Generation Z real estate influencers are selling houses one joke at a time on TikTok

Merek Greene gives a lot of home tours IRL. But then the 24 year old luxury real estate agent decided to post a virtual tour of one of his properties on TikTok in July, giving the video a silly, topical twist.

Greene casts herself as a “Love Island” contestant who has just received a text about an ad and describes the San Diego apartment as a new bombshell who “won’t stay single for long.”

“It’s beautiful, ready to go and attention-grabbing,” says Greene. “Let’s see if this is your perfect match.” The video ends with a call to schedule a private screening.

Greene, a former theater kid and agent at Compass in San Diego, posts real estate tours, snippets of his daily life, dance videos and real estate comedy skits to his more than 19,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok. As part of a generation that grew up online, he knows that social media is a powerful tool for his career – not only for translating mentions into sales, but also for building his brand and reputation to capture the attention of future customers.

But unlike the average agent who posts self-serious slideshows of glossy photos, Greene is part of a cohort of Gen Z real estate agents make a name for yourself online with humor. The real estate content creators are here, and to the chagrin of their more traditional elders, they’re recruiting clients and making sales with jokes and dance videos at the same time.

For Greene, a social media presence is a way to be more recognizable to potential customers.

“People may think of a real estate agent as an old man in a suit — not necessarily energetic or fun,” Greene told me. He wants his followers and potential clients to see that he’s a real person – someone who also “just sold a $2.1 million house.”

“I’m building exposure,” he said, likening each video he makes to hosting an open house. “I’ve gotten a lot of referrals just by staying top-of-mind by posting. I think that’s the biggest power of building your brand on social media and showing your authentic self.”

It’s paying off: since 2022, he’s closed more than $22 million in real estate deals.

Gen Z agents tend toward comedy

In an unstable job market, real estate has become an increasingly popular career path for Generation Z, who are attracted to the opportunity to make serious money outside of the traditional 9-to-5 job. NAR’s member profile shows that the share of brokers under the age of 30 rose from 1% in 2023 to 4% in 2024, before reaching 3% in 2025.

For these digital-native agents, TikTok and Instagram are important platforms for building followers. But with countless agents vying for attention in an endless scroll, standing out is crucial. One way to stand out is to make people laugh.

Tampa-based agent Breanna Banaciski, who describes herself as a “comedian disguised as a real estate agent,” roasts the homes she sells. In one turn, she jokes about Martha Stewart’s prison cell was larger than the house’s 800 square feet. Trenton Miller has built a following of over 2 million with his comically nauseating following quick home tourswhile Maine agent Mitchell Tebo does literal backflips in lakes and rivers before showing properties.

“We’re seeing more agents focus on humor, trends and relatable moments because they know another ‘Just Listed’ post won’t necessarily stop someone from scrolling,” says Katie Lance, a social media consultant who has taught real estate marketing online and at national conferences for nearly two decades. “People do business with people they know, like, trust and can identify with, and humor is relatable.”

Being funny online can be rewarding, but several agents told me there’s a downside to making yourself part of the entertainment.

Toni Marmo, a former real estate agent from New Jersey, told me she faced judgment from colleagues for making fun of herself in her Reels. In one of her videos, she pokes fun at being a Gen Z real estate agent and pretends to be friends with a client, dropping Gen Z lingo and references to “Love Island.” The video received more than 247,000 likes and 14,400 shares on TikTok, but Marmo said not everyone in her office was a fan.

“It wasn’t the buyers, sellers or anyone else who got upset,” Marmo said. “It was more like other officers saying, ‘Who is this young girl making a fool of herself, making a joke about what we’re doing?'”

MJ Maitland, a 25-year-old agent with North Texas-based eXp Realty, told me that no one at her brokerage questions her content. In fact, her signature shtick – suddenly sprinting through beautifully mid-century modern homes – is so expected by her nearly 14,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok that she says they get upset when she isn’t in her videos.

Still, Maitland said some agents outside her brokerage don’t understand it.

“Honestly, thank God the officers I met in person were great,” she said. “But I haven’t had great experiences with agents who just don’t know me or understand what I do.”

Success on social media can open the door to other career paths

After building a significant following through her videos, Marmo left real estate in 2025 to pursue a career full-time content creator. She now posts lifestyle and business videos to help her 70,000-plus TikTok and Instagram followers explore their twenties.

Marmo, who has inked deals with brands like Wawa, Dairy Queen, skin-care brand Tower 28 and the movie “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” told me she now makes more money creating content than she ever did selling real estate.

“Each paid brand deal yields the equivalent of half to a whole real estate check,” she said, adding that she is typically paid between $1,200 and $3,200 and more for a single brand deal, depending on results.

Marmo said other young officers are also starting to see posting online as a source of income — and in some cases, a new career path.

“I see a lot of them realizing they can make just as much money posting content,” Marmo said. “I still get a lot of DMs from people who got into the real estate industry and are struggling. They ask me how I got out of the industry, and I think they follow my journey because it shows them that other options are possible.”

For Maitland, expanding her online brand to incorporate her interests in architecture, history and thrifting isn’t about building an off-ramp to another career. She plans to stay in real estate and appease her fans by sprinting past mid-century homes in Dallas, but emphasized that she doesn’t want her page to be “sales-y.”

“People want to see more than just being a cop,” she said. “Being funny is my niche. It works, so why not?”