Few things are as critical and fundamental to your real estate career as your real estate bio is. From your Zillow profile bio, to your LinkedIn page, to the profile on your broker’s website, and everything in between. Today, we’re going to cover how to write a killer real estate bio that stands out and gets clients.
This post is different from a lot of the articles you will read on the web for a few reasons.
First, it’s written by someone who was paid thousands of dollars as a self-taught freelance copywriter. In other words, I wrote content, emails and sales pages that businesses paid me for.
Second, my tips are the EXACT ones I use to write a killer real estate bio for myself. My real estate bios have generated Millions of dollars in production over the years.
I’m not saying this to brag. Rather, I’m trying to show you the quality of my advice. It’s real world stuff. They are tips that I have used to earn money in the real estate industry as an agent.
This post isn’t written by some content writer who knows nothing about being a real estate agent and has never crafted a real estate bio that generates sales.
It’s quite the opposite.
I bring all of this up because, unfortunately, there is some crappy advice out there about how to write a real estate bio. Most of it is garbage.
If you follow the advice in those articles, you will have a boring profile that doesn’t do anything to get more real estate leads and clients.
Why You Won’t Find Real Estate Bio Samples
This post doesn’t contain real estate bio samples, other than my own. That’s because I don’t want to share real estate bio examples that don’t generate revenue or leads.
There are real estate bios that are just as effective as mine, and maybe even more effective. Unfortunately, I don’t know which real estate bios generate revenue and leads.
I can guess with probability, but not certainty.
Plus, I believe in the proverb: “You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day or you can teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”
I’m afraid that if you directly copy a real estate bio, you won’t learn how to write your own killer real estate bio.
Instead, I want to focus the post on the tips I’m going to share so that you can write your own real estate bio and update it as needed.
Your real estate bio should never sit static. It should be updated frequently.
With all that said, let’s get started with the rules for how to write a killer real estate bio.
Rule #1: It’s Not About You
It’s kind of confusing, right? Isn’t your real estate bio supposed to be all about you?
Actually… no.
It’s about prospective buyers and sellers.
Sure, your real estate bio is going to be full of information about you, but it all serves a purpose for prospective buyers and home sellers.
Said another way, every single word you write on your real estate bio needs to be written for the purpose of resonating and connecting with prospective real estate clients and leads so you can close more transactions every year.
This rule is the most important rule and it’s the rule that is most broken.
I read real estate bios that are boring and don’t connect with clients. They are full of information facts like this:
Despite the intentions of the real estate agents, the words in the average agent’s bio mean nothing to their potential leads and clients. As a result, most real estate agents NEVER get any leads or clients from their bio.
I call this the I, I, I syndrome. It’s where a real estate agent just focuses on them rather than their clients.
Why does it matter that you have two kids and a dog? It might be important, but most real estate agents fail to make a connection to something that is important and relevant to potential leads.
Every single word you write, must EARN its way into your real estate bio. It must have a specific reason that relates to your potential leads and the market you’re targeting.
How To Make Your Real Estate Bio About Them
Creating a real estate bio that is about your potential leads starts with understanding who they are, their hopes, desires, fears, and obstacles.
The reality is that crafting an effective real estate bio is difficult to do if you’re not niching down and targeting a specific market. This market could be anything — move up buyers, probate leads, and anything in between.
When you target everyone in your real estate bio, you target nobody.
Let’s run through some examples of how to make it more about your potential leads.
For me, I target home buyers who don’t want to deal with the stereotypical sleazy, slimy salesy real estate agent. And I speak to this fact. I have something like this in my real estate bio:
“I have noticed a few trends. Namely: a home buyer’s desire for an authentic, non-salesy experience that doesn’t leave you feeling dirtier than a pig rolling around in mud.”
I’m speaking directly to these home buyers. And this resonates with people. I know it resonates because I get people calling me and emailing me saying things like, “I read your profile and I really loved it!”
Here’s how this might work if you’re targeting move up buyers.
“You can organize and Marie Kondo the shit out of your home, but you can’t create more square footage. If you’re tired of stepping on your kid’s toys or exhausted from the fighting between your children because there isn’t any room to have their own space.
I hear you. I specialize in helping families trade in their once-perfect-home and starter homes for a new, bigger home that provides more room for… well, everything.”
Rule #2: Show Your Personality
I am amazed how people can write a real estate bio that shares a ton of personal information, and yet, still doesn’t show what kind of person the real estate agent is.
Some bios will tell you all about an agent’s kids, dog, and where they live, but won’t share anything that speaks to who they are, their personality, and their character.
Your bio should show your personality. It’s best if you can do it in the tone of your writing. For me, I like to use humor because I’m like a mushroom — I’m a fungi (get the pun?).
But in all seriousness, if you don’t consider yourself a great writer, you can still show your personality. I find the easiest way to do this is to mention the kind of media that you watch, read, or listen to.
In my bio, I mention Harry Potter and Dr. Who. I write:
“You see, working with me is like working with your nerdy-trusted friend who loves Harry Potter (House of Ravenclaw. Can I get a holla’?), Doctor Who, and making a good pun.”
You see, I live to my reputation. I made a good pun in this article.
Just from this short sentence, you can tell my personality. I’m a bit nerdy, quirky, eccentric, witty, and have a sense of humor.
If that’s not you, that’s okay. You can still show your personality. Here’s an opposite example of me.
“When I’m not out helping clients find their dream home, you can find me curled up with my blanket and a glass of wine binge watching the latest seasons of Sweet Magnolias.”
All you have to do is describe your vice. What kind of media do you consume? How do you consume it? What’s your greatest pleasure?
Be descriptive and vivid.
Rule #3: Skip The Resume
Related to focusing on your clients, your real estate bio is not your resume. You shouldn’t mention your past career experience unless it’s highly relevant to your clients or you have a specific purpose.
For example, I recommend my service in the National Guard because I want to call attention to other veterans or people who support the military.
Other than that, I don’t mention my past work experience.
You shouldn’t either unless it’s highly related to real estate and you can tie it into a meaningful way for potential leads and clients.
Let me run through some basic examples, like nursing or teaching.
Nurses might write something like:
“As a nurse I learned the value of focusing on patient-centered care — creating a treatment plan that was aligned with my patient’s lifestyle, values, and religion. It wasn’t a plan that was best for me, but my patient. I’ve taken that same mindset and applied it to real estate. I’m an agent that is focused on delivering a client-focused service. It’s not about me. It’s about my clients. I call it my “compassion over commission approach”.
Note: this copy actually came because of my training in nursing school. I took those mindsets I learned in nursing school and adopted them into my business.
A teach could write something like this:
“As a teacher, I know the value of knowledge and education. That’s why I love working with first-time home buyers. As a real estate agent, I get to use my training and passion to help educate first-time home buyers and remove their fears and barriers. By empowering them with knowledge, they can make smart, effective decisions.”
If you don’t feel like you can tie your past work experience into real estate, don’t mention it then.
Rule #4: Add Social Proof
Social proof takes the form of reviews, testimonials, or credibility metrics. It’s an important element to establishing credibility and gaining the trust of potential clients.
In my real estate bio, I found a few ways to add in social proof and I devote an entire short paragraph to it.
“After helping nearly 100+ people sell their home or buy a new one, self-publishing two real estate books, and being quoted in the Lansing State Journal, I have noticed a few trends.”
I am deliberately building credibility to communicate to prospective clients that I am the best real estate agent for the job.
- I helped over 100+ clients: Meaning, I’ve done this before. I’m an experienced real estate agent.
- Self-published books: I wrote a book, so I must be an expert on the subject.
- A local newspaper quoted me: Even the authoritative newspaper wants what I have to say when it comes to real estate.
As a new real estate agent, you might not be able to add a ton of social proof to your real estate bio. That’s okay.
Start collecting some. After your first year in real estate, you should have some social proof to use in your real estate bio — even if it’s just a simple review.
How To Write A Real Estate Bio For New Agents
As a new real estate agent, you can follow all of the tips laid out in this post. A good real estate bio for new agents will focus on prospective clients, show your personality, skip the resume, and have some social proof. Your real estate bio is a great way to get your first few clients.
Since you’re new, you may face some challenges or barriers. For example, it might be hard to write to your prospective clients. When you do enough transactions, your clients start to say the same things. They have the same hopes, fears, and barriers.
Naturally, you learn what your clients want and fear. It’s hard to imagine what prospective clients might want or fear.
For that reason, my advice is simple: target the market that you are in.
Target The Market You’re In
When I say target the market you’re in, I mean write like you’re trying to convince yourself to hire you as a real estate agent.
What are your fears, hopes, and barriers? Why might you need to move or sell a home? What do you want in a real estate agent?
We tend to become the kind of agents we want to work with. Think about the kind of agent you want to work with and write from that perspective.
When I was a new real estate agent, this is what I did. I didn’t want to work with a sales-y agent and I didn’t want to be the kind of agent that blows up a home buyer’s phone.
So, I wrote from that perspective. I focused on targeting home buyers that wanted less of a sales experience and more of a consultative experience.
Will you craft the perfect real estate bio on your first crack? Probably not. But, it will be a lot better than the average real estate bio I have to read.
Update Your Bio Often
As a new real estate agent, I recommend that you update your real estate bio frequently. Do NOT let it sit static. Especially if you’re in your first year as a real estate agent.
You’re going to learn a lot about the industry, who you are, and what clients are looking for. At least quarterly, you should rewrite your real estate bio. See if there is a better way to resonate with prospective clients and leads.
Your first draft won’t be your final draft.
I rewrite my real estate bio almost every year. Life changes me. I enter new stages of life, I adopt different philosophies, the real estate market changes, and so much more.
Here’s a perfect example from my own career: when I was new, I never thought to target or mention horse property owners. By chance, I had a client who needed to sell their horse farm. I didn’t have experience in this particular niche, but I was up for the challenge.
Since this type of market is so unique, I make sure to mention it in my real estate bio. And it’s worked. I’ve had leads come in that were looking to buy or sell a horse farm.
If I left my real estate bio static and didn’t update it since I joined real estate, I would have missed out on these real estate leads.
How Long Should My Real Estate Bio Be?
I’m a big believer in writing as long of a real estate bio as I possibly can on any given platform. So, if I’m given 1,000 words, I’m going to try to hit 1,000 words.
If they give me 250 characters, like a social media bio, then I will condense it.
The longer the real estate bio, the better. It provides more opportunity to connect and resonate with your prospective clients.
There is an opportunity to convert more leads and clients with a longer real estate bio. I can show who I am, what I believe in, the market I can target, and more.
Start with a longer real estate bio and condense as needed. When you write a longer real estate bio, you can modify it for platforms that require short, concise bios.
How Often To Update Your Experienced Real Estate Bio
Update your bio at least yearly. I know it seems pointless. Too many agents approach their real estate bio as a “set it and forget it”.
If you had a real estate bio that could generate just two to three sales per year, that’s worth tens of thousands of dollars.
It literally pays to have a killer real estate bio. All it takes is a couple of hours to review or rewrite your real estate bio.
That’s an investment with an incredible ROI. What else can you do in your business that has such a huge impact?
Read through your real estate bio every year and ask yourself:
- Is my bio still relevant?
- Has the market changed and we’re seeing different clients in the market?
- Am I targeting a new niche?
- Do I have any new skills, experience, or social proof that I can add to my real estate bio?
Most often the answer is yes. Something will likely have changed in the last year. The real estate market alone is changing and changing quickly.
Using ChatGPT To Write Real Estate Bio
Pro: you can get a real estate bio in seconds. Rather than staring at a blank screen trying to figure out what to type, you can ask the AI platform for a bio and get up and running in seconds.Con: It’s not conversion focused and lacks personality. In an industry where everyone looks the same, it’s good to stand out. You can do that through your agent bio.
You can see from the example that ChatGPT gave me a pretty generic bio that could be said about almost ANY real estate agent.
If you’re in a pinch though and just trying to get your agent profiles created, this is a great solution. I would go back and rewrite your real estate bio to focus on conversions.
Final Words On Real Estate Bios
Who doesn’t want more real estate clients at virtually no marketing cost? That beats paying astronomical prices to companies like Zillow.
Great real estate bios aren’t pulled out of thin air, it starts with understanding prospective clients and writing for them. Connect with them, show your personality, skip the resume, and add social proof.
A real estate bio that follows these rules will stand out and get you clients.
