In the competitive Southlake, TX real estate market, the traditional approach of waiting for the phone to ring is no longer enough. Buyers and sellers now conduct their own research online before ever contacting an agent, forming opinions and narrowing down their choices based on what they find. This shift has led Justin Nimergood, leader of the Top Gun Team at Epique Realty, to make a media presence a mandatory requirement for his agents, not an optional extra.
Nimergood has seen the impact firsthand. His own growing social media presence recently led to an inbound message from a former college roommate, who is now in the process of joining the Top Gun Team. This wasn't a paid lead or a cold call result; it was the natural outcome of consistent, authentic content that prompted someone to reach out on their own terms.
The new real estate consumer does their own research first. Agents who are winning business today are not the ones with the loudest pitch, but those who show up when a buyer or seller starts searching for answers about the market, a neighborhood, or the buying process. “They don’t want to be sold to anymore,” Nimergood said. “The new consumer of real estate is well educated and well informed, and they will find you. They don’t want to be found; they want to find you.” This changes the role of marketing: instead of interrupting with cold calls or mailers, a media presence allows prospective clients to do their own due diligence at their own pace, so when they finally reach out, they already trust you.
One common misconception is that a media presence requires viral stunts or elaborate productions. Nimergood is quick to dispel this: “You don’t need to be doing TikTok dances and jumping out from behind pot plants.” The bar is lower and more sustainable: be consistent and be an educator. An agent who regularly shares useful, local information builds more trust than one who tries to go viral once and disappears. This approach is also easier to maintain long-term; a short, informative video about a market trend or a common buyer mistake requires far less effort than a heavily produced piece, yet it does more to build a real relationship with viewers.
A media presence also serves a dual purpose for team leaders: it helps win clients and recruits simultaneously. On the client side, someone who has followed an agent’s content arrives already comfortable, having seen the agent’s philosophy and watched them answer questions. This comfort shortens the sales cycle and reduces the time spent establishing credibility. On the recruiting side, the same content reaches agents evaluating whether to join a team. A recruit who watches a team leader consistently add value on camera gains a clearer picture of what working with that leader would be like than they would from a slide deck.
The most common objection agents raise is time. Many are busy closing deals and don’t want to become part-time video editors. To address this, the Top Gun Team’s “Podcast in a Box” program handles production, editing, and publishing, so the agent only needs to show up and talk about what they already know. Agents interested in learning more about this support and the team’s recruiting approach can visit the team’s About page.
A media presence has stopped being a nice-to-have for agents competing in Southlake and across Dallas-Fort Worth. It has become one of the clearest ways to be found by the buyers, sellers, and future teammates who are already looking.
