The Ultimate Guide To Instagram Marketing For Real Estate Agents in 2025

If you’re looking to boost your organic lead generation, reputation management, and even attract actual transactions as a real estate agent, Instagram is a must-have marketing channel in 2025.

In this article, we have meticulously studied hundreds of top producing agents in the US and Canada, including our very own AgentFire clients, in order to come up with best practices for real estate agents on Instagram you can implement right now.

The Top 31 Instagram Tips for Real Estate Agents

In this article, we’ll break down the top tips for real estate agents, including:

• Optimize Your Profile for Real Estate Success
• Create a Consistent Aesthetic and Posting Schedule
• Highlight Your Current Properties
• Promote Your Real Estate business
• Best Practices for Real Estate Agents to Build Engagement on Instagram
• Use Hashtags and Geotags to Dominate Instagram
• Launch Instagram Ads

Optimize Your Profile for Real Estate Success

1. Switch To A Business Profile

The first thing you should do with your Instagram account is to switch to a business profile. It’s extremely easy and won’t even take more than 30 seconds – here’s a short guide on how to do it.

A business profile will give you access to insights about your audience and to the actual advertising suite, Facebook Ads Manager. Once you make the switch, other users will see a ‘title’ underneath your name. Plus, if you want to use paid advertising, you will need an Instagram business account.

2. Choose an Attractive, but Honest Instagram Username

Your username is what people see and search for when they look at your instagram account. When selecting an Instagram name there are a few things you should take into account:

• Limited space: Use the to fit in your name, and don’t worry about cramming in your Brokerage name. Instagram is best for building a personal brand, plus if you decide to change brokerages, you may confuse your followers.
• Real Estate Keywords: Integrate easy-to-spell real estate words to make it easier for users to remember your account and to find.
• Location, Age, and Title: Be aware that if you use these terms in your username, you may have to change then down the line, making it challenging for your regular followers to find your account.
• Timelessness: Tell your audience what type of content they can expect, and require no future changes.

3. Have A Well-Written Bio

Having a well-written bio is important for two reasons: first, it looks more professional. 

Second, most users want critical information about you right away to make the decision of whether or not to engage. 

Keep it clean and simple, and easy to read. Make sure you include:

• Full name
• Location
• Name of your real estate team
• Brokerage’s name
• Awards and accolades: if there are any well-known awards or stats that set you apart from other agents, let your audience know.
• Link to Bio: a link to directly to your website or “link in bio” that connects to your other social accounts and website
• Professional Profile Picture: ensure your photo is a bright and clear with no messy design or small text.
• Brand hashtag: you should have a hashtag that is unique to your brand or brokerage that you can include in captions and connect your Instagram feed.

Here’s a great example of Josh Altman, whose bio actually takes you to a YouTube video of his ‘Top 10 Properties of the Week’ series. If you have supplemental social media accounts, you might want to link them in your bio.

4. Define Your Personal Brand and Aesthetic

Think about how you will visually set yourself apart from other real estate agents with your brand and aesthetic. For example:

• Use a unique headline
• Include high-quality photography
• Publish Instagram reels of your listings

Speak with your AgentFire designers when you’re ready to revamp your real estate brand. Our designers and real estate marketing experts that know exactly which visual cues to use in order to garner the right attention and reinforce your real estate brand.

5. Add Action Buttons

Instagram allows business profiles to have action buttons, which allows users to interact with your business with the Email, Call, or Message action buttons  – if you use all three, they will be consolidated into a Contact button. Having these in place removes even more friction for prospects to get in touch with you or even set an appointment – it all happens within the app.

To add an action button:

1. Go to your profile and select Edit Profile.
2. Under Public Business Information select Contact Options.

There are a few more advanced action buttons that are integrated with other apps for booking appointments and reserving tickets – but we found that most agents did just fine with the basics. 

Here’s what it looks like on coach Dan Wood’s profile:

Create a Consistent Aesthetic and Posting Schedule

When it comes to Instagram and real estate, consistency is non-negotiable. A cohesive visual brand combined with a regular posting schedule ensures your profile looks professional, attracts followers, and drives engagement. Here’s how to make it happen:

6. Develop a Cohesive Visual Brand

Your Instagram feed should feel like a curated gallery that reflects your expertise and personality.

• Choose a Signature Look: Stick to a specific color palette and editing style. For example, soft neutrals and clean lines convey luxury, while bold tones feel modern and approachable.
• Use Templates: Platforms like Canva let you design branded templates for Stories, carousels, and graphics, making your posts instantly recognizable.
• High-Quality Content: Invest in professional photography or use tools like Lightroom presets to ensure every listing, property walkthrough, or community feature looks polished.
• Branded Touches: Incorporate your logo, tagline, or unique hashtag sparingly—but consistently. Subtle branding builds recognition without overshadowing your message.

7. Plan Your Content

Real estate agents on Instagram thrive when their content is purposeful and varied.

• Content Categories: Rotate through themes like listings, market updates, tips for buyers or sellers, and behind-the-scenes moments. This keeps your feed dynamic and interesting.
• Batch Creation: Dedicate one day a week to creating and scheduling content. Tools like Later or Buffer are perfect for planning posts and ensuring you’re always a step ahead.
• Repurpose: Got a new blog post? Break it into smaller posts or Stories. Filmed a walkthrough? Use clips for Reels or Lives. Maximize every piece of content.

8. Post at the Right Time

Timing matters as much as content.

• Leverage Insights: Use Instagram’s analytics to see when your audience is most active and schedule posts for those windows.
• Aim for Consistency: Posting 3-5 times a week keeps your profile active without overwhelming your audience.
• Experiment and Adapt: Test different times and formats (Reels, Stories, carousels) to determine what resonates most with your followers.

With a sharp aesthetic and consistent schedule, you’ll position yourself as a trusted, recognizable real estate expert in your market.

Highlight Your Current Properties

9. Display Your Listings On Your Feed

The most basic Instagram marketing real estate strategy is to turn your feed into a sort of ‘listings magazine’ by featuring your current properties.

You’re allowed up to 10 photos per post – perfect for showing off a property’s highlight features. There are a couple of filters you might want to mess around with, but it’s always good practice to keep photos as authentic as possible.

Chad Carrol’s Instagram is an immaculate collage of luxury properties with an occasional classy portrait. That’s how a top agent leverages social media.

10. Highlight Your Listings with Instagram Stories and Highlights

An Instagram Story is a feature where you can highlight a photo or 15-second video for 24 hours – after that, the ‘story’ gets archived (make sure that feature is turned on!). You can have multiple stories in a day. Think of it as a visual counterpart to Twitter and Facebook’s off-the-cuff status updates.

An Instagram Highlight is a collection of up to 100 current or archived Instagram Stories of your choice.

This is the Instagram account of celebrated industry leader Joyce Rey – and with over $4.5 BILLION in sales – her strategy is worth learning from. Each property has its own highlight, which opens to a slideshow of high-quality photos taken around the home via Instagram Story archives. 

Now here’s the best part – when you view her highlights, you get a swipe up CTA. If you swipe up the ‘See More’ button below, it takes you to that property’s page on her website, all without having to leave the app!

Not only is she able to broadcast her properties to her audience, she has essentially built a simple funnel to guide the prospect’s journey to buying.

Stories are a great option when you want to share content, but it’s not quite impressive enough to reserve a spot on your instagram feed. Additionally, stories allow for more opportunities for engagement such as polls, lives, and Q&As.

11. Use Videos To Enhance Your Posts 

According to HubSpot, social media posts that have video attract 48% more views.

Regular Instagram video posts have a limit of 60 seconds. But Instagram recently released IGTV – a feature for longer-form content and which has a limit of up to 60 minutes. IGTV videos can also be easily shared to other platforms that support longer videos such as Youtube or chopped up to create a series of videos on TikTok.

Here are some ideas:

• Upload a trailer of an upcoming virtual open house with regular Instagram Video
• Film a property tour with IGTV
• Take a short video of yourself giving a market update – just a simple clip recorded with your phone can be enough
• Answer buyer’s questions
• Answer seller’s questions

We have an example from another top agent, Mark Salerno, giving a minute-and-a-half tour of a property – with a couple of drone shots thrown in the mix (but that’s optional if you don’t have a drone). 

12. Host And Promote Virtual Open Houses

One of the most prominent strategies that we found to be used by the best agents and teams were virtual open houses. We wrote The Complete Guide to Virtual Open Houses so that our readers learn about alternatives to live showings and open houses.

In the article, we broke the process down into three key steps: Choose Your Format, Prepare, Promote. The good news is, this is perfectly applicable to Instagram:

Choose your format – Hold your virtual open house live or pre-recorded! Instagram Live is a great option if you want to answer queries in real-time or bounce back and forth between rooms on demand. 

Pre-recorded is better for those who don’t yet feel too confident in front of the camera, want to focus on production quality or worry about connection issues.

Prepare –  Make sure you’ve memorized your scripts and made sure all your equipment is working – and for those going live, monitor that internet connection!

Promote – Promotion is really where Instagram marketing for real estate shines. If you consider the features we already discussed – Instagram Stories, Highlights, IGTV, etc. – you can get very creative. 

Here are some ideas:

• Use Instagram Stories to broadcast a video of you teasing your upcoming open house, some high-quality photos of the property, graphic text with details of the event (you can use Canva for that)
• Compile all those posts into an Instagram Highlight on your profile
• Post a tour trailer on your feed using Instagram videos or IGTV
• Post high-quality photos on your feed (you can have up to 10 images in a single post)

Here’s an awesome example from luxury agent Scott McIntosh, where he posts a replay of a live virtual open house. You’ll also see on his Instagram feed that he posted a video trailer of that same open house a few days earlier.

13. Tag People And Businesses

Just like Facebook, you can tag people and businesses in your posts. Tag your brokerage, your sphere, and third-party vendors like developers who might want to share the post.

This helps keep you top-of-mind in your sphere of influence. 

14. Add The Location Of The Properties To Your Posts 

Instagram’s Location Tagging is similar to Facebook’s Check-in. You can either use your phone’s GPS or find the location using a search.

There are some benefits to doing this – the most important being that Instagram is still a search engine, and you can get more eyeballs to your listings for anyone searching locally.

For example, if someone searches ‘house for sale’ + [location], your listings should appear in the search results.

The location you chose will appear near the top of your post.

Promote Your Real Estate Business

15. Collaborate with Local Businesses and Influencers

Teaming up with local businesses and influencers is one of the best ways to expand your reach while positioning yourself as the go-to expert in your market.

• Partner with Local Businesses: Highlight the lifestyle benefits of your listings by showcasing nearby amenities like coffee shops, parks, or gyms. Use Reels or Stories to feature these businesses and tag them to encourage reposts, introducing you to their followers. For example, “Check out this cozy café just steps away from [listing address]!”
• Joint Giveaways: Collaborate with local businesses on giveaways. A simple prize like a dinner gift card can generate engagement and attract hyperlocal followers. Require participants to follow both accounts and tag friends to enter.
• Work with Influencers: Local influencers can help you showcase your listings and the community. Choose influencers whose audience aligns with your business. For example, an influencer could create a Reel highlighting the weekend vibe in a neighborhood you specialize in, mentioning your listing as a centerpiece.

16. Share Educational Content

Educational content establishes you as a trusted real estate expert while keeping your audience engaged and informed.

• Real Estate Tips: Post carousel slides or Reels with quick, actionable advice. For example, “Top 5 Things to Know Before Selling Your Home” or “How to Stage Your House for a Faster Sale.”
• Market Insights: Share infographics with market trends, such as average home prices or inventory levels in your area. Use captions to explain what the data means for buyers and sellers.
• Q&A Sessions: Use Instagram Stories to answer common questions like “What’s the best time to list your home?” or “How do I qualify for a mortgage?” Add engagement stickers like polls or question boxes to encourage interaction.

17. Share Client Testimonials

We already know how important client testimonials are – we’re in a ‘review economy’ and today’s prospects come with expectations. 

There are several ways to share client testimonials with your Instagram audience. Here are some of the potential strategies:

• Reach out to one of your clients and ask if they can make a short video that you can share in your feed.
• Share written testimonials in your Instagram stories.
• Attach testimonials to posts that showcase your latest deals.

Here’s a simple but effective example by top producer Abel Gilbert:

18. Focus On What Makes Your Properties – Or Even Your Neighborhood – Unique. 

Here’s a fun way to spice up your feed. Aside from promoting your listings, why not promote your neighborhood?

Instagram helps you tell a visual story – what’s your city’s story? The inside scoop? What’s something only a hyperlocal expert would know?

This example by Leonard Steinberg is an homage to the history of Park Row.

19. Share Other Users’ Content

Another activity you can add to your feed is sharing other users’ content. Think of it as curating information from reputable sources for the sake of your users. 

For example, Keeping Current Matters has its own Instagram account and they regularly upload valuable posts that you can share to keep your community informed.

Best Practices for Real Estate Agents to Build Engagement on Instagram

Instagram is more than just a portfolio of your listings—it’s where relationships are built and leads are nurtured. If you’re not actively engaging with your audience, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. Here’s how you can maximize interaction and build a loyal following:

20. Respond to Comments and Messages

Real estate thrives on relationships, and Instagram is no different. Responding to every comment and direct message isn’t optional—it’s essential.

• Show Personality: Skip the generic “Thanks!” and reply with something meaningful. Example: If someone compliments a listing photo, try, “Appreciate that! This home has so much charm—let me know if you’d like a tour!”
• Quick Replies: Use Instagram’s quick-reply feature for FAQs like “What’s your process for first-time buyers?” This saves time while keeping interactions personal.
• Be Prompt: Timely responses can be the difference between securing a lead or losing one. Make it a habit to check your notifications throughout the day.

21. Use Instagram’s Interactive Features

Instagram’s built-in engagement tools make it easy to connect with followers in creative ways.

• Polls: Use polls in Stories to get opinions or spark interest. “Which backyard feature do you love more: Pool or Fire Pit?”
• Questions: Add question stickers to Stories like, “What’s your biggest challenge in buying a home?” Answer in Stories to demonstrate your expertise.
• Quizzes: Run fun, real estate-themed quizzes like “Guess the price of this luxury condo!”

22. Host Instagram Live Sessions

Live video is one of the most impactful ways to build trust and rapport in real-time.

• Virtual Open Houses: Walk your audience through a listing while answering their questions.
• Market Updates: Share hyperlocal insights like “Why it’s the perfect time to sell in [Your City].”
• Q&As: Host sessions for first-time buyers, sellers, or investors. Promote the event ahead of time with countdown stickers to boost attendance.

Engagement isn’t just about responding—it’s about initiating conversations too. Interact with local businesses, comment on posts from influencers in your area, and like posts from your followers. Real estate is local, and showing up in your community’s conversations on Instagram solidifies your brand as the go-to expert.

23. Make the most out of Instagram Reels

Reels are one of the most used and useful types of content on Instagram today. You can use calls to action, links to your websites, invitations and more through reels. There are loads of fun ways to use instagram reels to bring your real estate business to the forefront of the explore page. Your reel videos should generate likes and shares, be short and engaging and take advantage of audio to raise the chances of it getting on the Reels Explore Page. Use your Instagram in-app analytics to see what Reels work best with your audience.

For example, some Reel ideas include:

• Highlight your real estate niche: focus on a specific type of clients, neighborhood, or property type that you specialize in.
• The property buying process: show viewers that buying house is a big step that doesn’t have to be overly complex. Chat about common concerns and issues that clients face on both sides of the deal. For example, how long does it take to close the deal?
• Showcase before and often after renovations: show the potential of the property before and after renovations.
• Home tours: Make your home tours quick, yet informative and engaging. Add in-app tools such as text overlays, sound effects, animation, memes and more.
• Opinions of current real estate news: real estate clients are eager to learn more about real estate from a professional standpoint. Share your opinions about current real estate news and your best suggestions for clients.
• A day in the life:  Give your Instagram followers a glimpse into your personal life and interests outside of real estate. If you only post about real estate, your followers will start to lose their sense of who you are as a person. Do you love cooking special meals for your family? Attending local jazz shows? Let your audience in on the fun. Extra points if it helps them learn more about your hyperlocal area.
• Answer client Qs: record yourself answering the question and put the dm on the screen, if possible.
• Share positive client reviews: screenshot client reviews and testimonials and then break down your experience with them in more detail for your followers.

24. Build a Targeted Audience

You can’t effectively market to everyone, so narrowing down your focus allows you to create tailored content that drives real engagement and leads. Here’s how to pinpoint your ideal audience.

Not every Instagram user is your ideal client. Define who you’re trying to reach by creating real estate client personas. Are they millennial first-time buyers? High-net-worth individuals looking for luxury properties? Downsizing retirees? Each group has different priorities, and your content should speak directly to their needs. For example:

• Millennials: Focus on relatable, educational content like home-buying tips or market trends in Instagram Reels.
• Luxury Buyers: Use polished property tours and high-end lifestyle posts with sleek branding.
• Local Buyers/Sellers: Highlight community events, neighborhood insights, and personal connections to your market.

Use Hashtags and Geotags to Dominate Instagram

If you’re not using hashtags and geotags strategically, you’re leaving money on the table. These tools are essential for increasing your visibility on Instagram and connecting with your target audience. Here’s how to make them work for your real estate business:

25. Research Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags are the key to getting discovered by the right audience. Start with a mix of broad and niche tags:

• Broad Hashtags: Think #RealEstate, #Realtor, or #DreamHome. These have high traffic but also high competition.
• Niche Hashtags: Use specific terms like #LuxuryHomesLA, #FirstTimeHomeBuyer, or #HouseHuntingSeattle. These help you reach a more targeted, engaged audience.
• Local Hashtags: Connect with hyperlocal prospects by tagging your market. For example, #DowntownDenverHomes or #AustinRealEstateExpert.

Keep your hashtags relevant to each post. A luxury listing deserves #LuxuryRealEstate, while a staging tip might work better with #HomeStagingIdeas.

26. Create Your Branded Hashtag

A branded hashtag is a no-brainer for building your identity on Instagram. Make it simple and unique, like #SoldBy[YourName] or #YourCityRealtor. Use it on every post, encourage clients to tag you, and turn it into a searchable portfolio of your work.

27. Leverage Geotags for Local Reach

Geotags are your secret weapon for dominating local markets. Always geotag your posts and Stories with the property’s location or a nearby landmark. Highlight listings, neighborhoods, or local hotspots to show off your expertise. Think “Best coffee shop in SoHo, just steps from our newest listing!”

Geotags also make your content discoverable to local buyers and sellers searching for properties in your area. Bonus: geotagging Stories often boosts visibility in Instagram’s Explore feed!

Pro Tips

• Use 8–12 hashtags per post for the best engagement.
• Place hashtags in the first comment to keep captions clean.
• Rotate hashtags to avoid being flagged as spam.

Done right, hashtags and geotags don’t just boost visibility—they drive leads. Use them consistently to stand out in your market and build a stronger Instagram presence.

Launch Instagram Ads

With an instagram business account, you have the option of using paid instagram ads. Use Meta’s targeting tools to specify who and where you’d like to target your ads to. For example, if your real estate niche is seasonal cottages by the lake, you may target people living in surrounding cities within home-buying age.

Consider which type of post would work best in a paid instagram ad. You’ll want to include a link to your website or consultation page, and give viewers and clear and quick idea of who you are and what you do. Meta allows advertisers to be as specific about their chosen audience as behavior, interests, and demographics.

28. Use Instagram’s Insights Tool

If you already switched to a business profile, you’ll get access to Instagram’s Insights tool, which lets you view age, gender, and location data on your choice of posts, stories, or promotions. 

To access this feature, simply go to your profile and click the menu icon on the top right. The Insights tool will be second on the list.

29. Highlight Property Features With Carousel Ads

The carousel ad is one of the most powerful tools on Instagram. More importantly, it is the perfect ad format for real estate.

A Carousel ad displays a catalog-like row of images that users can swipe through, promoting an interactive slideshow of your best photos for the listing. Here’s what it looks like on Facebook, which uses the same ads manager as Instagram:

30. Launch Sponsored Ads

A sponsored ad is basically any organic post that you decide to pay to promote – you don’t have to come up with any new creative, retype the text or reupload photos.

The post is boosted as is, and you get to keep all the existing engagement! This is a great shot of promotion juice for posts that are already doing moderately well.

31. Go Hyperlocal With Targeted Ads

Another great feature of the Instagram platform is its advanced targeting. When creating an ad, you are presented with a wide range of targeting options that pertain to location and specific demographic sets. This will allow you to build a custom audience that is more likely to engage with your services.

Targeting by location is especially important for real estate agents. It is worth noting that Instagram location targeting is extremely accurate and laser-focused since it employs both zip code and radius targeting.

The demographic should also be taken into consideration when you are creating a targeted ad. 

For example, luxury apartments should only be advertised to high net worth individuals whereas affordable rentals are generally geared towards young adults and lower-income families. The various targeting options that the platform puts at your disposal will enable you to narrow the audience down to a very specific group with a click of a button.

What Not to Do on Instagram

Posting Irregularly

Consistency is everything. If you post a flurry of content one week and then disappear for a month, your audience will lose interest, and the algorithm won’t do you any favors. Create a posting schedule and stick to it. Aim for steady, quality content—3–5 posts a week—and supplement with Stories and Reels to keep your audience engaged.

Neglecting Engagement

Instagram isn’t a one-way platform. If you’re not responding to comments, DMs, or Story replies, you’re missing out on building relationships. Spend time interacting with followers and engaging with their content. This creates trust and positions you as approachable and attentive—key traits for real estate agents.

Using Hashtags Incorrectly

Hashtags can be a game-changer, but only when used strategically. Overloading your post with 30 generic hashtags like #realestate or #houseforsale won’t move the needle. Instead, Use 5–10 hyperlocal and niche hashtags like #DallasHomesForSale or #LuxuryLARealtor. Tailor them to your market and listings to attract the right audience by applying these real estate farming tips.

Forgetting to Geotag

Geotags are a must for Instagram and real estate. Tagging your location helps users discover your content when searching for properties or agents in a specific area. Whether it’s a listing, neighborhood highlight, or local event, always geotag to increase visibility and attract hyperlocal leads.

Avoiding these Instagram pitfalls will elevate your strategy, helping you convert followers into leads and solidify your reputation as a go-to real estate expert.

Final Thoughts: Instagram Marketing in Action

Instagram is no longer optional for real estate agents—it’s essential. As the platform continues to dominate the social media landscape in 2025, agents who take the time to implement the right strategies will see real results.

Start by optimizing your profile. A professional photo, keyword-rich bio, and clear call-to-action (like “Schedule a consultation!”) set the stage for success. From there, focus on creating content that consistently adds value. Showcase your listings with high-quality visuals, engage your audience with hyperlocal tips, and leverage Reels to highlight properties or answer common buyer and seller questions.

Use Instagram Stories and Highlights to build a more personal connection with your followers. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look at staging a home or a quick snapshot of your favorite local coffee shop, these real estate social media post ideas keep you relatable and top of mind. And don’t forget to geotag your posts and Stories—this simple step ensures your content reaches the right audience in your area.

Looking for a faster way to scale? Instagram ads for real estate are one of the most cost-effective ways to target qualified leads. Pair hyperlocal targeting with polished visuals and direct calls-to-action, and you’ll expand your reach while generating real opportunities.

Finally, consistency is key. Post regularly, engage with your audience by responding to comments and DMs, and analyze your performance using Instagram Insights. Double down on what works, adjust what doesn’t, and keep evolving.