decisions in people’s lives. But you might also have a family, a pet, or other clients, or at least someone who has to eat. You can’t promise to be on call 24/7 and survive. 

Say This Instead

You can commit to top-tier customer service. You can promise to return all emails and texts within one business day. You can pledge to monitor messages and respond promptly and regularly. You can also introduce your clients to a fellow team member or assistant who can step in if you are unavailable. You can deliver the best customer service in your area in many ways without sleeping with your phone. 

4. ‘I Only Make Money if You Buy a House’

This is a hidden thing you should never say as a real estate agent. While you might love real estate, you still have to get paid, and it can be tricky how to explain it to clients. When you say you get paid if and when they buy a house, your buyers will feel all kinds of pressure. 

Sure, it’s true, but as the recent commission lawsuits demonstrate, there is a lot of confusion about how agents are paid and what they’re worth. Agents have a real opportunity to explain their value. As an agent, you serve many roles in helping someone find their dream home, and this is your chance to lay them all out.

Say This Instead 

If asked how you make money, be careful not to answer by assigning any responsibility to your clients. Rather, point to the many services you provide. Make sure they understand commission but do so in a way that ensures they never feel like they are responsible for you keeping your lights on at home. Even if they are.

5. ‘Your Dream Home Doesn’t Exist’

Generally, everyone compromises when buying property. But don’t just say outright to your clients—your dream home doesn’t exist. Don’t dash their hopes and dreams on the sharp rocks of your dozens of years of cynicism experience. 

Buyers are confused by the current market, afraid of interest rates, and generally set up to have out-sized expectations. These folks have been out there for years watching HGTV, with buyers rejecting homes with ugly not-granite countertops on House Hunters and remodeling $130,000 homes into farmhouse-style palaces. It’s not their fault. 

Say This Instead

I understand that these not-granite countertops make you want to gouge your eyes out with pruning shears, but countertops are replaceable and are easier and cheaper than you think. Let’s look at some cosmetic changes that can make this house (the one that checks every other box) your dream home. 

6. ‘You’re Delusional’

I’m guessing you may have said this in your head many times to different clients about different issues. After all, any time you work with people, there will be a time when there’s a difference of opinion. For example, agents might want to call a client delusional when they submit a low-ball offer.

They say, “I know it’s listed at $380,000,” they say, “but let’s go in at $290,000 and just see what happens.” You’ll be tempted to respond, “You’re delusional.”

Say This Instead

Instead of questioning their ability to reason, you’ve got to lean on your numbers and their emotions. Explain how the comps make the listing price pretty accurate. While there might be room for negotiation, a basement-level low offer will sour the relationship from the outset. The sellers might not even counter, cutting off further opportunities for negotiation. In a seller’s market, those lowballs aren’t going to get it done (highest and best should be the order of the day). Try to suss out if they really want the home, and if so, how badly. And is it worth making a realistic offer to get it? 

Bringing It All Together

Unfortunately (fortunately?), there are things you should not say as an agent when working with clients to sell or buy a house. Imagine a home viewing with all the stuffed cats. That’s the exact time you might want to tell a client that they have horrible taste (the “you’re delusional” also works). But you can’t. And you don’t. Because you know what to say instead. The result is an exercise in diplomacy and persuasion—and potentially, a decluttered, staged home ready to sell. That’s why you’re the best in the business, and at The Close, we’re here to help you along the way.

The post What Should You Not Say When Selling a House: An Agent’s Guide appeared first on The Close.

I want to note to our readers that often, what you might perceive as lying could just be a new client feeling uncomfortable. Cultural differences could also come across as guarded or closed off. Be mindful that just as you’re trying to read your clients to see if you can trust them, they’re doing the same to you. They need to know they can trust you. So before making assumptions, just ask your clients what they’re thinking or what’s going on. Just because someone could be lying to you doesn’t mean they are lying to you. 

1. Recognize the Signs in Their Body Language 

When you first meet your clients, you might not know them personally. Your goal is to build rapport during one of your first interactions and to put them at ease so you can understand and observe your client’s natural body language and communication style. That baseline is essential to knowing how someone acts when they’re being truthful. 

According to Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator and author of “Never Split the Difference,” the majority of our communication—55%, in fact—comes from our face and body language. What you’re looking out for here is your client’s tone of voice and nonverbal cues. Think:

• Lack of eye contact
• Itching and fidgeting
• High-pitched voice
• Change in their complexion
• Sweaty palms or forehead
• Vocal fill (“uh,” “like,” and “um”)

While it may mean they’re lying, they could also be looking to conceal personal information. However, when your clients veer into avoiding direct questions about simple things, like areas of interest or how much they can afford, that’s a red flag.

• Example : Let’s say you have a client ready to see a home, and you ask if they’ve spoken with a lender. They shift their eyes downward, look away, and quietly say “yes,” but they’ve only handed you a quick prequalification they got online. That’s much different than a pre-approval from a lender. Perhaps they don’t know the difference, but this is a chance for you to jump in and educate. Always assume positive intent.

2. Trust but Verify Their Information

“Trust but verify” was something my first managing broker told me. The adage rings true in real estate for a reason. Take your client’s word, but you must do your own diligence as a real estate professional. This means if your sellers say they got the roof replaced last year, but you see that the shingles have a ton of wear, you might need to consider pulling the permit history report. After all, according to CRES, a nationally recognized Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance provider, one in five real estate lawsuits are due to an issue with permits.

• Example : Your buyers found their perfect home—turns out it’s back on the market from falling out of contract. Your buyers want to make an offer, and you ask, “What happened on the last deal?” The listing agent tells you that the last buyers “noticed something during the inspection.” Then you see that the seller’s property disclosure hasn’t been updated since the listing went live. It’s your responsibility to ask the listing agent to verify if there is an updated property disclosure—after all, the last buyers backed out for a reason. Once the sellers are aware of a significant service or system issue, they must disclose the issue (in most cases).

3. Not Responding to Your Communication

Interestingly, research tells us how our clients communicate doesn’t matter much in detecting lies. A Northwestern University communications researcher studied lies in text messaging. When participants were asked to look at their 30 most recent text messages, a fifth of respondents said there were no lies at all, and the majority said that 10% or fewer of their texts contained lies. In other words, studies found that most people are truthful—toward strangers and even via social media and texting. On the whole, people aren’t trying to lie. Sometimes, social media can skew toward misinformed information, but that’s more due to the uninformed public rather than intentional deception.

 In other words, you may not have a lying client just because they prefer texting. If your client only communicates via text, your red flag here should be a lack of a response. While you might get frustrated with your client’s preference for “just texting,” your client could have a good reason for it. The same study showed that the number of lies doesn’t increase depending on the form. Just ask your clients the method they prefer and adapt.

• Example : Nowadays, having clients who only communicate via email or text is common. Other times, clients only want to talk via phone. However, here’s a red flag: they don’t respond for a few days or outright refuse to talk via phone or email. For example, you tour a home, then your clients ghost you. Next time you connect, ensure you’re still on the same page. Time is crucial in real estate (and communication)!

4. Trust Your Intuition (& Your Gut!)

This one might come with time and experience, but if something feels off, it probably is. Use professional judgment here—try to figure out how to verify things to ensure you don’t waste your efforts chasing after dead ends. When looking at how to deal with a lying client, it helps to know the intentions behind the lies. 

While studies vary on why people lie, impression management is one of the most popular reasons. These types of folks really care about what others think of them, so they might make up lies to help their situation. They see these white lies as having good intentions. 

Bella DePaula, Ph.D., asks us to think about two kinds of lies: self-serving lies and kindhearted lies:

• Example : People may not lie to deceive you but to spare your feelings. Think of those showings where the feedback says, “I think my clients loved it … they might plan to make an offer,” but the offer doesn’t arrive. When you call the agent a few days later, it turns out that their buyers just put an offer in on another house. The agent says that they didn’t want to come across as rude.

If you want to learn more about personality types and the different types of lies that men and women tell, check out DePaula’s insightful article, “Who Lies?” in Psychology Today.

5. Document Your Interactions to Spot Lies 

So you’ve seen a few signs of lying from your clients. What should you do next? Simple: While lie detection isn’t easy, one way to protect yourself and your business is to document every interaction. This documentation is why having and using a real estate customer relationship manager (CRM) is so important. Sync up your documents and emails with your client files to make sure you’re on track and on the same page as your client. 

Your clients may often not try to lie to you as much as “save face” for themselves. It’s about education for your clients. They may be unaware of how their behavior is coming across—going back to why building rapport with your clients is vital before jumping into a showing and a contract. 

• Example : A woman is interested in purchasing a small, one-bedroom condo. She seems guarded and doesn’t give you much information to help her find a home. One day, she gets a call from one of her children. You didn’t know she had a family. Come to find out, she lets you know that she is looking to leave her husband and wants to leave him off the deed. She’s trusting you to keep the transaction quiet.

6. Try to Spot Inconsistent or Contradictory Stories

While perhaps your clients don’t understand the difference between a prequalification and a pre-approval, that’s easy to explain and help your client understand. The difference is hearing different stories whenever you ask a question. This contradiction could be a red flag. For example, if your new buyers say they’re moving cities due to a new job, but it turns out they start sending you homes to view in the next neighborhood over, you have to find out why they’re giving you (what seems like) an excuse. Maybe you don’t have a lying client—just one who can’t decide where to live!

Don’t be afraid to have those open conversations. If you’re seeing the stories change or feel like you’re getting excuses from your clients, it’s time to talk about expectations versus reality. Let them know that you must understand the entire situation to serve them best.

• Example : You get a lead from a brother and sister looking to sell—it’s an inheritance listing. Once you snag the listing appointment and arrive, the woman tells you her brother is traveling to another state for work but will do what she decides. You write up the paperwork, get her signature, and wait for the brother to sign. A week later, she informs you that the brother has listed the home with another agent. It would have been wise to grab his information and figure out his side of the transaction.

7. Watch Out for Vague Responses

Listen: the real estate industry moves fast. Interest rates and home availability change almost daily. We don’t have time for vague responses and veiled communication. If you’re getting the runaround, it’s time to ask why. 

Nobody likes being ignored or given the cold shoulder. If you’re experiencing this from your client, ask a few probing questions to get more information, like “How are things outside of the transaction lately?” or “How are you feeling about this change?”

• Example : A regular weekly check-in is essential for you and your client. If you’re feeling them pull away or not receiving prompt responses, they could have dozens of reasons for being guarded. For example, when you’ve had a listing on the market for a while, you might feel like your sellers are pulling away from you. They could just be busy—you’ll never know unless you ask. This vagueness is why you must check in regularly to ensure everybody’s on the same page.

8. Always Remember Your Professionalism & Ethics

While you want to trust your intuition, keep ethics in mind. Ensure you’re respectful of other cultures and traditions. Don’t assume anything based on your client’s appearance, dress, or speech patterns. It’s sometimes better to shrug off and move on rather than get hung up on what could have been a lie. If you think you’ve spotted a lie, just ask for clarification. 

And, of course, it’s important to keep your safety as a real estate agent in mind as well. Trust your clients, but don’t be too trusting (remember—trust but verify). Try to avoid sharing a vehicle with a stranger or texting after hours, and ensure someone knows your location if you’re going to meet a client for the first time. You can never be too careful—better safe than sorry.

• Example : Remember the legal implications of assumptions regarding your clients. Fair housing and anti-discrimination laws exist for a reason. You don’t want to be reported to your local regulatory board because you didn’t maintain professional conduct with a potential client.

Bringing It All Together

Remember that people tell lies for all sorts of reasons, and there’s a good chance you’ll occasionally encounter a few lies from your clients. In those cases, be understanding and try to educate your clients. After all, one of the most common untruths in real estate is to “save face”—even with a trusted party like their real estate agent! 

While this field can make you jaded, it’s important to remember that as a professional, you should never assume bad intent on the part of your clients. Even if you’ve caught them in a lie, keep it to yourself until you can prove otherwise. After all, we never truly know another person’s intentions. As the motivational speaker Denis Waitley says, “Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.”

Are there techniques to spot a lie we didn’t cover? Share your experience in dealing with lies from clients: what strategies have worked for you?

The post 8 Tricks for How to Deal With a Lying Client appeared first on The Close.

1. No Free Lunch

It’s normal for sellers to be protective of their things. For example, they might ask potential buyers to wear booties to not track mud across their expensive rugs. But one seller wasn’t just protective of her rugs—she wanted to lock the fridge. This story is even more horrific because she wasn’t accusing the buyers of stealing her food—it was the agents! She canceled her listing contract in a huff and demanded a gift card to a local grocery store as payback for the “stolen” food. While we’re on the agent’s side here, who can forget that guy who drank right from the seller’s milk carton?

Lesson Learned: You can be the best agent in the world and still be fired for something you didn’t do or something out of your control. But if you were thinking of stealing food from the fridge, don’t. If you’re fired, it’s OK. Keep your head up and try these high-impact lead-generation ideas! 

2.  Fire Sale Real Estate Horror Stories

I bet this is a familiar story for most of you. An agent takes a cold call and agrees to list a couple’s condo. There might have been some red flags, but only in retrospect. The condo had been completely renovated after a massive fire, and while it was beautiful, it was by far the nicest property in the building. 

Every other comp was at least $50,000 lower than what the couple wanted for their condo. This agent explained the comps carefully and predicted that the most accurate market price would only be about $15,000 over the standard comp. The couple refused to listen. The listing sat on the market and finally expired. While the agent lost the sale, he can sleep well at night knowing that when the fire-damaged-then-remodeled condo did sell, it was right at the price he’d predicted.

Lesson Learned: Check out our step-by-step guides for creating a persuasive listing presentation and an accurate, data-driven comparative market analysis. But remember, even when you do it all perfectly, some people still won’t listen.

3. Fruit Falling Far From the Tree

Every so often, a client will show up with their children. Usually, the kids are well-behaved and glued to a device, but we all have real estate horror stories of kids jumping in the pool or scratching up a pool table. However, for this agent, the children got up to some mischief. As the agent, her clients, and the client’s twins arrived at a luxury property, the mom pointed out a beautiful lime tree. As they were leaving, the twins showed up at the car, having picked every single lime off that tree.

Lesson Learned: Sometimes, you must make limeade from all the limes your client’s kids stole. Just keep saying to yourself, show me the money!

4. Don’t Worry, Dear

One of our Close readers arrived at a listing and accidentally walked in on the seller taking a bath. The older lady barely glanced up and said, “Don’t worry dear, it’s only body parts,” and kept washing away. 

Lesson Learned: Sounds like the homeowner kept her sense of humor and her dignity in what could have been a traumatizing moment. Remember, don’t take everything too seriously, and always knock first.  

5. Call a Locksmith

Most of us have a broken lock or I-can’t-get-this-damn-lockbox-open story, or at least the thought of a lockbox makes us break into a cold sweat. For this poor agent, bad lockbox luck struck him twice—on the same day. He had two condos in the same community and offered to show a group of people both properties. Despite his best efforts and frantic calls to the owner, the first lockbox wouldn’t open with the code. 

After a lengthy period of frustration and embarrassment, he gave up and led the buyers to the second condo. The lock was broken. One can imagine the potential buyers eyeing each other, shuffling their feet. Nothing would open that door except a $325 locksmith with a drill. After what seemed like an eternity, the door was finally opened (by the locksmith). That agent never forgot that day and probably still gets nervous at showings until he hears that sweet click of a lock opening. 

Lesson Learned: Until robots or artificial intelligence (AI) solve this problem for us, a lockbox mishap will happen to everyone at some point. Keep your sense of humor, don’t give up, and call a locksmith if necessary.

6. Hiding in Plain Sight

We all hate it when the seller hangs around during an open house or a showing, shuffling right behind, eavesdropping, or interjecting an opinion. But for one agent, the seller took this a step further. She stayed in the house for showings but hid under the covers of her bed. It wasn’t subtle. It was very strange. When confronted by her listing agent, she always denied it. Talk about a real estate horror story! 

Lesson Learned: An agent who sells a house while the owner hides under the sheets during showings should get an extra martini, a TED talk, or a book deal. We have a lot to learn from this real estate master. 

7. Addicted to Love…& Being Under Contract

We’ve all had clients who can’t commit or waste our time. But this real estate story from Reddit stayed with me. An agent had a client go under contract multiple times, but she would back out right after the home inspection each time. While it’s not unheard of for a buyer to be turned off by a list of repairs, it was starting to be a problem. 

The agent stuck with it, hoping it would all turn into a commission check (plus it was a referral from a great client). It turns out that this client wasn’t shopping for a house at all—she was shopping for a husband. She had a huge crush on the home inspector and would go under contract on a house just to have an excuse to see him. The agent had to fire her when she started calling the inspector at night. The worst part is that the agent assured us that sexually harassing the inspector was the least of her sins. 

Lesson Learned: Looking to date and/or become a home inspector? We’ve got you covered with this step-by-step guide on how to do it. The home inspector part. Not the dating.

8. Nightmare on West Paces Ferry

Glennda Baker is the best at everything: real estate, influencing, motivating, and storytelling. She uses that Atlanta drawl to pull us in and forgive her for everything, including selling her client…the wrong house. I won’t do Glennda a disservice by telling her story when she does it so well, but she did sell her client the wrong house. She describes the nightmare feeling that she might get sent to real estate jail. Spoiler—there’s a happy ending. 

Lesson Learned: We’re all human, and all make mistakes (some more of a nightmare than others). But don’t lose your cool! Negotiate your way to a solution and live to sell houses another day.

9. The Mysterious Case of the Lying Tenants

For anyone who’s managed a property, you know that you can do everything right and still face an unexpected mystery. For this property owner, it was the case of fictitious lead poisoning. She had run the background check and called the previous landlord. The new tenants seemed great. The second month, though, no check appeared. When pressed, the family said that the problem wasn’t their missing rent—it was lead poisoning. 

The tenants claimed that their child had lead poisoning from being in that home for just a few weeks. Now, the woodwork was made of natural wood, so even if there was lead in an old layer of varnish, the property manager knew that kid would have had to eat through it faster than a woodchuck and lick the radiator constantly. The Board of Health agreed. A judge agreed. No lead poisoning—the property owner was in the clear. Turns out these tenants had pulled the same trick before, and their “previous landlord” in the background check was a lying relative. 

Lesson Learned: If you’re a property manager, go to two or three former landlords and verify, verify, verify everything. Also, use an online tenant screening service instead of doing it all yourself! 

A Real Estate Success Story to Scare Away the Horror

There are lots of real estate horror stories about difficult clients—time wasters, jerks, people who don’t understand how money works or that punctuality is important, the people whose kids pick all the limes—but as agents, we try to help them, no matter what. Like doctors with their Hippocratic oath, most agents feel a call to serve. When clients deal with some of the biggest financial decisions and most stressful moments of their lives, real estate agents are there. 

I know so many real estate stories of agents who stepped up when there’s been a death, an elderly person needed help cleaning out their house, or a young couple had to have a babysitter to look at a house. This is one of those real estate success stories:

Lesson Learned: This isn’t a horror story, but it is a real estate story we hear repeatedly—agents working hard to make their communities better and stronger. If you lose motivation after a real estate nightmare, we’ve got you covered. 

Bringing It All Together

Most of the time, our lives as real estate agents are pretty normal. We carry on daily, helping people buy and sell homes and achieve their real estate dreams. But then, one day, when we least expect it, we accidentally walk in on a senior citizen taking a bath. 

Have any real estate stories to tell? Any wild experiences? Send them out as cautionary tales in your marketing materials—and let us hear them in the comments! 

The post 9 Real Estate Horror Stories That Will Make Your Skin Crawl appeared first on The Close.

Fast forward to 2023, where the landscape of real estate Instagram (IG) has completely changed for the better. Agents have embraced authenticity and found countless ways to promote their real estate business through entertaining, educational content—without being too salesy. 

If you want to grow your own account, you need to learn from agents who are already racking up followers, likes, and leads. To help, I put together this list of the best real estate Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration and strategies to grow your following.

1. Taya DiCarlo @tayadicarlo

Taya DiCarlo is a Compass agent in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. If I had to recommend one profile for new agents to draw inspiration from, this would be it. Her feed is a perfect variety of real estate posts, market updates, humor, education, hobbies, and family life.

Her content is both professional and relatable as she showcases her wins, losses, and charismatic personality. My favorite part about her real estate Instagram is her weekly series called “Taya’s 2 Cents.” In it, she educates her followers on everything from real estate definitions to the aspects of a deal.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Create a weekly show like “Taya’s 2 Cents.” It will help you stay consistent and give you something to regularly send to your database.
• Don’t just share your wins. Watching a real estate robot pump out nothing but success stories isn’t very relatable.

2. Gila Goodman @agentgila

Gila Goodman has some of the best house tour content in the real estate game. I particularly like her voice-overs and her simple verbal hooks, such as, “This is what you can get in Lake Las Vegas.” All agents can replicate this formula in their own markets with a hook like, “Here’s what you can get for $2 million in {your area}.” 

Notice how she’s always at the beginning of every video, which helps with retention because people want to see you and not just the property. It makes it more visually appealing and adds a personal touch. I also love the idea of doing voice-overs after you film. This puts less pressure on you to nail it in a traditional real estate tour video, where you awkwardly have to detail every aspect of the property. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Voice-overs are a very popular content style that more Realtors should implement in their property tours.
• Some of the best hooks in the game are, “Here’s what you can get…” Try it in your market.

The Close Recommends

If you want to build a successful Instagram following of your own, it starts with sharing content your audience will actually enjoy. Coffee & Contracts provides exclusive content for agents to customize, brand, and share on social media (including materials developed by The Broke Agent himself). As a special thank you to Close readers, use promo code THECLOSE for $15 off your first month.

Check Out Coffee & Contracts

3. Jason Cassity @jason_cassity

Jason Cassity is a team leader with Real in San Diego. What I like about Jason’s Instagram is that it doesn’t annoy me. He posts with a purpose and focuses on quality over quantity. For example, during the height of the pandemic, he filmed videos that promoted restaurants and small businesses and provided COVID resources for his followers. He also did a cool IG Live series where he interviewed other agents, organizers, and marketing experts and later published them in full to Instagram.

He comes across as a genuine, approachable community leader who isn’t constantly trying to jam real estate down everyone’s throat. Almost all of his Instagram content is educational or helpful to people in San Diego. His best videos are when he does listicle breakdowns about San Diego restaurants. Here’s an example:

Tactically, this video is really smart because he tagged the restaurants for shares and exposure and gets a great conversation going in the comments as his audience voices its opinions. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Film listicles, meaning videos with numeric lists. They make people watch the entire video and often create great debates in the comments.
• Food videos always crush: Highlighting your favorite coffee shops, breweries, and sushi restaurants is a great way to promote local businesses and keep people watching. 

4. Krys Benyamein @krysbenyamein

In a world oversaturated with content in a never-ending fight to capture attention, the first two seconds of a video must hook you in and stop you from scrolling. Nobody has better hooks than Krys Benyamein. This guy will pop under bathroom stalls, jump on the screen, or just use his clever repertoire of verbal scroll-stoppers to make sure that you watch his content—and also watch it all the way through.

He’s funny, informative, inspirational, and does a great job of mixing in content for his market and for other agents, building a large referral network and database. Take particular notice of how he films his green-screen videos and try to replicate it in your own market!

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Without a powerful hook, nobody will watch. The first two to three seconds are crucial for the performance of your video.
• When using a green screen, make sure to have constant movement to keep people’s attention. Don’t just sit there with the same static background: Jump around to different parts and highlight the sections that you’re speaking about while you’re speaking about them.

5. Kyle Toomey @kyle_toomey

Kyle Toomey knows that our attention span is nonexistent. So, he found a clever way to make sure we watch every second of his videos. (BTW, video retention is the number one metric you should be focused on. More than likes, comments, shares, or saves.) 

Kyle gives what he calls “Gen Z” house tours, where he athletically speeds through his listings while hilariously showing the features of the house. He knows that movement = attention in today’s content space. That’s why he also does educational videos in a full-out sprint (see above).

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Speed and quick-cuts are great ways to keep people’s attention throughout your videos. Your number one goal with Reels should be retention, and Kyle’s “Gen Z” style of filming with constant movement is definitely something to emulate.

6. Matt Lionetti @matt.lionetti

Matt Lionetti is a top producer with The Agency in Toronto. He also happens to be my arch nemesis and my co-host on the Over Ask Podcast. So, this pick is slightly self-serving.

But, as much as I hate to admit it, Matt produces the funniest and most accurate real estate videos on Instagram. His first posts were skits of frustrating, yet all-too-relatable phone conversations with clients and other agents. He really started to gain traction after his infamous “Freddie Mercury” parody, and has now reached legend status among his agent peers.  

His edgy car rants almost always go viral and his content has continued to evolve as his focus shifts to giving his listings as much exposure as possible. Matt understands that humor is the ultimate attention-grabbing hook, and his unique ways to work laughs into his listing videos remain unparalleled. 

Key Takeaway for Realtors

• It’s not always the highly produced videos that get the most traction. The authenticity of filming in the car is relatable to everyone, especially other Realtors. 

7. Aken Moose Musa @yourfriendlyneighborhoodmoose

Aken Musa, aka “Moose,” is a Connecticut agent with one of the best personalities on Instagram. He takes the happiest closing pics with his clients that I’ve ever seen. It’s actually kind of annoying because I’m cynical and jealous that he has clients and successful transactions. Even still, it’s hard not to smile at his posts.

Moose posts a wide variety of content on Instagram that includes home improvement tips, wacky marketing promos, rap parodies, and memes. He’s also recently made multiple appearances on HGTV’s “House Hunters.” He looks to me like a fun guy to have 10 closing drinks with, and I imagine his followers and clients feel the same.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Variety is very important to growing an Instagram following and keeping people’s attention. Always be switching up the style of post: feed, carousel, still image, Reels, etc.
• The more you smile, the more likely people are to follow you and work with you.

8. Dan O’Neil @danoneil

Dan O’Neil built the number one team on Long Island all while maintaining a perfectly trimmed beard and neckline. He caught my attention when he posted a hilarious real estate parody of the Netflix show “You.” He seems to outdo himself with every video, as he can be seen falling off jet skis, riding horses, and smashing fax machines with a bat.

Next, I’m assuming Dan is going to tightrope walk the Grand Canyon with nothing but a just listed sign for balance. Recently, Dan’s content has shifted from strictly comedy to opening his new office in Sarasota, building his team, business planning, and more serious content about who he is as a person. His Instagram stories are pure chaos, but he does a fantastic job at posting about his life as if it were his own personal reality show. And as a result, his audience is always invested in his shenanigans and adventures. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• If you’re trying to grow a team page, make sure you collab with all the agents on the team to grow all the accounts together.
• Find other ways to show you’re closing business than the just solds and just listeds. Dan O Neil’s fun bell-ringing technique on his team page is a great way to showcase victories without posting a boring, generic graphic.

9. Marie Lee @movemetotennessee

Every agent should be optimizing their Instagram profile to get as many follows and leads as possible. If there is one profile setup I recommend copying, it is Marie Lee from Tennessee. 

First off, the “movemeto____” IG handle is iconic. Just like Katie Day’s @movemetotx, it immediately tells people what you do in a fun and clever way that can be branded across all platforms. Also, her username—“Marie Lee ⌂ Nashville Realtor”—is specific and searchable (important because your handle and username are the only things searchable on IG profiles). 

She also includes a great call to action in her profile with her link called “Freebies and Consults.” This leads to her linktree with options for a consultation, newsletter sign-up, and a lead magnet for a free buyer’s guide. That last one is a great setup to book appointments with prospects and get them into your database with an enticing downloadable. 

Her highlight section, overall aesthetic, and IG layout are also something I would copy. She has cover photos for her Reels (making her content more rewatchable than the average profile) and has pinned posts showing exactly who she is and what she does. Oh, I forgot to mention her actual content is also fantastic. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Make sure your profile is optimized to convert followers and leads.
• Have a strong call to action in your bio that goes to a lead magnet, an appointment scheduler, or a linktree that includes all of the above.

10. Derrick Gregory @derrickswflrealtor

Derrick Gregory is a Florida Realtor whose Instagram strategy has been to go heavy on high-quality comedy videos. He does parodies, Reels, memes, and character-driven skits, and recently collaborated on one of the most viral videos of the year, “If Brokerages Were People.” 

When you go to his feed, you will immediately notice a consistent aesthetic, eye-catching thumbnails, and hyper-relevant content. It seems like he’s got a video for every holiday or pop culture event that takes place. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a video for Flag Day. 

Another thing I like about Derrick is that he has the guts to go live on Instagram. Even if he’s just playing the ukulele to seven viewers, he understands that going live pushes his name and content to the top of people’s feeds. The goal of a real estate agent is to stay top of mind, and Derrick Gregory is always at the top of your feed. He should make a shirt that says, “Top of your mind and top of your feed.” Actually, no, he shouldn’t.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Trendjack as much as possible: Creating content around relevant holidays and pop culture events will give your content an enormous boost in engagement. 
• Try to maintain your own aesthetic on Instagram. Consistent color schemes and posting styles help condition your audience to recognize your real estate brand.

11. Kim Santana @buffalorealestatelady

Kim Santana is a Buffalo real estate agent—and I know this because her Instagram handle says so. Kim has a “unique” Instagram approach where she actually memes herself and puts captions above her own pictures and poses. She must have read my e-book.

My favorite part about her Instagram profile is her Story strategy. She does funny rants in her car and consistently engages with her followers via polls and questionnaires. If you follow her, you will also get the pleasure of occasionally seeing her cute and fluffy doodle, Louie.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• If you are going the meme route, use yourself as the meme (in your feed) instead of a trending photo. It makes it more personal and will perform better since your audience already recognizes you in the content.

12. Byron Lazine @byronlazine

Byron Lazine is a real estate renaissance man as well as my partner and cofounder of our media company, BAM. He runs the number one team in Connecticut, hosts three podcasts (including a live show called the “Hot Sheet” every weekday at 9:30 Eastern Time), and runs the business operations of BAM. 

Byron’s Instagram content is unique in the real estate space because of his podcast clips and unique, seasoned takes on industry news. He’s become a go-to voice and commentator, breaking down market nuances, current events, unfiltered opinions about useless trade organizations, brokerage gossip, and more. Nobody produces more podcasts and content than Byron.

The more you watch Byron’s content, the more you learn about what’s going on in the real estate industry. He’s a great example of how you can spin your local real estate market’s news into your own shows and mini-media company.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Use the news as much as possible in your content. The most powerful form of trendjacking is using local news in green screens, blogs, and YouTube videos. 
• Use news headlines as your video titles since they are already trending.

13. Dan Lee @dan_lee_plum

Dan Lee is an Australian agent with Plum Property. His Instagram is full of high-production, fast-paced, comedic listing and marketing videos that look like they were shot in Hollywood. One of my favorites is a seven-step series called “The Road to Tosser,” where he plays the character of an insufferable real estate asshole, similar to the ones I mentioned in the intro. It’s basically a “what not to do” guide for real estate agents, and he nails every single one of them. The series is legitimately laugh-out-loud funny.

One other takeaway I have from his content is that Dan starts nearly every video off with a quick-hitting joke. He understands that the first three seconds are critical to keep the audience engaged and watching.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Having a series like “Road to Tosser” is a great way to get people invested in your content and account.

14. Eric Simon @thebrokeagent

Editor’s note: I was given the rather unpleasant task of editing Eric’s “article” and wanted to point a few things out. First, he handed in his first draft on crumpled up Burger King napkins he found under the seat of his car. Second, Eric is way too modest for someone who runs a bona fide real estate comedy empire. As any agent on the platform knows, @thebrokeagent is the funniest real estate Instagram account around. So if you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years and don’t know about his profile, do yourself a favor and follow him right now as well as his media company, @nowbam. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Consistency is everything. I didn’t grow this account from a viral post or re-share, I grew it by posting every single day on my feed and Story no matter what. It’s all about getting points on the board and setting up digital real estate signs in everyone’s head.

15. Shane Burgman @shaneburgman

Shane might have the highest-quality videos in real estate Instagram. The audio and visual experience watching a Shane Burgman video is so different from watching normal real estate content. You can tell how much effort he puts into each video. Also, he’s extremely versatile. He posts clips from his podcasts, agent-to-agent tips, hyperlocal content for his clients, and trendjacks more than I do. I checked in on him midway through October and he’d already posted like, five Halloween videos. His content is always cutting-edge, funny, and relevant. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Having great lighting and audio in your videos is highly appreciated by the audience. Spending the extra few bucks on a good mic and ring light, as well as the right background, can take your content to the next level.

5 Steps to Grow Your Real Estate Instagram Account in 2023

Hey all, Emile here. Since Eric is busy running his new site, BAM Media, I wanted to quickly jump in and offer something you’ve all been asking for: Actionable advice for how to actually grow your real estate Instagram account in 2023. Here are the five steps that most successful accounts used to grow their following. I also included links to deep-dive articles to learn more. 

1. Create Your Instagram Bio

If you want to actually get leads from Instagram, you need to make sure your bio sells your personal brand. Trust me, leads will check out your bio before even thinking about reaching out. 

If you need some bio inspiration, check out Jodie Cordell’s excellent guide below. She goes over 20 example bios, and even better, explains why they work.

2. Use Our Marketing Calendar to Plan Your Posts  

If you want to get more likes, comments, and followers on Instagram, you need to post consistently. That means planning out your posts each month so you’re not scrambling for ideas at the last second. 

To help you get started, we put together a full year’s worth of social media marketing ideas here:

3. Sign Up for a Social Media Marketing Service

Instead of reinventing the wheel every time they post, smart agents use templates from social media marketing services like Coffee & Contracts, LabCoat Agents Marketing Center, and Agent Crate. 

If you want to focus on short-form video, Coffee & Contracts even includes scripts for Reels that you can practice and post without writing your own. Check out the various marketing company reviews from The Close below to learn more.

4. Learn How to Make Short-form Videos      

Since quick-hit video sites like TikTok launched, Instagram has been slowly losing market share. To compete, they tweaked their algorithm to favor video in a big way. If you want your content to actually show up in your follower’s feeds, you need to learn the art of short-form video. 

Parkbench has a great crash course in video. Read our review of the course here to decide if it’s right for you:

5. Engage With Popular Local Accounts & Influencers 

After short-form video, the next thing the Instagram algorithm looks for is engagement. Since it will be hard to get your followers to engage with your content before you have real momentum, you can cheat a bit and engage with popular local accounts and influencers. So like their posts, leave comments, and try to add value or humor to local accounts to get your profile noticed. 

If you want to more tips for how to build engagement on your own account, check out Eric’s guide here:

Over to You

There are many more agents who are crushing it on real estate Instagram, but I had to stop somewhere. Overall, it’s been awesome to see so many agents embrace their personalities and utilize humor as a tool for Instagram growth and marketing. 

Who are your favorite agents on Instagram? Let me know who I should follow next in the comment section.

The post 15 Must-follow Real Estate Instagram Accounts (+ 5 Growth Hacks) appeared first on The Close.

To help you get started, I’ve put together this list of the best real estate YouTube channels online today. There are hours and hours of free education here, so be sure to bookmark this page!

The 25 Best Real Estate YouTube Channels

Social Media Marketing

1. Katie Lance

A regular on the real estate conference circuit, Katie Lance offers agents hard-won strategies and advice for crushing it on social media. If you want social media advice, check out her channel or head to a real estate conference like Inman Connect or the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) NXT to watch her speak in person. Katie’s been in the game for quite some time and continues to deliver powerful content.

2. Haley Ingram (Coffee & Contracts)

Haley Ingram, the creator behind the amazing Coffee & Contracts social media marketing platform, regularly shares expert insights on utilizing Canva, Instagram, and various social media platforms.

3. Community Influencer

We’ve had our eye on Community Influencer’s Aarin Chung for a few years now, and her real estate marketing business has blown up. Her take on social media for agents is unique, practical, and easy to dive into. Her approach is all about building a scalable business, and she’s leading the charge with her own real estate practice. Aarin is one smart agent with tons to teach you on how to grow your real estate business.

Inspiration

4. Dan O’Neil

Broker and team lead Dan O’Neil sold over $50 million in one year as an agent. But Dan is not working in Beverly Hills or Manhattan. He works in Smithtown on Long Island. Did I mention he’s only been an agent since 2016?! Dan has even partnered with The Broke Agent himself. You can check out his funny Realtor sketches on Broke Agent Media’s Instagram. But come back to his YouTube channel to learn tips for achieving success.

5. Ryan Serhant

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that Ryan Serhant loves to show off glitzy mansions on YouTube. His home tours have tens of millions of views. But over the last few years, Ryan has been sharing incredible free training videos on YouTube to promote his best-selling courses.

6. Karin Carr

She may not have the star power of Ryan Serhant, but Georgia Realtor Karin Carr is crushing it on YouTube. I love her light, fun, and informative videos helping her audience buy homes in Georgia. She literally wrote the book teaching agents how they can grow their businesses with YouTube. If she can do it, you can too. What are you waiting for?

Bonus Tip:

Karin Carr has 17+ years of experience as a top-producing agent in her local area.  She is the founder of YouTube For Agents and teaches real estate pros the art of using video marketing, specifically with YouTube, as a way to reach new clients with the help of Easy Agent Pro.

7. LeAnn Henri

Atlanta Realtor LeAnn Henri is one of those millennial souls who are brave enough to share everything online. From rants about losing deals to poolside celebration videos from St Lucia, LeAnn’s channel is a must-watch if you can relate to the soaring highs and crushing lows of real estate.

8. Grant Cardone

While his brash style might not be for everyone, there is no denying Grant Cardone’s power to inspire people to push harder and stop making excuses. Is this the message you need to hear today? I know I need to hear it some days. I don’t personally like his approach, but for many, whether we’re talking about real estate agents, entrepreneurs, or everyday joes, Grant has a powerful impact and resonates like no one else does.

Real Estate Humor

9. The Broke Agent

When it comes to real estate humor, there is only one game in town. Sure, there are some funny real estate videos here and there on YouTube, but there is only one channel that posts consistently funny content for Realtors: The Broke Agent. It’s not just funny skits, though. Eric’s meme-pire has evolved into a full-blown marketing agency known as BAM, incorporating several other funny agents, including the aforementioned Dan O’Neil, and posting videos daily. Just goes to show you, humor can create success.

Top-producing Agent Interviews

10. Real Geeks (Keeping It Real)

One of the longest-running channels with top producer interviews, Real Geeks’ “Keeping It Real” podcast is a great way to learn from innovative agents who are genuinely crushing it.

11. Keeping It Real Podcast

Not to be confused with Real Geeks’ version, DJ Paris’ podcast, Keeping It Real,  also features insightful deep-dive interviews with top-producing agents. DJ asks the questions you would want to ask, so you’ll get actionable advice from every episode. Check out The Close’s own Chris Linsell dishing on real estate software for a taste.

Coaching & Training

12. Tom Ferry

Talk about OG! The real estate coach who needs no introduction, Tom Ferry’s channel offers agents daily pearls of wisdom, mindset hacks, and of course, deep-dive interviews with top-producing agents and other inspirational people from the real estate industry and beyond. Spend just 10 minutes a week on Tom’s channel and you’ll learn battle-tested strategies to build your own real estate business faster and more efficiently.

13. LabCoat Agents

An OG in the real estate training space, Tristan Ahumada and Nick Baldwin have built themselves a mini-agent education empire at LabCoat Agents over the last few years. Expect deep-dive interviews and from-the-trenches strategies on almost any lead generation and marketing technique you can think of.

14. The Close

Hey, no one ever said we were afraid of a bit of self-promotion! We really do think our growing YouTube channel offers agents some truly valuable content, all for free. We have deep-dive interviews with industry luminaries from Ryan Serhant to Coldwell Banker CEO Ryan Gorman, training sessions, and much more.

15. Kevin Ward Yesmasters

Kevin Ray Ward offers no-nonsense, straightforward real estate training you can apply to your business right now. He also manages to present his strategies with enough energy to get you amped up to keep learning and keep crushing it. I’m not embarrassed to admit I learned a lot from Kevin as a boots-on-the-ground agent just starting out.

16. Mike Sherrard

Mike Sherrard trains agents on social media and offers fantastic insights into which brokerage to join, how to get started, and how to succeed as a Realtor. Sure, you’ll need to wade through all the eXp propaganda, but there’s plenty of juicy nuggets of wisdom on his channel, too.

17. Chastin J Miles

For another behind-the-curtains look at an agent building a real estate business, Chastin J. Miles’ channel is well worth the two seconds it takes to subscribe. Lots of great advice for agents, and you can follow along with Chastin as he grows his business. I learned tips from Chastin early in my real estate career that no other agents or brokers were talking about.

18. Kyle Handy

A long-time eXp agent, Kyle Handy has been crushing it on YouTube for years and offers agents new and old a “warts and all” look into what it’s really like to work as a Realtor. He even provides updates on exactly how much he has personally sold each quarter. Talk about full disclosure!

Luxury Real Estate Tours

19. Josh Altman

If you want to take a break and gawk at some eye-wateringly expensive Beverly Hills mansions, Josh Altman’s channel is a must-watch. He offers extended tours of homes that cost more than my entire hometown. Plus, you can’t help but love his gangsta style.

20. Producer Michael

If you like your mansion tours with a dose of goofy British humor, then check out Producer Michael’s channel. A music and television producer who became a viral sensation as this generation’s Robin Leach, Producer Michael makes some highly entertaining videos without the snobbishness of some real estate YouTubers.

21. Enes Yilmazer

Of course, not all the luxury real estate YouTubers are in Beverly Hills. Enes Yilmazer has been racking up the miles showing off jaw-dropping homes in New York, Florida, Colorado, and all over the country.

Interior Design

22. Kirsten Dirksen

Want some viral content to share with your audience? Kirsten Dirksen has been creating video tours of whimsical homes, including everything from shoebox-size Manhattan apartments to Hobbit homes in the woods of Oregon. Her most popular videos get tens of millions of views.

23. Apartment Therapy

Are you looking for interior design inspiration you can actually afford? Check out Apartment Therapy’s channel. In particular, their yearly “Small Cool” awards recognize real people’s magazine-worthy interior design in some truly tiny homes.

24. Architectural Digest

If you’re more into peeking behind the curtains of celebrity homes, Architectural Digest’s channel has you covered. They also show off some genuinely unique homes and before-and-after renovations.

Real Estate Investing

25. BiggerPockets

Whether you want to dip your toes into one or more real estate investing strategies or become a full-time house flipper, then chances are you already know about BiggerPockets. If not, what are you doing here?

Over to You

Know of a great real estate YouTube channel we didn’t list here? Let us know in the comment section!

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