What could a Grateful Dead concert, a missing Metro station and a former home of Alexander Graham Bell possibly have to do with generating real estate business?
For Georgetown real estate agent Jamie Peva, they are all part of the same hyperlocal content strategy. One that has helped boost his business by 20% by year two.
Rather than competing with agents posting market updates, listing tours and homebuying tips, Peva has built an Instagram audience around the history of Georgetown. His reels answer questions locals didn’t even know they had:
- Who lived in that house?
- What happened on this street?
- Is that old neighborhood story really true?
Today, nearly 40,000 people follow along.
Evolving Without Starting Over
Peva, a 60-year-old agent with Washington Fine Properties, has sold homes in Georgetown for more than three decades. He estimates he has participated in the sale of 460 of the historic Washington, D.C., neighborhood’s roughly 2,500 houses.
That experience has given him plenty of real estate knowledge. But instead of filling his Instagram account with market updates and listing tours, Peva built a channel around the stories behind Georgetown’s homes, former residents and local culture.
Peva recently told The Wall Street Journal that Georgetown real estate, and the way agents promote themselves, has changed significantly during his 30-year career. He said:
“As this change was underfoot, I was thinking that I needed to evolve myself too.”
With help from his daughter Violet, who films and edits his reels, Peva published his first video in November 2023.
His videos cover historic houses, neighborhood myths, famous former residents, local businesses and moments when Georgetown collided with pop culture. His most popular reel, about the Grateful Dead playing in Georgetown, generated more than 838,000 views, according to WSJ.
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Many of the people watching those videos have no immediate plans to buy or sell a home. That doesn’t make them the wrong audience.
Peva calls his Instagram account “the digital version of a refrigerator magnet.” People may not need an agent today, but his local stories give them a reason to remember him until they do.
“Hyperlocal” Is Not a Niche
Georgetown is Peva’s hyperlocal market. History is the niche that makes his account worth following.
Peva researches old newspapers, books and Library of Congress records for up to two hours a day. He then turns what he finds into stories about the people, buildings and events that shaped the neighborhood.
In one recent reel, Peva took on the familiar claim that Georgetown does not have a Metro station because wealthy residents blocked it. He explained why the full story also involves the enormous engineering challenges and cost of building beneath the neighborhood.
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For anyone who doesn’t want to commit to two hours of research a day, it’s still possible to create a hyperlocal strategy that generates engagement and opens the door to more conversations. BAMx members receive customizable weekly content, live content audits with The Broke Agent and access to the Hyperlocal Content AI Tool, which pulls timely stories for an agent’s specific market or niche and turns them into scripts and content ideas.
How to Find Your Hyperlocal Niche
Peva’s niche focuses on the neighborhood’s history, homes and culture, subjects he researches and knows well enough to explore from dozens of angles.
A niche can begin with a subject, as Peva’s did, or with a specific audience.
Alyssa Curnutt, known as the queen of hyperlocal content, takes the audience-first approach. She creates for women with children ages 2–14 who live in North Spokane. That filter leads her to cover:
- Kid-friendly activities
- New restaurants
- Businesses that make life easier, or more relaxing, for local moms
To find your own niche, ask:
- Who do I understand especially well?
- What local subject could I cover consistently?
- Would the right potential clients find it useful or interesting?
- Could I create 100 posts about it?
The Audience Came First. The Business Followed.
Peva estimates that Instagram contributed to a 10% increase in sales volume during his first year on the platform and another 20% increase the following year.
One seller hired Peva after her husband discovered him on Instagram. A reel featuring a $3.75 million listing helped fill the open house, and the property received a full-price offer that day.
Peva can also introduce listings without making them feel disconnected from the channel. In one recent reel, he unraveled the history and relationships behind a Georgetown property before revealing its nearly $14 million price.
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The listing fits because it is presented through the same historical lens followers already expect.
The Agent Play
Agents don’t need 30 years of Georgetown history to copy Peva’s strategy. They need a more specific reason for people to follow their local account.
Start with four questions:
- What is the geographic boundary? Choose a neighborhood, suburb or clearly defined section of your market.
- What is your lens? Consider history, architecture, new development, family activities, outdoor recreation, restaurants or another subject you genuinely understand.
- Who are you speaking to? Moms with young children? Sports enthusiasts? Retirees?
- Would people watch without the real estate pitch? If the answer is no, the idea is probably still too promotional.
Your market already contains more stories than you could ever publish. The opportunity is to identify the ones your specific audience wants to hear, and become the agent they associate with telling them.
BAMx gives agents the customizable content, hyperlocal research tools and live feedback to build that system consistently. Join BAMx today for instant access.
