If you are interviewing Realtors to sell your home, I think there is a question worth asking:
Can I see how you actually market?
Not the presentation telling you what the agent plans to do.
Not the list of marketing services.
Not the promises.
The actual marketing.
Pull out your phone.
Look at their website.
Look at their social media.
Look at their current and recent listings.
Look at their video.
What do you see?
Because if you are hiring someone in part to market your home, I think it is reasonable to look at how that person markets before you make the decision.
Using social media to market homes can be one part of that strategy, but it should work alongside the rest of the listing plan rather than replace it.
Why Does Social Media Matter When Selling a Home?
Social media is not the entire marketing plan.
I want to make that very clear.
Putting a house on Instagram is not a comprehensive listing strategy.
Neither is making a Reel.
Neither is posting a video and hoping it gets thousands of views.
Social media is one component of a much larger marketing plan that can include professional photography, listing copy, online distribution, video, direct outreach, open houses, reverse prospecting, digital promotion, and other property-specific strategies.
But social media does give me another place to present a property.
And I want to know how to use it thoughtfully, accurately, and responsibly.
Why Did I Start Using Social Media for Real Estate?
I wish I could tell you I immediately loved being on camera.
I did not.
I did not like how I looked.
I did not like how I sounded.
I worried about what people would think.
And I definitely did not feel polished.
Someone gave me advice that eventually helped me get over it:
You look the way you look.
You sound the way you sound.
That was it.
I realized I could either keep worrying about being uncomfortable or start learning how to communicate through a medium that was becoming increasingly important to my business.
So I started.
Did Social Media Immediately Bring Me Real Estate Clients?
No.
And I think that part of the story matters.
I posted for about a year before someone reached out to me through social media about working together.
During that time, I shared open houses.
I toured properties.
I talked about what I was learning.
I showed people what I was doing in real estate.
I kept showing up.
Eventually, my first real estate transaction that originated through social media happened.
That experience changed how I looked at the platform.
Not because it proved every post would generate business.
It absolutely did not.
It showed me that people could be seeing and learning from real estate content long before they were ready to call.
What Does That Have to Do With Selling Your House?
A lot, actually.
Real estate marketing is not only about announcing that a home is for sale.
It is about presentation.
It is about understanding how information is communicated online.
It is about knowing how to communicate visually.
It is about creating content people can understand.
And it is about being willing to learn when the way people consume that content changes.
Years of creating content have taught me things I now use when marketing listings.
What makes the opening of a property video clear and useful?
What information belongs in a video?
What should be shown visually instead of explained?
How much information is too much?
How do you make the property the focus instead of the agent?
Those are marketing questions.
And because I came into real estate with a marketing background, they are questions I genuinely enjoy.
Should Every Listing Be Marketed the Same Way on Social Media?
No.
This is where I think marketing can become too formulaic.
Not every property needs the same video.
Not every house needs the same opening line.
Not every listing should be presented as luxury.
Not every property needs dramatic cinematic footage.
The marketing should fit the property.
An acreage property may need more emphasis on the land, lot characteristics, and layout.
A home with unusual architectural details may need closer visual storytelling.
A new construction property may require different information than an established home.
A beautifully updated property may have specific features that deserve more attention.
My job is to look at the property and decide how we want to present its objective features accurately.
Then social media becomes one of the places where that presentation can live.
Does More Social Media Exposure Guarantee a Home Will Sell?
No.
I cannot promise that a Reel will produce a buyer.
I cannot guarantee a certain number of views.
I cannot tell you that social media will create multiple offers.
And I certainly cannot tell you that posting your home online guarantees a particular sales price.
Marketing does not operate separately from price, condition, location, competition, inventory, property characteristics, buyer response, financing conditions, and the other factors affecting a sale.
That is why I do not want sellers choosing an agent based solely on follower count either.
A large audience does not automatically equal a good listing strategy.
What Should Sellers Look for on a Realtor’s Social Media?
Do not just count followers.
Look at the work.
How are listings presented?
Does the photography look professional?
Does the agent explain real estate clearly?
Do the videos provide useful property information?
Does every house look exactly the same, or does the marketing change with the property?
Is the information factual and property-focused?
Does the agent appear to understand the real estate market they serve?
Does the content feel thoughtful?
Does the marketing avoid unsupported claims or assumptions about who should live in a particular property or area?
Most importantly, can you picture your property being represented that way?
You are not looking for an influencer.
You are evaluating a real estate professional who may be responsible for presenting your property to the market.
Those are different things.
Why Marketing Experience Matters to Me
Before real estate, I worked in marketing services for an architecture firm.
That background still influences how I approach listings today.
I care about presentation.
I care about photography.
I care about the words we use.
I care about how information is organized.
I care about whether the marketing accurately fits the property.
And yes, I care about social media.
Not because I think social media sells every house.
Because it is another place where we can communicate.
I want to know how to use every appropriate marketing tool available to present a client’s property thoughtfully, accurately, and consistently with Fair Housing responsibilities.
What My Clients Say
Mary Rose Larson shared:
“Ashley has been incredible to work with! She is professional, kind, wise, and VERY hardworking. I highly recommend her.”
I appreciate the word hardworking because marketing a listing should involve work.
I do not want the entire strategy to be:
Put it in MLS.
Post it once.
Wait.
Launching the listing is only the beginning.
I want to watch the response, communicate with the seller, evaluate relevant market information, and adjust our real estate strategy when the information tells us we should.
Should You Choose a Listing Agent Based on Social Media?
Not by itself.
Social media should be evidence you consider, not the entire decision.
Ask about pricing.
Ask about preparation.
Ask how the agent evaluates competition.
Ask about photography.
Ask about marketing.
Ask how Fair Housing considerations are incorporated into advertising.
Ask how housing-related digital advertising is distributed.
Ask how they communicate after the home is listed.
Ask what happens if buyer response is different from what everyone expected.
And then look at their actual work.
You should not have to imagine what their marketing might look like.
There should already be something to evaluate.
Thinking About Selling Your DFW Home?
Before you choose a listing agent, take a look at how they show up.
Not because your Realtor needs to be internet famous.
I am definitely not interested in winning that contest.
Look because their existing marketing gives you a glimpse into how they communicate, how they present properties, and how seriously they take that part of the job.
Social media is only one piece of my listing strategy.
But after years of being uncomfortable, learning, posting, experimenting, and improving, it has become a tool I am very comfortable using.
And when I list your home, I want every appropriate marketing tool working together around one thing:
Your property.
Visit HART Realty Team or connect with me at @AshleyHartRealtor.
