Lee Davenport

*The quiz closed on Aug. 29, 2019. Thank you to the 1,830 people who participated!

By Lee Davenport

Are you still stuck in the vortex of what I call the “wild, wild west” of social media? That’s a dangerous place for your business to stay.

The “wild, wild west” of social media was a time when anything and everything seems to be allowed when it came to marketing your real estate business online—from harmless quirky costumes to illegally redlining areas.

But it’s a new day and our sheriffs (the regulatory bodies) are being much more proactive in banning, blocking, fining (from $450 to a jaw-dropping $5 billion) and even jailing offenders. As a result, it’s time to clean up your social media act. But where do you begin?

Here is a quick quiz to help:

The quiz closed on Aug. 29, 2019. Thank you to the 1,830 people who participated! Read my follow-up article geared toward brokers: “Are Your Agents’ Social Media Ads Breaking the Law?”

How did you score? If you have questions about your answers, then check out my free master class, “Will Your Social Media Land You in a Hot-Mess?” in the video below.

Remember, it doesn’t matter what your clients prefer, you are held to a higher standard under the federal and state Fair Housing Acts and other real estate laws and regulations. Thus, make sure you abide by the law (there is no shame in taking a refresher course from your local real estate commission) and explain it to your clients. This is your business, livelihood, and life, not theirs. “So and so made me do it,” will not absolve you from guilt—this is real life and we’re in a serious business. The advertising you do for a property cannot exclude protected classes—and state laws often include more classes than the federal law. LawAtlas has a great tool for searching state Fair Housing protections. And you need to be including your brokerage name and its contact information in your marketing as well. You also need to be representing listings as accurately as possible and disclose if an app or filter was used on a photograph. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, and picking and choosing how you adhere to the law can get you reported.

I would love to hear from you. Give me a shout on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or by visiting LearnWithDrLee.com. And, be sure to tell the real estate agents you know to get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook, Plan to Win!, to transform their real estate sales game plan. Here’s to your success.

Dr. Lee Davenport is an Atlanta-based real estate coach who trains agents, teams, brokerages, and other business organizations on how to use today’s technology to work smarter. Join Lee’s free RE Tech Insider’s Club by visiting www.LearnWithLee.REALTOR.