A new spoof video from a Richmond, Virginia-based Realtor with eXp Realty portrays real estate as the cloak-and-dagger world it sometimes feels like — for comedic effect.
The 6-minute short film, entitled “Agents of Real Estate,” is the brainchild of RVA Home Team Associate Broker Shannon Milligan, also the lead actress. It was posted in early October on the firm’s Facebook page and already has over 5,000 views, a strong social media success for a local brokerage.
Milligan and her team have been making videos for about two years, including short fun skits, which people loved, she tells Inman. Past viral sketches include a spoof of the Tom Hanks movie “Big” and another dubbed “A Tale of Two Sellers.”
“When the videographer came to me with the suggestion of making a mini movie, I said ‘Of course!’” she says. The video’s script takes inspiration from quirky FBI-based comedy ‘Miss Congeniality,’ and shows the trainee agent texting clients on the toilet and cleaning before listing showings, among other expected agent tasks.
“I enlisted friends and a local actress to co-star in with me,” Milligan says of the production, and says the effort has paid off. It’s no surprise the firm’s strategy has received a positive response from the public, given real estate social posts and other form of content have become stale over the years, Milligan explains.
“I found that blogging hasn’t been that effective in engaging with potential clients anymore,” she says. There is also something to be said about providing followers with fun, non-sales related content. “Marketing is really important in a shifting market like real estate, so it’s nice to have this built-in audience and community to gain future referrals from.”
Milligan has received multiple client inquiries through Facebook messages following the video’s release two weeks ago. “I’ve even gotten people who say ‘Seeing your videos motivated me to list my house,’” something they’d already been thinking about.
“In a sea of Realtors out there, these videos help me stand out among them.”