THE CHEW Ed. 7 | Agent Mistakes + Body Language

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“There is no time or money in doing the 80%. Just let it go.”

- Shift by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan

Your Social Media Leads Are Here

Each social media site attracts different types of people and, therefore, different types of real estate leads. For example, HousingWire tells us that Facebook is great for empty nesters, repeat buyers, home sellers, and first-time buyers. Instagram is great for first-time buyers, and younger buyers and sellers.

Here's our Aha: People go to different social media platforms depending on what they want in their lives. If you’re trying to appeal to everyone on every site, you’ll experience your lowest engagement rates. So identify your target market, the sites they’re on, and go live where they are.
Here’s the bad news: Social media engagement is down across the board — people are tired of all the ads. Facebook is down ~36% YoY, TikTok around 34%, Instagram 16%, and X (the steepest dip) ~48% year over year.
The good news: Your post is your ad. As social media users leave posts for stories and DMs, you can meet them there without adding to the static (in a TCPA-compliant way!). Metrics such as saves, shares, and DM interactions should be valued over traditional likes and comments.
Pick your platform and own it. Stock images and generic quotes are useless. Focus on the top social media sites where your clients spend time, and then schedule fewer, well-crafted posts — like client wins or behind-the-scenes moments. Sprout Social found businesses that posted less actually saw a 20% jump in engagement.

Four Mistakes That Cost You

Top four mistakes agents make that cost sellers money: 1. Overpricing (5-10% lost in value) 2. Weak Photos (up to 5% lost value) 3. No staging (1-10% of lost value) and 4. Over or Under-Improving a property before sale ($5K or more wasted).

1. Over Pricing Listings

Correctly priced homes sell 5-10% higher than those that sit on the market and experience multiple price reductions.

2. Weak Visual Marketing

Listings with professional photos, 3D walkthroughs, and/or aerial images sell for up to 5% more and get 61-74% more online views.

3. Unstaged (Actual or Virtual)

Professional staging increases offer price by 1-10% and number of offers by 1-5%.
Virtual staging can also increase sale price by about 6-10% if professional staging is not an option.

4. Over-Improving or Under-Repairing

Instead of pushing costly renovations with low ROI, focus on paint throughout, decluttering, landscaping, and the front door.
Over-investing can cost clients $5,000+ in misallocated funds.
Pre-inspections reveal surprises early and give your listing a competitive edge.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Hiring a real estate virtual assistant, or VA, can save you 10-20 hours per week on admin tasks, boost transaction volume by 35-45%, and cut office costs by up to 23%!

Fact: The right real estate virtual assistant (VA) will free up your time so you can boost transactions and easily earn back 5-10 times the cost.

U.S.-based and international VAs typically charge $12–20 per hour but often don’t require payroll tax, office expenses, or benefits. If your time is worth $200 per hour and you recover 15 hours per week, that’s $120K per year in redirected value.

Real Estate VA Job Posting Tips

1. First, list and document processes and systems your VA will handle. Use screenshots and screen recording as often as possible.

2. Then, write a job description for a “Real Estate VA” including these four skills:

1. Real Estate Software Proficiency
  Must know your listing software, CRM platform, transaction timelines, and contract basics.
2. Strong Communication Skills & Attention to Detail
  Handles client responses, documents, follow‑ups, and listings with accuracy, clarity, and speed.
3. Initiative & Self-Managed
  Not just a task taker, your VA should be a self‑starter who jumps on calendar, lead, or contract tasks without prompting.
4. Generative AI Experience
  Knows how to use AI tools to (at minimum) write listing descriptions, respond to clients, prep social media materials, and streamline daily tasks.

8 Ways to Keep Your Lead Engaged

A list of behaviors that indicate the person or people you're speaking to may be having negative reactions to your presentation or conversation. For example, if you see someone toe-tapping or leg-bouncing, they may be feeling restless, impatient, or driving. This is a good time to pause and ask a question like, "Would it help to move faster or drive into a specific area?"

Our Aha: People communicate through their body language as well as their words. So pay attention to both.
A Word of Caution: Take these signs with a grain of salt, for they can also be false negatives. These are clues for you to pay attention to. If you see any of them, make better eye contact, change your own body language, or engage them with an open-ended question.

[There are also positive body language signs. Stay tuned for next month’s CHEW!]

What the "Big Beautiful Bill" Means for Homeowners

Our Takeaway: Nothing is really changing. In most cases, what you currently know is now just permanent.

Mortgage interest deduction capped at $750,000.
Standard tax deduction set to $15,750 for single filers and $31,500 for joint filers.
Bonus depreciation set to 100%.

Read the Top 6 Takeaways Here

Gary's Nightstand

Setting an Intention by Adam Taubenfligel

A High-Performing Mind by Andrew D. Thompson

And don't miss MAC25 Keynote speaker, Sahil Bloom's book:

The Five Types of Wealth

Gary's Writing Stand

From notebook to PDF here.

At 3:30 a.m. on his birthday, Gary Keller wrote a note about his life, about how he doesn't have a career, he has a calling. He smiles about his life, his friends and family, and the work that he still loves.

Upcoming Mastermind Events

August 13 - Masterminds at Mega Agent Camp

September 25 - Top Producer Digital Mastermind

For the full calendar, see the 2025 Top Producer Masterminds Schedule.

THE CHEW™ is an exclusive Top Producer Mastermind newsletter brought to you by KW's executive team.

Edition 7 | July 2025