Starting Young in Real Estate: How to Build a Business on TikTok in Virginia
Most people at 20 are finishing college or working their first job. Lexi Lohse was closing real estate deals. She dropped out of Christopher Newport University after one year, passed her real estate exam in February 2022, and built a business that now runs 80 to 90 percent on social media leads. No expensive marketing. No team splits eating her commission. Just her iPhone, a DJI mic, and the courage to post home tours when nobody she knew was watching.
Virginia's Hampton Roads market is not like Austin or Round Rock. You are not competing with tech money or investors flipping houses in a hot seller's market. You are working with military families on PCS orders, VA loans that fund 85 to 90 percent of transactions, and a region where 10 bases sit within a 50-mile radius. York County offers the best value for a family home at $400,000. Virginia Beach commands a premium for oceanfront access. Williamsburg prices reflect colonial history and larger lots. Each city has its own character, and Lexi knows the trade-offs because she grew up here and records tours here every week.
This is not a generic social media success story. This is what it looks like when a 20-year-old agent decides she has no plan B, figures out TikTok before Instagram, and builds a referral network across the country while other agents are still debating whether posting a video is worth the risk. If you are relocating to Virginia, thinking about getting licensed, or wondering whether social media actually generates closings, keep reading.
Table of Contents
- Dropping Out of College to Become a Real Estate Agent
- Getting Licensed and Closing the First Deal
- Building a TikTok Following Without a Marketing Budget
- York County: Best Value for Military Families
- Virginia Beach: Oceanfront Living at a Premium
- Williamsburg: Colonial Homes and Historic Character
- Newport News: Part of the 757 Service Area
- Hampton: Military Presence Across the Region
- Southhook: New Construction in a Developing Area
- Serving Military Buyers in the Largest Military Hub in the U.S.
- Which Virginia Market Is Right for You?
- Advice for Young Agents Starting Out
- Conclusion
Dropping Out of College to Become a Real Estate Agent
Lexi graduated high school in 2020. COVID canceled her prom. She enrolled at Christopher Newport University and finished two semesters, but the experience was not what she expected. She was not happy. She was not fulfilled. She had always been the honor roll student, the teacher's pet, the one everyone assumed would finish college. Her parents had not finished, so she was supposed to be the one who did.
She was cleaning out the Notes app on her phone one day and found a list she had written as a high school sophomore. Dream jobs. Real estate was at the top. She went to her mom with a plan. Not just "I want to drop out." She came with a list of real estate schools, a timeline, and three different ways she could get licensed while still finishing the semester or going full-time into real estate. Her parents supported her, but it was a shock. This was Lexi. The school girl. The one who loved learning.
She finished the semester, quit the part-time jobs she was working, and started studying for the real estate exam at the end of 2021. She passed in February 2022. She was 20 years old. She had no backup plan. She knew she had to make it work because going back to college was not an option she was willing to consider.
Getting Licensed and Closing the First Deal
Lexi joined a team right after passing the exam. She did not research brokerages or compare commission splits. She knew someone who knew someone, and she went with the first option. That is how most new agents start. She was on a team that provided some leads, but most of her business that first year came from her sphere of influence and open houses. She would sit at open houses and wait for someone to walk in. She would follow up with everyone. She treated every lead like it mattered because it did.
Her first closing came in April or May of 2022, a few months after she passed the exam. It was a sphere-of-influence client who happened to be looking at the time she got licensed. The commission check was supposed to be around $10,000, but the team took a cut. She walked away with $7,000 or $8,000. At 20 years old, that felt like life-changing money. It was not just the dollar amount. It was proof that she could do this. She had worked hard to pass the test, to drop out of college, to convince her parents this was the right move. That first check was validation.
She kept going. She did not count her closings obsessively. She just knew she had to keep working. She was taking on bills, moving out of her parents' house, and building a life that depended on commission checks. She could not afford to slow down. She did 15 to 20 sales that first year. Most of them came from open houses and her sphere. Only three came from the team's lead program. She realized quickly that she was paying a commission split for leads she was not getting. That realization would shape her decision to go independent.
Building a TikTok Following Without a Marketing Budget
Lexi started posting on TikTok because no one she knew was on there. That was the appeal. Facebook and Instagram felt too exposed. Everyone had those apps. Her family, her friends, people from high school. TikTok was different. Either people had it or they did not. She could post a video and not worry about what she looked like or how she sounded because the audience was smaller and more anonymous.
Her first viral video was about solar panels. She gave her opinion on why she does not recommend them for buyers in her market. It got 750,000 views. People were mad. People agreed. It ruffled feathers, but it also put her in front of an audience that had never heard of her. She did not get leads from that video. The leads came from home tours.
She started every tour the same way. "I found it, the perfect starter home, let's go look." She would stand in front of a house, film a quick intro on her iPhone using the 0.5 wide-angle lens, and walk through the property. She tried to make the tours fun. She looked for unique homes, waterfront properties, and starter homes in the $275,000 to $350,000 range because those were the ones that sold quickly and looked put together. She posted every single day at first. That was her challenge to herself. Batch content two days a week, film six homes, and make sure she had something to post every day.
She met her best friend on TikTok. Another young agent in Northern Virginia, four hours away near DC. They became accountability buddies. They would call each other every day and ask how many homes they were recording, what they were posting, and whether they were staying consistent. They trialed and errored together. When Lexi got her first lead from TikTok, it was for Northern Virginia. She referred it to her friend, flew up for the closing, and met her in person for the first time. That referral relationship has continued.
Lexi grew her TikTok account to almost 7,000 followers before she hired a coach. She was already getting leads, but she wanted more direction. She hired John Natale, a coach who had been featured on the Real Estate Rockstars podcast. He did not change much about her videos. He gave her the confidence to be in front of the camera more and to trust what she was already doing. She kept posting. She kept filming. She kept showing up.
At some point, she stopped counting views. She stopped worrying about the algorithm. She just knew that if she posted consistently, the leads would come. And they did. Ninety percent of her business was TikTok at one point. Now it is about 60 percent TikTok, 20 percent Instagram, and the rest from her sphere. She started posting on Instagram after attending a real estate conference. She had been scared to post there because everyone she knew was on Instagram. But once she started, she realized it was a completely different audience. The clients were more serious. The opportunities were different. She wishes she had started sooner, but she is okay that she did not. TikTok gave her the courage to go everywhere else.
She does not use expensive equipment. She tried a DJI Osmo Pocket camera for a while because the quality was better, but the videos did not perform as well. The camera did not have a 0.5 wide-angle lens, and that feature made a huge difference in how much of the home she could show. She went back to her iPhone. She uses a DJI mic for audio. That is it. No fancy lighting. No professional videographer. Just her, her phone, and the homes she is touring.
She films one day a week now. She records three homes and makes three different clips for each one. That gives her content for the week. She used to film six homes and post every day, but as her client load increased, she had to figure out how to minimize filming time so she could still show homes and close deals. She posts five times a week if she can. She does not beat herself up if she misses a day. Consistency matters, but so does balance.
When someone comments "info" on one of her videos, she DMs them directly or they click the link in her bio to set up a consultation. Instagram makes it easier with ManyChat, which automatically sends the listing to anyone who comments. TikTok requires more manual follow-up, but the leads are there. She asks every client at the end of a transaction what made them reach out. Most of them say it was not just the home tours. It was the local content. The pros and cons of living in each city. The knowledge she shared about the area. They wanted an agent who knew more than just what the homes looked like.
Her biggest commission check from a social media client was $16,000. She has closed deals with buyers who found her on TikTok, followed her for months, and reached out when they were ready to move. She has built a referral network with agents across the country who send her clients relocating to Virginia. She has never paid for a lead. She has never run Facebook ads. She just posts videos and answers DMs.
York County: Best Value for Military Families
York County is where Lexi grew up. It sits right next to Williamsburg, and it is the area she knows best. Her brokerage, AMW Real Estate, is a boutique firm located here. This is not the biggest city in the region, but it is the one that offers the best value for a family home.
At $400,000, you can get a good family home in York County. Four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a fenced yard. The kind of house where you can raise kids, park two cars in the garage, and not feel like you are stretching your budget to make it work. That same $400,000 in Virginia Beach gets you a starter home. In Williamsburg, it gets you a three-bedroom, two-bath house that is smaller and older. York County is the middle ground. You are close to everything, but you are not paying the premium for oceanfront access or colonial history.
This is a major military hub. Ten bases sit within a 50-mile radius. That is not an exaggeration. You can drive 20 minutes in any direction and hit a base. Cross the water and there are four more bases within 15 minutes. Eighty-five to ninety percent of the loans Lexi works with are VA loans. That is the market here. Military families on PCS orders, first-time buyers using their VA benefits, and relocating service members who need to close quickly because their report date is locked in.
York County is less expensive than Virginia Beach or Williamsburg, but it is not a compromise. You are still getting a solid home in a good location. You are central to multiple bases, so your commute options are flexible. If you are stationed at one base now and transfer to another in a few years, you are still within range. The schools matter here, just like they do everywhere else. Buyers ask about school districts, and Lexi tells them to verify the assigned campus with the district rather than assuming based on the city name. A Temple mailing address does not automatically mean Temple ISD. The same logic applies here.
The market has slowed with rising rates, but military PCS cycles provide steady demand year-round. Families are always moving in and out. That is the nature of a military town. You do not see the same boom-and-bust cycles you might see in a market driven by tech money or investor flips. It is steadier. More predictable. Less risky.
Lexi films a lot of her home tours in York County. She knows the neighborhoods. She knows which streets flood when it rains. She knows which communities have HOAs and which ones do not. She knows where the new construction is going up and where the older homes sit on larger lots. That local knowledge is what her clients value. They are not just buying a house. They are buying into a community, and they want an agent who can tell them what it is actually like to live here.
Virginia Beach: Oceanfront Living at a Premium
Virginia Beach is the city people know Virginia for. It is about an hour from York County, and it is more expensive because of the oceanfront access. At $400,000, you are looking at a starter home. Not a family home with four bedrooms and a fenced yard. A starter home. Smaller square footage. Fewer bedrooms. Maybe a condo with HOA fees that make your monthly payment higher than you expected.
The oceanfront properties are the luxury market here. Anything along the beach starts around $800,000 and goes up from there. Waterfront and oceanfront homes are what people think of when they picture Virginia Beach, but most buyers are not shopping in that price range. They are looking at the neighborhoods a few miles inland, where you can still get to the beach in 10 minutes but you are not paying the premium for a direct view.
Condo fees are a sticking point. Lexi has a listing in Virginia Beach right now, a two-bedroom condo in a good area. The condo fees are high, and that makes buyers hesitate. They see the monthly payment and realize they could get more house somewhere else for the same money. That is the trade-off with Virginia Beach. You are paying for location. You are paying for the beach. You are paying for the fact that this is a destination city with restaurants, nightlife, and a tourism economy that keeps things busy year-round.
Military families still buy here. There are multiple bases nearby, and the commute is manageable depending on where you are stationed. But the price difference between Virginia Beach and York County is significant. If you want a family home with space for kids and a yard, York County gives you more for your money. If you want to be near the ocean and you are okay with a smaller house or a condo, Virginia Beach makes sense.
The market here has slowed with rising rates, just like everywhere else. Sellers are starting to offer concessions, but they are not used to it yet. Lexi has had to walk sellers through the reality that the 2020 market is over. Buyers expect help with closing costs now. They expect the seller to contribute. If you price your home right and you are willing to negotiate, you will still get offers. But the days of multiple offers over asking with no concessions are gone.
Virginia Beach is more of a city-based area. It feels different than York County or Williamsburg. There is more traffic. More development. More people. If you like that energy, you will like Virginia Beach. If you want something quieter and more suburban, look elsewhere.
Williamsburg: Colonial Homes and Historic Character
Williamsburg is the biggest place in the York County area, and it is known for Colonial Williamsburg, the historic district that draws tourists year-round. The homes here reflect that history. They are bigger. They are more colonial in style. Brick facades, larger lots, older trees. The kind of houses that look like they belong in a history book.
At $400,000, you are getting a three-bedroom, two-bath starter home in Williamsburg. Not a four-bedroom family home like you would get in York County. The price premium here is tied to the historic character and the larger, nicer homes that dominate the market. If you want a luxury colonial brick home, Williamsburg is where you find it. Those homes start well above $400,000 and climb into the higher price ranges depending on the lot size and the age of the property.
Older homes command a premium here. Buyers are paying for the history, the architecture, and the prestige of living in Williamsburg. It is not just about square footage. It is about the story the house tells. That matters to some buyers. It does not matter to others. If you are a military family on a budget and you need space for kids, Williamsburg might not be the best fit. If you want a home with character and you are willing to pay for it, Williamsburg delivers.
The schools play a big role in pricing and demand here, just like they do in York County and Virginia Beach. Buyers ask about school districts, and Lexi tells them the same thing every time. Verify the assigned campus with the district. Do not assume based on the city name or the neighborhood. The district boundaries can be confusing, and you do not want to find out six days before closing that your kids are not zoned for the school you thought they were.
Williamsburg is next to York County, so the commute to the bases is similar. You are still within range of multiple installations, and the military presence here is strong. But the housing stock is different. The vibe is different. Williamsburg feels more historic, more established, more expensive. If that appeals to you, it is worth the premium. If you just need a good family home at a fair price, York County is the better option.
Newport News: Part of the 757 Service Area
Newport News is part of the 757 region, the seven cities that make up Hampton Roads. Lexi includes Newport News in her service area for local content. She posts videos about the top things happening in the 757 each weekend, and Newport News is part of that rotation. The military presence here is strong, just like it is across the region. Bases are everywhere. Families are constantly moving in and out.
Lexi does not break down Newport News the same way she does York County, Virginia Beach, or Williamsburg. It is part of the broader market she serves, but it is not the primary focus of her tours or her social media content. When buyers ask about Newport News, she gives them the same advice she gives everyone. Figure out where you are stationed. Figure out your commute. Figure out your budget. Then we will find the right area.
The 757 is a connected market. You can live in one city and work in another without a brutal commute. That flexibility is one of the benefits of this region. You are not locked into one neighborhood or one school district. You have options. Newport News is one of those options, and it fits into the larger conversation about where military families should look when they are relocating to Virginia.
Hampton: Military Presence Across the Region
Hampton is another city in the 757, and like Newport News, it is part of Lexi's service area for local content. The military presence here is significant. Bases are close. Families are moving in and out on PCS orders. The housing market reflects that steady demand.
Lexi does not film as many home tours in Hampton as she does in York County or Virginia Beach, but she includes it in her broader coverage of the region. When buyers reach out and ask about Hampton, she walks them through the same process. Where are you stationed? What is your budget? What do you need in a home? The answers to those questions determine whether Hampton is the right fit.
The 757 is a military market. That is the defining characteristic of this region. Hampton is part of that market, and it serves military families the same way York County, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg do. The differences come down to price, commute, and the specific neighborhoods you are looking at. Lexi knows those differences because she grew up here and she works here every day.
Southhook: New Construction in a Developing Area
Southhook is out in the boondocks. That is how Lexi describes it. It is more rural than York County or Virginia Beach, but it is a big developing area right now. New construction is going up quickly, and buyers who want a brand-new home are looking here because there are not many other options in the region.
New construction is limited across Hampton Roads. You can find spec builders and D.R. Horton communities, but the opportunities are not endless. When a new community opens up, it moves fast. Southhook is one of those areas where new homes are being built, and buyers are jumping on them before they are finished. If you want new construction and you are willing to drive a little farther to get it, Southhook is worth considering.
Lexi highlights new communities on her social media when they open. She knows her audience includes buyers who want a brand-new home with no maintenance issues, no old HVAC systems, and no surprises. Southhook gives them that option. It is not as central as York County, and it is not as developed as Virginia Beach, but it is growing. The infrastructure is still building out, and the neighborhoods are still taking shape. If you are okay with that, Southhook offers something you cannot get in the more established cities.
Serving Military Buyers in the Largest Military Hub in the U.S.
Virginia's Hampton Roads region is the largest military hub in the United States. Ten bases within a 50-mile radius. Eighty-five to ninety percent of Lexi's loans are VA loans. That is the market. Military families on PCS orders, first-time buyers using their VA benefits, and relocating service members who need to close quickly because their report date is locked in.
Lexi works with VA lenders who are well-versed in VA loans because that is all they do here. Any lender in this market knows how to handle a VA transaction. They know the appraisal process. They know the timelines. They know the objections sellers have and how to address them. It is not like working in a market where VA loans are rare and lenders treat them like a specialty product. Here, VA loans are the norm.
Sellers in this market are used to VA buyers, but they still have misconceptions. The biggest one is the VA appraisal. Sellers think VA appraisals are stricter than conventional appraisals, and they are not wrong. The VA appraiser is looking out for the buyer. They will call out a missing smoke alarm. They will flag a wiggly handrail. They will note things that a conventional appraiser might overlook. That does not mean the home is in bad shape. It just means the VA wants to make sure the buyer is not walking into a property with safety issues.
The other concern sellers have is the appraisal value. If the home does not appraise, the VA will not fund more than what the home is worth. A conventional buyer could pay the difference out of pocket if they wanted to. A VA buyer cannot do that without bringing extra cash to the table, and most VA buyers are using their benefits because they do not have a huge down payment saved up. That makes sellers nervous. They worry the deal will fall apart if the appraisal comes in low.
Lexi explains this to her sellers every time. The VA appraisal is not a dealbreaker. It is a safeguard. If the home is priced right and it is in good condition, the appraisal will come in at value. If it does not, we can renegotiate. That is part of the process. Sellers who understand that are more willing to work with VA buyers. Sellers who do not understand it are the ones who push back.
When a military family calls Lexi and says they are PCSing to Virginia in 90 days, the first thing she does is get them pre-approved. Then she figures out which area makes sense based on where they are stationed. If they are going to one of the bases near York County, that is where she focuses. If they are going to a base near Virginia Beach, she shows them homes there. The commute matters. The schools matter if they have kids. The budget matters because not every family qualifies for the same loan amount.
Lexi asks about school districts, but she tells buyers to verify the assigned campus with the district rather than assuming based on the neighborhood. She asks about their timeline. She asks about their must-haves and their deal-breakers. Then she starts sending listings. She does not waste time showing homes that do not fit. She does not push buyers into a price range they are not comfortable with. She just listens, learns what they need, and finds it.
Military families are her bread and butter. They are the reason her business is steady even when the market slows down. PCS season is huge. There are always people moving in and out. That steady demand is what makes this market less risky than a market driven by tech money or investor flips. Military families have to move. They do not have a choice. That creates opportunity for agents who know how to serve them.
Which Virginia Market Is Right for You?
If you want the best value for a family home, York County is the answer. At $400,000, you are getting four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a fenced yard. You are central to multiple bases, so your commute is flexible no matter where you are stationed. The schools are solid, and the neighborhoods are established. You are not paying a premium for oceanfront access or historic character. You are just getting a good house in a good location at a fair price.
If you want to be near the beach and you are okay with a smaller house or a condo, Virginia Beach makes sense. You are paying more for the same square footage, but you are getting oceanfront access and a city vibe. The restaurants are better. The nightlife is better. The tourism economy keeps things busy year-round. If that appeals to you, the premium is worth it. If you just need space for your family and you do not care about the beach, York County gives you more for your money.
If you want a home with historic character and you are willing to pay for it, Williamsburg is where you look. The homes are bigger, more colonial, and more expensive. At $400,000, you are getting a three-bedroom, two-bath starter home, not a four-bedroom family home. The older homes with brick facades and larger lots command a premium, and buyers are paying for the prestige of living in Williamsburg. If that matters to you, it is worth the extra cost. If it does not, York County is the better option.
If you want new construction and you are willing to drive a little farther, Southhook is developing quickly. New communities are going up, and buyers are jumping on them because new construction opportunities are limited across the region. You are trading convenience for a brand-new home with no maintenance issues. If that trade-off works for you, Southhook is worth considering.
Newport News and Hampton are part of the broader 757 market. They serve military families the same way York County, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg do. The differences come down to price, commute, and the specific neighborhoods you are looking at. Lexi knows those differences because she grew up here and she works here every day. When buyers reach out, she walks them through the options and helps them figure out which area fits their needs.
The military presence is strong across the entire region. Ten bases within a 50 miles. Eighty-five to ninety percent of loans are VA loans. That steady demand is what makes this market less risky than other markets. Families are always moving in and out. PCS season is huge. If you are relocating to Virginia, you are not alone. There are thousands of other military families doing the same thing, and there are agents like Lexi who know how to help you navigate the process.
Advice for Young Agents Starting Out
Lexi started at 20. She had no backup plan. She dropped out of college, passed the real estate exam, and built a business that now runs primarily on social media leads. She did not have a mentor at first. She did not have a team leader pouring knowledge into her. She just had the courage to start and the consistency to keep going.
If you are a young agent starting out, here is what she wants you to know. Be consistent. Try something and stick with it for six months. Do not give up after two weeks because you did not get a lead. Do not give up after a month because your videos did not go viral. Give it time. Put in the work. The results will come.
People are going to look at you. They are going to ask how old you are. They are going to laugh when you tell them you are the agent. That happened to Lexi. She would show up at a showing and another agent would ask where her agent was. She would say, "I'm the agent." One person laughed. Most people were just shocked. You are trusting a 20-year-old to help you buy a home. That is a big deal. But the more experience you get, the more confident you sound. The more confident you sound, the less people question your age.
Join a team or find a mentor. Do not go into this alone. The test does not teach you what to say to a client on the phone. The test does not teach you how to handle a transaction. You need someone who has done this before to show you the ropes. Look for a team that offers real training, not just leads. Look for a team leader who cares about your success and is willing to pour knowledge into you. Do not focus on the commission split. Focus on what you are going to learn. The money will come later.
Get your CRM in order from day one. Lexi wishes she had been more organized at the beginning. Now every lead that comes in from social media goes directly into her CRM. She does not have to manually enter them. She does not have to chase down contact information. It is all there. If you start with good habits now, you will not have to clean up a mess later.
Do open houses. Try cold calling. Try social media. Try everything, but give each thing enough time to work. Do not try cold calling for a week and then quit because you did not get a lead. Do not post three videos and then give up because nobody commented. Stick with it. Lexi did open houses at the beginning. She set a goal to get five clients from open houses each year. She would do as many open houses as it took to hit that goal. Then she moved on to the next lead generation strategy. That is how you build a business. One strategy at a time. One client at a time.
Do not spend money on expensive marketing. You can do more yourself than you think. Fancy videos are nice, but they do not convert as well as raw, authentic content. People want to see you. They want to hear you. They want to know what it is like to work with you. You do not need a professional videographer. You do not need a $2,000 camera. You just need your phone and the courage to press record.
Spend money on a mentor or a coach. Invest in yourself. Lexi hired a coach when she was already getting leads from TikTok. She did not need someone to tell her how to make videos. She needed someone to give her the confidence to keep going. That is what a good coach does. They help you see what you are already doing right and they push you to do more of it.
Do not let fear stop you. Lexi was scared to post on Instagram because everyone she knew was on there. She was scared people would judge her. She was scared she would look stupid. But once she started posting, she realized Instagram was a completely different audience. The clients were more serious. The opportunities were different. She wishes she had started sooner, but she is okay that she did not. TikTok gave her the courage to go everywhere else. Start where you feel comfortable. Then expand.
Be yourself. Do not try to sound like someone else. Do not try to copy another agent's style. People can tell when you are being fake. They can tell when you are trying too hard. Just be you. Talk the way you talk. Show homes the way you want to show them. Share the knowledge you have. That authenticity is what builds trust. That trust is what turns a follower into a client.
People are going to judge you. Other agents are going to tell you they have been in the business for 20 years and they know more than you. That is fine. Let them think that. You just keep working. You just keep closing deals. You just keep showing up. The results will speak for themselves.
Conclusion
Lexi Lohse built a real estate business at 20 years old using TikTok, an iPhone, and the courage to post videos when nobody was watching. She dropped out of college, passed her real estate exam, and closed her first deal within a few months. She did not have a backup plan. She did not have a team pouring leads into her pipeline. She just had the consistency to keep showing up and the confidence to trust that the work would pay off.
Virginia's Hampton Roads market is the largest military hub in the United States. Ten bases within a 50-mile radius. Eighty-five to ninety percent of loans are VA loans. York County offers the best value for a family home at $400,000. Virginia Beach commands a premium for oceanfront access. Williamsburg prices reflect colonial history and larger homes. Southhook is developing quickly with new construction opportunities. Newport News and Hampton are part of the broader 757 market that serves military families year-round.
If you are relocating to Virginia, I can help you figure out which area fits your needs. If you are a young agent trying to build a business, I can show you what worked for me. If you are wondering whether social media actually generates closings, the answer is yes. Ninety percent of my business came from TikTok at one point. Now it is a mix of TikTok, Instagram, and referrals. I do not pay for leads. I do not run ads. I just post videos and answer DMs.
Reach out if you want to talk. I am happy to help military families find a home in Virginia. I am happy to help young agents figure out social media. I am happy to refer leads to agents in other markets because I have built a referral network across the country. This business is not about competition. It is about helping each other succeed. Let me know how I can help you.
FAQ
How much does a $400,000 home get you in York County versus Virginia Beach?
In York County, $400,000 gets you a good family home with four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a fenced yard. In Virginia Beach, that same $400,000 gets you a starter home with fewer bedrooms and less square footage because you are paying a premium for oceanfront access and a city-based location. York County offers better value for buyers who need space.
Are VA loans common in Virginia's Hampton Roads market?
Yes. Eighty-five to ninety percent of loans in this market are VA loans because the region is home to 10 military bases within a 50-mile radius. Lenders here are well-versed in VA transactions, and sellers are used to working with VA buyers. The VA appraisal process is stricter than conventional appraisals, but it is designed to protect the buyer.
Do you need thousands of followers to generate real estate leads on TikTok?
No. You can get leads with 800 followers if you are consistent and you post the right content. The algorithm pushes your videos to people who are interested in real estate in your area. Once someone follows you, you show up in their feed regularly. That constant visibility is what turns a follower into a client.
Should new agents join a team or go independent right away?
Join a team or find a mentor. The real estate exam does not teach you how to handle a transaction or what to say to a client on the phone. You need someone who has done this before to show you the ropes. Look for a team that offers real training, not just leads. Focus on what you are going to learn, not the commission split. The money will come later.
What is the biggest mistake young agents make when starting out?
They give up too soon. They try cold calling for a week and quit because they did not get a lead. They post three videos and quit because nobody commented. You need to give any lead generation strategy at least six months before you decide it does not work. Consistency is what separates agents who succeed from agents who quit.
Is expensive video equipment necessary for real estate social media?
No. An iPhone with a 0.5 wide-angle lens and a DJI mic is all you need. Fancy cameras produce better quality, but the videos do not perform as well because people want raw, authentic content. They want to see you and hear you, not a polished production that feels like a commercial.

Mathew Dick
Mathew Dick is a trusted real estate professional specializing in buying, selling, and relocating in Central Texas. With a client-focused approach, he ensures a smooth and successful journey for every homebuyer and seller.














