When I started The Broke Agent in 2015, real estate Instagram was an unbearable place to scroll. The #realtor hashtag was flooded with carbon copies of suited-and-booted “top producers” who were all magically in the top 1% (or so they claimed).
I remember thinking, “Is everyone in real estate killing it besides me?” So I started to call out these fake “sales gurus” on @thebrokeagent and quickly realized I was not alone. The real estate community on Instagram rallied around the posts in agreement that the half-agent, half Gary Vee-style life coach content needed to go.
Fast forward to 2023, and we’re finally starting to see agents who actually close deals edge out the wannabe gurus. Here are 11 of the best real estate Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration or just a good laugh. All of the agents on this list have found unique and entertaining ways to promote their real estate business without being too sales-y.
Note: These are in no particular order, so don’t get mad at me.
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, personal 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 Instagram is her weekly show on IGTV called “Taya’s 2 Cents.” In it, she educates her followers on everything from real estate definitions to the aspects of a deal.
2. 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.
He does a great job using his passion for music and comedy to promote his listings and real estate business. Matt’s content has continued to evolve with Instagram as his focus shifts to high-quality vertical video and Reels. As of this writing, his account has exploded to more than 53,000 followers (no thanks to me, of course), and he has started to get a lot of leads on Instagram from his videos.
Pro tip: If you want to build a successful Instagram following of your own, it starts with sharing content your audience will actually enjoy. That’s why I teamed up with Coffee & Contracts to provide exclusive content for agents to customize, brand, and share on social media. Become a member to get access to monthly posts created by me in addition to the entire Coffee & Contracts platform and community! As a special thank you to Close readers, use promo code THECLOSE for $15 off your first month.
3. 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.
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4. 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, character-driven skits, and a fun IGTV segment called “Real Real Estate Stories.”
When you go to his feed, you will immediately notice 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.
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5. 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 been posting previews of his newest vlogs—where he displays agent interactions, client negotiations, commutes, showings, and the overall day-to-day of a busy agent—to Instagram. He even cries in one of them.
Also, it’s important to mention that the production value of his videos is incredible. I don’t know how he got Michael Bay to direct his open house tours, but the kid knows how to brand and entertain. The only strange thing I noticed about Dan is that he always seems to have a small hand towel draped over his shoulder, like a caddy waiting to clean a golfer’s club. Anyway, he’s a must-follow.
6. 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 her followers with polls, votes, and questionnaires. If you follow her, you will also get the pleasure of occasionally seeing her cute and fluffy doodle, Louie.
7. 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.
Facebook & Instagram Crash Course for Real Estate Agents (+ Templates)
8. Byron Lazine @byronlazine
Byron Lazine is a real estate renaissance man building teams and selling luxury properties in Connecticut. He is an agent/podcaster/speaker/awful golfer who I consider to be the Joe Rogan of our industry. The only difference is he’s not jacked, not funny, and the biggest guest to appear on his show was either me or Tom Ferry.
Jokes aside, Byron’s Instagram content is unique in the real estate space because of his podcast clips. Byron displays his vast real estate knowledge with commentary on the market, his takes on current events, critiques of opinions, brokerage gossip, and more. I like the way he formats his clips with super-engaging titles that almost force you to watch.
He’s also gotten on the Reels bandwagon, where he performs cringe-inducing reactions and gives advice to new agents with a very stern demeanor. The more you watch Byron’s content, the more you learn about what’s going on in the real estate industry.
9. Yackeline Leiderman @yackelineleidermanrealtor
Yackeline Leiderman is a Miami Realtor who has also gone the comedy route to grow her Instagram following. Like Kim, Yackeline memes herself in videos and pictures with real estate captions that make fun of everything from current market conditions to agent-client interactions. She must have a full-time photographer following her around because she has a pose or video for every scenario and trend. What really sets her content apart is her unique ability to match facial expressions to her captions. She should win an Emmy—or at least a PropertySpark award—for her acting abilities.
10. 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 IGTV.
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 content is educational or helpful to people in San Diego.
I can’t believe I’m saying all these nice things about him because I know him. I hope he doesn’t read this.
11. 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, and it’s not even close. 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.
5 Steps to Grow Your Real Estate Instagram Account in 2023
Hey all, Emile here. Since Eric is busy running his new site Broke Agent Media, I wanted to quickly jump in and offer something you’ve all been asking for: actionable advice for how to actually grow your 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.
20 Gorgeous Instagram Bio Examples for Real Estate Agents That Inspire (+ Template & Tips)
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:
The Complete 2023 Real Estate Marketing Calendar & Holiday Guide (+ PDF)
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, Lab Coat 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:
The Close Review: Parkbench’s Video Marketing Mastery Course + Video Walk-through
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:
9 Easy Instagram Hacks to Get More Likes, Comments & Followers
Over to You
There are so many more real estate agents I can name who are crushing it on Instagram, but top 10 lists do better for search engine optimization purposes, so I had to stop there (more or less). 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 to follow on Instagram? Let me know in the comments.
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