A few months ago, when I hit hour three of doomscrolling on Instagram, I came across a video that stood out in a sea of brain rot. With a catchy hook and creative edge — my interest was piqued.
The video in question: a simple New York City apartment tour.
And no, it wasn’t one of Caleb Simpson’s “How much do you pay for rent in New York” videos. It was more than that. It was an expertly crafted, well-edited production that didn’t aim to just show me an apartment but sell it to me.
The main difference being that as a viewer I wasn’t just walking into someone else’s home — I was imagining myself in it. Maybe it was because of the creator’s personality and humor shining through that felt endearing and personal. Or maybe it was the exclusive look at all of the unique features a NYC apartment has to offer.
After one video, of course I had to watch them all. Now, I have my favorites. My go-to agents and brokers with profiles I regularly check to see what their next listing looks like, how much it is and hear their expert commentary on why I, a native Floridian and Georgia-based student, should pack my life up and move up East. And although most of the properties — whether it be a luxury townhouse in the Upper East Side or a cozy apartment in the financial district — are out of my price range, that doesn’t discount the genius behind using social media to showcase these listings.
Social media success in NYC
In one of the most sought-after cities to live in, it’s no surprise that the use of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube has become popular among NYC’s top agents and brokers. The rise of short-form videos, each ranging from 15 seconds to a minute, has allowed for the coveted New York City housing market to evolve into an algorithm of its own on the aforementioned platforms. Not to mention, these types of videos – despite their length – can be particularly memorable with the right technique, making it the perfect marketing tool.
In a fully digital world, brokers have to balance a career in real estate with being a content creator.
Individual brokers can post listings in whatever format they deem fit, regardless of follower count. Firms can highlight as many properties as they want, with or without clicks. Anyone can now show a home in Iowa to someone who resides in Hawaii — or a gazillion dollar home in Beverly Hills to me (a broke 20-something).
So what’s the secret to success? To get clicks? Likes? Reposts? Followers?
On behalf of Brokerverse, I’ve turned to the brokers and real estate content creators of NYC — who also happen to be my personal favorites.
Wacky apartments to viral fame
Omer Labock, also known as @realtoromer, moved to NYC from South Florida after receiving his real estate license in 2022. And like most New York success stories, he moved to the city without knowing a single potential contact. Not one person. Particularly the ones he needed most — prospective buyers and sellers.
Between the cost of living and a world where word-to-mouth networking is at an all-time low, Labock turned to the most popular of all social media platforms: TikTok.
“I remember scrolling on TikTok, and you always see New York content,” he said. “I was just like, I can do that.”
But it wasn’t an instant success — Labock says it wasn’t until his sixth or seventh video that his account took off. As for his first viral video? It was a last-minute addition before a flight home.
“I was actually going on a flight back to Florida and that same morning, I was like, you know what? I think I could squeeze in one more video here,” he said. “I was not getting any views or any engagement that morning. I quickly filmed it before having to go to the airport, edited it, and posted it.
“The next morning, I woke up and had like 6,000 views, and then for me, that was just life changing,” he continued. “Then throughout that whole day, I’m refreshing, and now it’s 10,000, 12,000, and 15,000, until it eventually got to like two million views.”
The content of the video itself not only solidified his personal style and branding — but is the very thing that drew me to his account in the first place.
Enter the obscure, tiny or downright weird NYC apartments.
“I remembered there was an apartment that I saw a while back that was still available. I checked it out with my team leader and basically, there was no bathroom in the apartment,” he said of its interior. “It was just a shower. Then if you wanted to use the bathroom, you’d have to go out into the hallway. It’s kind of like a shared thing. I was like alright, that’s a little wacky, maybe like we could just go film it and just see what happens.”
Now, nearly three years after moving to the city, Labock has thriving accounts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, along with a network that has grown exponentially.
Labock explained how his career changed entirely. “I mean, it kind of made you go from an agent that just has no clients at all, to all of a sudden, I have this network of people,” he said. “People reaching out all the time, obviously working with cool brands and, just cool opportunities in general.”
When it comes to achieving success through social media, his advice is simple.
“It’s really just kind of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks,” said Labock. “I would definitely say — especially if you’re an agent — to start posting, get inspired, start scrolling on social media real estate videos that resonate with you. When you watch them, it’s like, oh, I can do that. You know, emulate [them].”
A call to action plus million-dollar penthouse
The best part about real estate content in NYC, is that brokers have covered every base with the types of listings featured in a viral Reel or TikTok.
The Big Apple has long been known for its luxury market, from penthouses to town homes to the richest of the rich often residing in the city. But even a million dollar home in the Upper East Side isn’t just going to sell itself – sometimes it needs a viral voiceover with a catchy intro.
After hitting a self-described career crossroads, fellow New York City broker, Jordan Silver, better known as @realjsilver on Instagram, decided to start creating real estate content as a means of harnessing his creativity — however it quickly turned into his livelihood.
“I was writing plays and musicals and music and none of my work was getting picked up, and I was feeling like – I don’t know – my energy and my creativity wasn’t really being focused in the right direction,” Silver said. “My older sister recommended [to me], ‘Why don’t you just become a real estate influencer.”
Turns out, a background in theater and script writing became the basis for his content style.
“‘My first viral video started with the hook ‘If you go to NYU and rich parents you just have to convince them to buy you this luxury condo downtown,’ and I think because I think it resonated, because it was specifically targeting a certain [group] – it’s like a call to action,” he says. “I think it structurally made a lot of sense.”
While he the hook is often delivered with a satirical edge, Silver credits its specificality as a big part as to why it works so well.
“It just grabs your ear, right? It’s not what you expect to hear during an apartment tour. I like to play with the unexpected and the elements of surprise,” he continued. “It’s a lot of screenwriting or playwriting structural elements and just writing in general.”
Silver’s secret to success on social media, echoes Labcock’s in that it’s simply about repetition and consistency.
“If you are a creative and outgoing person, and you like trying new things, and you want to create content – you have to do your homework, which is watch a ton of content and see what works within your niche and outside your niche,” he says. “I would also say, study writing. Pick up a few books on playwriting or screenwriting and [learn] how to use words and language to capture audiences.”
“Don’t get hung up in the weeds. Don’t worry about the perfect video, just pumped out five videos a week, minimum,” he continued. “You have to do that for, I’d say a minimum, [of] three, four months before you really start gaining any audience. And also owning your voice.
So do all brokers have to be influencers?
Real estate, much like every profession, is ever evolving in a world where online content is king. While listings are often the most important piece of the marketing puzzle, if there’s any takeaway from Omer Labock and Jordan Silver, it’s that broker or agent is equally as essential.
Reaching as wide of an audience as possible through clever voiceovers, catchy hooks and cool properties can open unlimited doors. Take myself, for instance.
I may not be in a position to buy or rent a big city apartment yet, nor would I be the target audience for most of these videos, but I may know a few people who are. They might be one TikTok DM away from finding their dream home.
With a future that looks to be even more digital than ever before — social media is a perfect match for real estate professionals.
