‘TikTok modified my life.’ Actual property property brokers discover large success on the app

Last year, a Zillow poll found that 36% of buyers would buy a property without being seen. But for all of the desperate buyers willing to skip the in-person showing, most people still expect to see a home first.

During the height of the pandemic, real estate agents across the country discovered that the TikTok social media platform was an ideal way to safely show homes to potential buyers. Now some say the video app has revolutionized the way they sell real estate – and it will stay that way.

Madison Sutton is a 25-year-old agent based in New York City. It specializes in off-market deals and so-called “hidden treasure apartments”. But during the pandemic, she scratched the barrel for traces because so many people were leaving the city. Sutton created her TikTok account @TheNYCAgent in early 2020. She had “no expectations” and cited the pandemic as a catalyst for opening her account. But as soon as she started posting apartment visits on the app, she said interest in her TikTok and properties had increased.

“There were days when I got two or four hundred requests for an apartment,” she recalls. “What TikTok did I could not have expected, planned or calculated in my entire life. It completely changed my life. “

Sutton said her business is now 100% TikTok and her commissions have nearly doubled.

Almost three quarters of TikTok users spend more than an hour a week with the app, according to Statista. The endless scrolling and the use of algorithms keep users coming back again and again. Sutton finds an asset in this format. “Where else in New York City could you see 10 apartments in 10 minutes besides TikTok?” Sutton said.

And while typical house hunters fret about planning personal tours, those with online experience can watch detailed videos that Sutton creates with the flick of a finger.

Part of what makes TikTok so useful to real estate agents is the fast video interface and the algorithmically curated For You page. Videos that appear on a user’s “For You” page are collected based on their individual interests, regions, search histories, and interactions with advertisers. Because TikTok uses engagement metrics like this to determine interest in a video, a new content creator doesn’t need a large fan base or paid advertising for their video to go viral and reach a wide audience.

In Fort Worth, Texas, it took broker Prince Whiting just a week on the platform to achieve his first success. Since founding @TheHouseofWhiting in January 2021, he has garnered 2.2 million likes for his videos. The exposure he gets from his content is virtually free, unlike his earlier method of paid print advertising.

“I’d say about 90% of the views are on the For You page, not the people who follow me,” Whiting said. “Everyone has the opportunity to go viral. It’s not because you have 100 million or a million followers and you have to check that tick.”

Whiting said that unlike other social media platforms, the popularity and consistency of TikTok hashtags like #homesforsale (24.4 million views) and #luxuryrealestate (556 million views) makes it easier for him to reach people willing to buy.

As with all new social media, there is of course a learning curve. With six years of real estate experience and zero knowledge of TikTok, Dallas real estate agent Joseph Felling admits that it took him a few tries to find his niche on the platform.

Felling said he had greatest success showcasing Dallas’ low property prices compared to other major metropolitan areas in the US. TikTok has enabled him, more than any other platform, to reach customers from outside of Texas.

“I think Covid really let people know what else was out there,” said Felling. “It’s crazy how many California buyers I’ve had in the last year because they can sell their million dollar California property, move to Texas, and get a much bigger property for $ 500,000.”

He said he now gets about 75% of his leads from TikTok and that his sales have nearly quadrupled. Because of this, Felling has stopped marketing its properties in print publications.

The future of real estate

Real estate agents CNN have spoken to everyone about TikTok for the past two years, and they all believe the app is the future of real estate.

It has surely found a large fan base: In September 2021, TikTok reached 1 billion monthly active users.

“We live in such a visual society,” said Felling. “Video is the wave of the future. This is how you get people’s attention.”

Sutton also said that a more visual medium allows potential buyers to imagine living in a particular city. She often mixes local video content into her feed, showing off her favorite restaurants and markets nearby.

Most importantly, brokers can use TikTok to engage their buyers in a conversation. Sutton said she has built lasting relationships with customers through TikTok, who often return to her for the next step in their home hunt.

“[TikTok] builds this relationship, which is much longer-term, “she said.” Maybe I didn’t have access to these customers or they weren’t exposed to someone like me. ”

According to Sutton, there are no downsides to opening an account. “If you’re a broker, you should be on TikTok. No questions are asked, ”she said. “Even if a video does poorly, it’s not about performance. If any of those people who watch this video find their home … I’ve done my job. ”