If you are like me, the engagement you get on an Instagram post directly determines your level of happiness. A post that performs well will put you in an AMAZING mood. You feel validated! People like you and LOVE what you have to say. If a post performs poorly… well… you shut down and hide in your room with a bottle of Jack and a box of whippits. Nobody wants to consume your content anymore and nobody likes you. In fact, people were so disgusted by your photo that they scrolled right by it without giving it a second thought. You should delete your account and never post again. Okay maybe I’m b ..read more

Do hashtags even work anymore? The answer to this question can be described by this iconic image… Back in the day (like four months ago), I would unleash MAMMOTH sized hashtag blocks underneath every single one of @TheBrokeAgent Instagram posts. On average, 30%-40% of my engagement was coming from hashtags and reaching an additional 40,000 accounts that were not following me. If I posted three times a day, hashtags were boosting my account to 100,000 new eyeballs on average. It was the #GoldenAge and the strategy was simple: use up to 30 industry related/adjacent hashtags under every post and ..read more

Greg Stock, aka “Craig,” was the 2015 Rookie of the Year in the Tacoma area in Washington state. His company profile reads: Everyday, Greg Stock wakes up ready to work. An aggressive, hardworking go-getter who specializes in real estate in all areas of Tacoma, Greg has a favorite saying: “It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.” This differs greatly from my favorite saying: “If you can can’t tone it, tan it.” Although Greg’s company profile is littered with cliche language and classic quotes, he definitely makes up for it with the ..read more

Adam Geiss is a 28-year-old residential agent living in Los Angeles, California. Adam is not a fan of cold-calling, door knocking, or any other lead generation tactic that causes the slightest hint of anxiety. So, he signed up for a local “Young Professionals Group” and bought a $15 ticket to a networking event that same night. It is important to know that Adam decided to wear his “go to” flannel that can be seen in 30% of his profile pictures on Facebook. Needing a little liquid courage, Adam walked to the “El Cholo” Mexican restaurant across from his apartment ..read more

Brandon Meyerson is a 34-year-old realtor who predominantly does business in the Ft. Lauderdale area. At the start of the new year, Brandon decided to make the move from a large, corporate brokerage to a local, boutique one with less agents and a more favorable commission split. When asked about what he liked best about his new company, Brandon said: “You can just tell they really care about their agents here. Also, I like saying the word ’boutique’ as much as humanly possible.” Every Thursday at 3:00 PM the brokerage hosts an office meeting where the agents get to discuss new listin ..read more

At night I lay awake on my pillow, Tossing and turning and thinking of Zillow. Nightmarish thoughts creep inside my head, Of clients proclaiming, “well… Zillow said.” “Our home’s worth three million but you list it at two? We should have gone FSBO there’s no need for you!” “And you heard this where?” I try to be calm. “Well Trulia…and Zillow…. and realtor.com!” The Z-word is dropped and I let out a scream! Now upright and sweaty awake from the dream. Relief settles in it was just in my head, I’ll check my emails real quick then I’ll go back to bed. Got one fro ..read more