You know those songs that just get into your head and never leave? Like Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” Or if you have kids, I’m sure you’ve heard “Frozen’s” iconic “Let It Go” song about a million times.
One smart and talented real estate agent has found a way to make those ear worm gems her own — and it’s helped her business. With less comedic edge and more real estate slant, Andrea Romeo is the Weird Al of real estate parodies. You might remember her hit last summer (and Taylor Swift’s, too) “One Day Off.”
Well, she’s recently released a sophomore single called “Get It Sold” to the tune of “Let It Go,” and agents won’t be disappointed by the humor wrapped into this hauntingly relatable parody.
I wanted to find out a little more about these videos and how they have impacted her real estate business, so I asked her a few questions via email, and here is what she had to say.
What inspired you to do this video and, in particular, this song?
I’m organically inspired! As a mom to four musically talented kids, [that] provides a lot of inspiration, especially since my kids play their favorite songs on repeat.
My personal passion is singing, and we love to sing as a family in the car. And occasionally, I would just swap out the original words with some that I came up with to fit the mood of the day — like coming home from a showing and then lyric-swapping some of the day’s highlights (or challenges) into the song playing on the radio.
My kids are who push me to publish these parodies and love hearing me come up with a creative twist on their favorite tunes.
What does your writing process look like?
It’s nearly impossible to get alone time in our household, but if I can get it, I’m able to write lyrics and plan out the beats within about two or three hours.
I have always written songs, so it’s a passion project. I wrote “Get It Sold” during a family trip to the water park with earbuds in while the kids played in the water. I hit repeat and let the creative juices flow!
How does production work? Who do you work with? How do you fund them?
I don’t have a big budget or technology background, so I used my resources and reached out to my church community video and sound crew. I pitched them the idea, and they loved the positive vibes and helped me edit and create the soundtrack.
I use my own kids in the shoots and tap into the dance talents of friends who have experience in choreography. Who knew that having your own backup dancers would make you look like such a rockstar? I don’t dance so this is a new challenge that I’ll be working on overcoming.
What does your support system look like?
My husband is my biggest cheerleader at home and in business. Every time I start to get down on myself, he’s there to give me the tough love that I need to keep my head up and keep going! I’ll be building my team this year and the support of my family for our new launch.
The previous video got quite a bit of attention. How did it affect your business? What did you learn from it? What have these videos done for your rep?
My videos have catapulted our brand on a national level when the video went viral on social media. It’s really created an automatic rapport with agents across the country because they felt like they really got to know my silly and authentic personality.
I’m a mom, and my life is chaotic — and that’s real, and it’s relatable. I’ve doubled my business from 2015 due to the relationships that I’ve created with national agents.
Over one-third of my business is referrals from other agents that have found my videos. I originally made these videos for my clients — I wanted to give them something fun and entertaining to watch, and I never thought that it would help me build my business.
My clients love the videos, and it’s definitely helped me solidify referral business in my sphere as well.
Real estate for me is a vessel for my “why” — it was really emotional for me to get to that process. I only wanted to sing my whole life, but I never wanted to be famous.
For me, when I really thought about my “why” in my real estate career, I realized that this is a conduit for me to move people and provide them with an emotional experience — something that they wouldn’t have if I wasn’t in their life.
Brightening their day or motivating and educating them — and being able to tie that to real estate made me realize that I want to pour into my team. That’s my why — they can think bigger, and there is no box.
How many videos do you intend to do?
I have to have deadlines, or I won’t do them. My goal is two per year, and we are on pace for that. I’m close to finishing the lyrics for the next one now and hope to have it done by August.
Do you think agents should invest more in their differentiators? What advice do you have for agents who want to branch out?
100 percent, yes! It feels almost magical when you find your niche of authenticity — I never would have done this outside of my home, and people have grown to know me and love me because I’ve put myself out there for the world to see.
Most people get caught up in “what ifs” and don’t take any action. My children have learned that they can have big dreams and achieve them.
My advice for agents wanting to break out into carving their niche — just do it — you’re going to fail forward. Just start, and keep going.
I was so afraid to put out my second song because the first one was such a hit, and I kept telling myself that the second song wasn’t going to be as good, and I didn’t let fears hold me back. If you don’t do it, you’ll never grow! Build that parachute on the way down.
What do you think about creating content and the importance of keeping it engaging and entertaining?
I think it’s important to keep the human element prevalent as much as possible — in marketing and in business. Buyers and sellers have an emotional need, and it’s so important to tap into that human side to connect with your clients and build trust.
When you know yourself, then you can make the right choices for you and your clients. Creating content is just another part of our business as agents, and we need to think outside of the box to generate ideas that inspire the people we already serve and those who we want to work with in the future.
Your first video was agent-driven, and this one is more consumer-driven; was this by design?
Yes, I almost talked myself out of making the first one because I didn’t want consumers to think I was complaining with “One Day Off” so I knew I wanted to make one for both sides of the story.
How has social media helped you build brand awareness?
We’re big fans of Facebook for our business. When we released the first song, a friend shot a video of me singing this at an event and posted it to Facebook, and it went viral. It’s a true network and connection tool.
What’s your focus for the future?
I’m focused on my personal growth and committed to reading five books per month! I want to reach working moms specifically.
As entrepreneurial moms, we’ve got layers of pressures that make us feel isolated and insecure because if we take time for ourselves, then we’re taking something away from our family.
I want to tell every working mom that when we focus on our own success building, we enhance the lives of our families — building them up and inspiring them to reach for their dreams. Fun is always on my list of goals for personal and professional as well!
Who is your personal inspiration?
My personal success coach is Lisa Archer CEO and Broker Live Love Homes, Keller Williams Realty. Having someone in your life that pushes you to be your very best is invaluable. Lisa’s support and insight have motivated me to coach others in this field as well.
If you are inspired by Romero’s story and want some more musical inspiration, check out some other real estate music videos below. But remember, whatever you do to differentiate yourself — own it, and have fun with it.
