There are many social media platforms that you can use to promote your real estate business online, but Instagram is the most suited because of its visual nature. 

According to the National Association of Realtors, 52% of real estate agents use social media to generate leads. The real estate sector is very popular on Instagram and hashtags like #realestate or #homeforsale are always trending. So many realtors now use Instagram to share luxurious home listings, interesting industry insights, and other industry-related content.

It’s important to know what you can post on your Instagram account as a realtor. Having an engaging Instagram will help you build trust with your clients as they get to know more about your business. Remember, the best real estate content ideas are a combination of professional, personal, and fun content.

Why Leverage the Benefits of Instagram as a Realtor

Instagram currently has 2.35 billion users and the number is projected to reach 2.5 billion by the end of 2023. Instagram is all about photos and videos that compliments the real estate industry perfectly and gives agents a great platform to promote their businesses.

Instagram has several features that you can leverage to showcase your properties such as

• Gallery- You can share up to 10 pictures for a single gallery post. You can focus on some of the features of the house like the kitchen, bathroom, or fireplace
• Video- People love videos as they are a very engaging form of media. Use this fact to show a video tour of your property
• Hashtags- Hashtags can help users search for what they want and generate organic leads for your business
• Stories- Stories are the most popular way to get views on Instagram. If you are active on Instagram, clients will see your stories regularly and remember you from their feed
• Instagram Live- You can stream to your followers in real-time and interact with them directly

Real Estate Instagram Content Ideas

1. Market stats and insights

People like to keep up with market updates that are relevant to them. A real estate Instagram account gives you the chance to show your expertise and share your insights on the market.

• Your captions should explain the market stats to help people understand what it is about
• Post updates that are relevant to your clients and will help them get informed on the current climate of the housing market

Users will trust you as an industry expert if you regularly provide them with valuable insights on the industry, housing price updates, the number of houses sold, etc. When it’s time for them to consider buying or selling a property, they will think of you as a reliable partner first because of your memorable Instagram presence

2. New Local Listings

Real estate posts for social media are almost always new property listings because they help create hype around it and attract potential clients if you can do it successfully. You should showcase the property in a professional manner with a well-lit atmosphere. Don’t forget to add synchronized music to maintain Instagram’s attractive aesthetic.

Here are some other tips-

• Keep the description simple but catchy. Mention information like square footage, address, price, number of rooms, and other unique features the property could have
• Use FOMO (fear of missing out) terms like ‘’Don’t miss!’
• Use relevant hashtags and keywords
• Include your contact details to help potential clients reach you quickly

3. Live Q&A sessions

Live Q&A sessions allow you to communicate with your past and potential clients directly to answer their questions and provide a solution to their real estate issues. The value you add with the information you present in a personalized setting will help build trust for your real estate brand on Instagram, leading more people to contact you for your services

According to Livestream, 80% of people would rather watch a live stream than read a blog indicating that going live on Instagram might be more than a passing trend and it is something you should include in your strategies to grow on Instagram

Instagram’s live feature is very personalized and will make users feel like they are having a real interaction with you. Before going live, you should promote to users the time of your live session and the topics you want to talk about so there is a discussion building as soon as you start the live session.

You can post a poll before going live to find out the questions your followers want to ask or answer the most searched real estate questions from Quora

Most importantly, make sure you have a reliable internet connection and proper lighting before you start your Live session. You may consider investing in ring lights and a high-quality mic to provide crisp audio.

4. Neighborhood showcase

A property and its features aren’t enough to convince a potential client to make a purchase. Customers look for various other factors when looking for a home or office like the neighborhood it is situated in. The personality and lifestyle of the client need to be compatible with the neighborhood they are looking to move into.

You should include local attractions, aesthetic visuals, and an engaging narrative for content showcasing neighborhoods. Mention all nearby schools, hospitals, bus stations, restaurants, etc in the area to highlight the features of a neighborhood. Collaborating with local businesses will also help you stand out as a local community leader and build your reputation as a reliable real estate agent in that area.

You should also try to post beyond surface-level information that users can find on Google Maps. Try to post about a neighborhood’s statistics for rent, crime, average income, etc. Including the history of an area can be an interesting way to engage potential clients as well.

5. Holiday and seasonal posts

Holidays and seasonal festivities are a great opportunity for you to post on your real estate Instagram account. You need to combine your services with the holiday or festivities in a creative and innovative manner.

Staying active during holidays and other festivities will show a sense of inclusivity towards all your clients. It also gives you an opportunity to post regularly throughout the year in a relevant manner and helps you stay in the back of people’s minds.

6. Before and After posts

Renovating properties is a common way of maximizing its sale price. Clients also look into renovating their homes. Before and after posts of home renovations can be a source of inspiration for your clients on Instagram. Results from properties you renovated yourself will also show expertise in your craft and create a reliable persona on Instagram. 

Potential clients can also use these posts to visualize their dream home and how they want it done. Custom renovations are a great way to let clients know you can help make their dream home a reality

7. Polls and quizzes

Polls and Quizzes are a perfect way to create engagement among your clients on Instagram and learn more about them. Make your polls interesting and fun by including emojis and interesting options for users to interact with. Try to avoid confusing them with complicated polls and make sure your polls are simple and easy to follow

The responses you receive can be used to get valuable insights on your followers and help you come up with creative social media real estate content that they might like.  

8. Customer testimonials and reviews

Photos and videos of your properties are common ways to attract new clients, however, testimonials and reviews are evidence of your success as a real estate agent. Always share your client testimonials and milestones every few months to remind your potential clients of satisfied clients from your past

You could try to organize events and get-togethers with your past clients and post the event on Instagram. This will create a sense of community among past clients while showcasing potential new clients the kind of treatment they get to expect from you even after you helped them purchase or sell a property

9. Contests and giveaways

Online contests and giveaways are some great real estate Instagram content ideas – a fun way to engage and interact with your past and future clients. They invigorate the competitive nature in people regardless of the prize being offered as the opportunity to win something for free appeals to basic human instincts.

The prize doesn’t have to be something expensive for clients to engage but it should be something that people might want like headphones or coupons. Contests usually require the user to perform some kind of action like mentioning their friends, hit follow, sharing the post, etc.

An easier way to gather info is by having clients enter their phone numbers and email for a chance to win a prize giveaway. You should get a lot of responses if you make it an easy process for the user.

Remember to post a photo of the winner with the prize to maintain the credibility of your contest and thank everyone for participating. Take their permission and tag them if it’s possible and encourage people to participate in all your future contests and giveaways.

10. Behind the Scenes

It’s not easy being a real estate agent and sharing behind-the-scenes photos of how you get your magic done will help potential clients understand the process. Showing a sneak peek of your daily life as a real estate agent will help your followers connect with you on a personal level.

Providing a glimpse into the work that goes behind satisfying customers will convince skeptical clients to trust you and demonstrate reliability. You can share behind-the-scenes content from photoshoots, open houses, and other events you organize. This will let clients view you as transparent and build trust with them. 

11. Local community services and collaborations

If you want to build your reputation on Instagram as a real estate agent, you need to start by building your reputation within your local community. You need to show you take care of your community by participating in important events like festivals and charities.

Don’t be showy but authentic and endearing. Don’t contribute to a charity just so you can post it on Instagram, but genuinely try to help your community and organizations in it. Your posts can leave a positive impact and might even inspire others in your community to help and donate to the cause.

Highlighting local businesses and collaborating with them is also an effective way of building trust within your community. You may try promoting a local restaurant on your Instagram by tagging them in your post. This may lead their customers to check out your business out of curiosity and think of you when they need a real estate solution. By building strong connections within your local community

12. Powerful real estate quotes

Apart from posting pictures and videos, there are other ways you can stand out on Instagram and impress potential customers. A powerful quote has the ability to increase CTR (click-through rates), engagement and other valuable metrics.

Many real estate agents and businesses on Instagram often overlook this aspect of content ideas and focus solely on photos and videos. You can use this to your advantage as this will help you stand out in the competitive real estate industry on Instagram. The quotes you post might also inspire your followers to seek your services or make a purchase

13. Real estate tips and information

Real estate is the biggest purchase of most people’s lives. Visually attractive content is appealing but what really creates value for a real estate business is to help your clients make an informed decision before making their biggest purchase

There are different kinds of clients in the real estate industry; some people could be looking to make their first real estate purchase while others could be interested in expanding their current portfolio of properties. You should try to provide information to all types of customers and cater to their queries.

• Common mistakes

You could list common mistakes that first-time purchasers make and discuss ways to avoid them. You could also demonstrate your expertise in the industry by sharing mistakes you have made in your real estate career to connect with your clients on a personal level

• Maintenance tips

Try to post about all the property maintenance tips you know as a real estate agent and share them with your followers. This can help them preserve their property or increase its value when making a sale.

• First-time buyers

Buying your first real estate property is a big moment in most people’s lives. It can be challenging to navigate through all the different paperwork.

If you can guide them through this challenging process, you will build valuable trust and reliability for your real estate business. You can create a checklist of documents for first-time buyers like proof of income, credit report, etc.

• Financial tips

Real estate agents should have a concrete understanding of finances. Share your financial tips on Instagram to display your expertise in real estate finance. If you can educate your followers through helpful financial information you will help clients make an informed decision and build trust for you 

14. Just sold properties

Posting properties you just sold is a great way to show your achievements to potential clients so you can start building trust and relationships. It will display your credibility as a real estate business and your expertise in the industry. 

Content like this works as social proof of your business and a track record of proven success. Enrich your post using these tips-

• Always post high-quality pictures
• Use catchy captions
• Add customer testimonials if you can to strengthen the social proof
• Use hashtags and keywords strategically to get more views
• Include details and features of the property

15. Open House events

The traditional methods of announcing open houses like leaflets and newspaper ads have gone extinct, thanks to social media marketing for real estate. Real estate agents can now promote their open house events online to increase attendance and encourage interested followers to pay a visit.

The post should include information like the time, date, and location of the house to make it convenient for potential clients

Real Estate Instagram Content Ideas: Best Practices & Common Mistakes

Instagram is currently one of the most popular apps that real estate agents use to grow their business. These important dos and don’ts will help you avoid common mistakes and stand out among all the competition. Using these guidelines you can engage with potential clients and build your brand.

Best practice

• Utilize Instagram’s features

Instagram is often introducing new features on its apps to increase engagement among users. If you can consistently take advantage and adapt to these features, the algorithm will reward you with higher visibility.

Reels, for example, is one of Instagram’s popular new features that gets thousands of views everyday because people enjoy watching them.

• Maintain appropriate content length

We have already mentioned the importance of videos in today’s Instagram and digital landscape, but how long should your videos be?

You need to find the right length that keeps your viewers engaged using data you get from Instagram Analytics. Analyze the views and engagement rates of videos of different lengths to find what’s appropriate for your followers. Once you have figured out what your followers want, consistently keep posting videos of their desired length

• Optimize Hashtag

Hashtags are used to categorize Instagram posts under different topics and using them accurately is crucial to your Instagram growth strategy. Hashtags will help people find your content when they are already engaging with content under the same hashtag

For example, if a potential client is browsing content under #realestatebusiness, you should use #realestatebusiness on your posts to increase your chances of reaching the prospective client. You need to use relevant hashtags to help Instagram understand your target audience and direct them towards your content

Try to use hyper-targeted and niche hashtags to increase your chance of being discovered. For example, if you are listing luxury properties, use #luxuryproperties to reach potential clients who are looking for a luxury property. There are various tools to help you with hashtags like Tailwind

• Post consistently

Your followers will forget about you if you don’t post consistently on Instagram. Creating a content schedule is the best way to keep up with your content posts. Most businesses post 4 times a week according to Rival IQ, but another recent study from Tailwind revealed that posting every day might be a better strategy.

Inspect data from your Instagram Analytics to find out at what times are followers engaging with your posts the most. Use this information and start posting once or twice every day during those hours.

• Interact with your followers

Interacting with your followers is not just about replying to their comments. A great tactic for attracting potential clients is to leave an insightful comment under posts from already popular real estate accounts on Instagram. This will grab a potential client’s attention as they scroll down the comment section and lead them back to your profile

Use Instagram’s search bar to find accounts with lots of followers or use other search engines to find popular real estate accounts on Instagram. Follow those accounts once you find them and turn on post notifications so you get an alert every time they post. If the comment you leave is interesting or insightful, you might get a pin which will increase your visibility in the comment section

• Optimize Instagram Search

According to Locowise, Instagram has more than 1 billion MAU (monthly active users) and among them more than 80% of them are following a business account. You need to optimize your profile with the correct username, bio, caption, and keywords to get discovered by potential clients. Remember to add a professional picture as well.

For example, you can add the words real estate to your username to help stand in Instagram’s search whenever someone searches for real estate

• Learn to deal with negative comments

Interacting with your followers on Instagram will involve replying to the comments they have left on your posts. People can be hurtful over the things they say on the Internet. Don’t be afraid to delete unpleasant and hateful comments, but you need to differentiate them from thoughtful negative criticism. Learn to respond to them in a polite and professional manner

Common Mistakes

• Don’t only post about yourself- Try to include posts of you helping others like your clients, team members, and community
• Try to avoid politics- Politics can be a divisive topic, so even if you are a fan of politics, it is highly advised to avoid such topics and keep them separate from your business. You don’t want to reveal your political beliefs and lose potential clients for no reason
• Don’t insult competition- NAR Code of ethics Article 15 outlines how to talk about your competitors. Don’t make misleading or false statements about their business. Keep things positive and fun on Instagram
• Stay relevant- Stay consistent with your theme of a real estate account and post content that showcases things related to your business
• Don’t use stock photos- Instagram prefers original visual content. If you are forced to use a stock photo, edit relevant text on it to make it different
• Don’t steal content- Don’t use content posted from other real estate accounts on Instagram, but you may post user-generated content from your followers
• Selfies- Don’t post irrelevant selfies or pictures of you on your real estate Instagram account. Remember to keep things professional and only include photos of yourself if it is relevant to a business such as a real estate gala or an open house event that you hosted.

We have discussed 15 real estate Instagram content ideas that you can use to improve engagement with your followers and generate leads. The right combination of fun, interactive, informative, and visually attractive content will help grow your real estate business on Instagram and establish a dominant digital presence within the industry and potential clients alike

FAQs

Q. What is the most popular social media platform for a real estate business?

A report from the NAR (National Association of Realtors) has ranked the most popular sites used by real estate businesses:

1. Facebook- 89% 
2. Instagram- 59%
3. LinkedIn- 56%
4. YouTube- 26%

Q. How frequently should I post on Instagram?

There is no fixed answer to this question, but what we suggest is to find a healthy balance between staying active on Instagram and avoiding too many posts. A good strategy is to post 2-3 times a week to avoid crowding the feeds of your followers. Aim for consistent quality content instead of trying to increase the volume of content you post

Q. How to start posting on Instagram as a new real estate agent?

The first thing you should do as a new real estate agent on Instagram is not post anything at all. Before you can start publishing content for your followers, you need to make sure that your Instagram account has been optimized.  Write a catchy bio that introduces your business and include all your other social media accounts so that your followers can get to know more about you. Remember to add your location and your work experience if you have any. Once your account has been optimized, you can start publishing real estate content to engage with your followers and build your brand.