The tricks of the trade in the real estate game are changing rapidly, and there are a number of new marketing elements that real estate agents should employ with greater frequency. There are very few real estate agents who are not using social media to increase awareness of their brand, but there is so much more that can be done beyond shining a light on your unique personality to convince homebuyers that they should view your properties.

While Facebook and Twitter are widely used in the real estate industry — with apologies for the all-too-obvious pun — it seems that Instagram has been somewhat surprisingly left out of the picture. This is a shame, as this particular application seems to have been designed for use in the real estate industry. What better way to show off a historic neighborhood than by using a specific filter through Instagram to harken back to those days gone by, or to emphasize the beams of sunlight that shine through a bay window?

Realtors who use Instagram in this way will appeal to the generation of Millenials who are finally starting to enter the housing market after years of claims that they would be renters forever. It is important to recognize that Instagram users who enter the housing market are sharp consumers who will do their homework, so it is important to be as honest in depicting your properties as you would be in providing the details of your most recent trip in Occidental Vacation Club reviews.

The key here is to use Instagram to emphasize the positives of each property and its neighborhood, not to use photography tricks to deceive buyers into viewing a property that is not nearly as appealing as its picture. Remember, this is social media, and any hint of deception will spread quickly.