The Mostly Real Estate Podcast, with Declan Spring

#57 Rachel Melby - From Instagram to Real Estate: How Authentic Content Creates Clients

• Declan Spring

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When Rachel Melby moved to El Cerrito she created an Instagram account to document her discoveries in this charming Bay Area community. What began as personal exploration blossomed into IG's "The Little Hill" – a thriving online community celebrating local treasures, architecture, and neighborhood events. What Rachel couldn't have anticipated was how this authentic community-building would later become the foundation for her successful real estate career.

Rachel's journey represents what many agents aspire to but few achieve: converting genuine community engagement into business opportunities without sacrificing authenticity or trust. As she explains, "I wanted to make sure that people were opting into my real estate journey rather than me shoving it down their throats." This thoughtful approach led her to create a separate IG account, "Little Hill Real Estate", while carefully managing her original platform – a strategy that paid dividends as community members eagerly followed her professional evolution.

Throughout our conversation, Rachel shares practical wisdom about creating content that resonates. From finding your voice on social media to adapting to algorithm changes, she emphasizes versatility and consistency above all. "Learn how to do a little bit of everything," she advises, noting that mastering various content formats helps you pivot when platforms evolve. For those intimidated by content creation, Rachel suggests identifying specific barriers – whether it's camera shyness or concern about specific followers – and addressing them head-on.

Beyond digital strategies, Rachel has increasingly focused on bringing her online community offline through events like the annual Summer Kickoff Festival and partnerships with the El Cerrito Historical Society. This holistic approach to community engagement has positioned her as both a trusted local resource and a go-to real estate professional in a competitive market. Her insights into current market conditions reveal the value of hyperlocal expertise, particularly as insurance concerns reshape buyer preferences between hill and flatland properties.

Whether you're a seasoned agent looking to enhance your social media presence or considering a career in real estate, Rachel's experience offers a blueprint for success built on authentic connection rather than aggressive self-promotion. Subscribe to the podcast for more conversations with innovative real estate professionals who are redefining what it means to build community-centered businesses.

Rachel Melby is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#02179456

Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898 

Declan Spring:

This is Declan Spring, and thanks for joining me on the Mostly Real Estate Podcast. My guest this week is Rachel Melby, and Rachel's been on the show before. This is kind of a check-in with Rachel, a kind of a pit stop check-in in her real estate journey, which is in its third year at this point, I think, and we are revisiting similar themes around social media, as we did on her last chat with me I think that was episode 35, because I find it fascinating and I think it's an important and interesting topic for most realtors. So her approach to social media has been extremely successful. Be aware as well that Rachel and I are attempting to chat again, perhaps as early as next week, about AI, because I want to know her thoughts on that swift moving topic and situation. Looking forward to that, and for now, though, please enjoy my conversation with Rachel Melby, also known as the Little Hill, and also known as Little Hill Real Estate.

Rachel Melby:

Very official looking podcast room.

Declan Spring:

Well, I am very, very pleased to have you back on the podcast. How many podcasts have we done together?

Rachel Melby:

This is just my second one. I am very thrilled to be here.

Declan Spring:

It's your second. I thought we had. I thought we'd done more than that.

Rachel Melby:

My first episode was so long. You might be thinking that it was two separate episodes.

Declan Spring:

It was good though it was just one yeah, but yeah, that was a great conversation.

Rachel Melby:

It was a deep dive.

Declan Spring:

It was a deep dive and we're going to deep dive again, but we won't go for two hours.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, please.

Declan Spring:

How are you doing?

Rachel Melby:

I'm doing great.

Declan Spring:

You are at. I think you were. Where were you? Were you at Kai?

Rachel Melby:

when we talked. I was at Kai when we spoke last.

Declan Spring:

Okay, and then you, since moved to Red Oak Realty.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, I did.

Declan Spring:

And now remind me when we spoke last.

Rachel Melby:

It must have been a couple of years ago, gosh, probably almost two years ago, yeah.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, and you were. So, as you know, I've known you since you were. Before you were a licensed realtor. So we'll just do a little bit of your origin story again as a realtor, Because I always found it super fascinating. Now you're somebody who listened to my podcast as you were thinking about getting your license right and then you approached me and we had a chat about what's going on locally as a lot of people thinking about getting their license do they want to kind of what's it actually like in the business, what's the right brokerage for me, and all that stuff. We had a good chat but it just seemed to me that you would be just an amazing asset to any brokerage because of your work in El Cerrito as just a really committed community person. And then you had not only a committed neighbor and community person I don't want to say activist community person you had built through COVID mostly. You had really built this great Instagram kind of brand, for want of a better word. What's that Instagram brand?

Rachel Melby:

It's called the Little Hill, which is the English translation of El Cerrito. And yeah, it sounds kind of silly to say that this is an Instagram community, but it really is. I started it 10 years ago when I moved to El Cerrito, almost sight unseen from Oakland and, before that, san Francisco, and it began as just my documenting what I was finding and resonating with Hidden gems around town, beautiful architecture, and then, during the COVID era, it became more of a community where I started curating other people's amazing work you know, treasure hunts around town, things of that nature and it turned into something else that was really fulfilling, oh, so nice. And it turned into something else that was really fulfilling.

Declan Spring:

Oh, so nice and you really. One of the things about it that I liked and it's so. This is when, for me, social media really resonates is when it's authentic, Like you just love El Cerrito and you love the kind of houses and the mid-century and the whole thing, and it was like you wanted to, just as you said you'd never been there before. And you got there and you fell in love with El Cerrito and you're like, hey, we got two BART stations. This is an incredible place and that's just palpable. And, of course, I was enjoying following you and but you grew so your background's in tech right, that's, that's something else. Yeah, I was a tech marketer.

Rachel Melby:

yeah, at the time that I started this account, at the time that I had moved to this town and all of this was unfolding, I knew social media. It was how I built communities in my day job, and so I took this skill and thought maybe this was a way to connect and find other like-minded individuals in this new strange place.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, I mean, it's the perfect pairing, right? You know there's this constant. You know how difficult it is for realtors. We're constantly feeling that we're behind on our marketing, constantly feeling that we're behind on our marketing. But for certain people, you just arrive at the right time and you're perfectly dovetail with a method of communication that just happens to suit your skill set and your interests. And that can happen for you, which is a lucky happenstance, like when I started, when I got licensed in 2004 or 2005,. It just didn't exist, you know, and you just arrived and it was perfectly aligned with you know, your skill set and your interests, because you said something. We were just chatting before the podcast and you just said you don't feel like you're making content.

Rachel Melby:

In fact, you have to kind of suppress the urge to create content, which is the opposite problem that most people have.

Declan Spring:

But you grew this incredible and useful community during COVID and then when I met with you, I was like this is incredible because you've got something. Now the trick for you and I think we talked about this before was how do you go from being, you know, an asset to your community to then being a realtor, knowing you have this wonderful, you know Instagram handle with a lot of followers I want to say thousands and how do you kind of leverage that but in a way that doesn't sort of turn people off or feel icky? So let's kind of talk about that aspect of things, because you were a couple of years ago, you were newer, but how did all of that play out, because now you have your other Instagram handle as what my other Instagram is Little Hill Real Estate.

Declan Spring:

Okay, so there's the Little Hill, and then Little Hill Real Estate. Yes, and you needed to carefully manage building the second one, right?

Rachel Melby:

Yes. So at the time that I got my real estate license, I was really sheepish about it. The Little Hill community was so important to me. I was a completely anonymous figure posting content in this location. Nobody knew my face, nobody knew my name, and I knew that if I was going to introduce myself as a realtor to this community, I was going to have to introduce myself at some point, and making sure that I didn't cannibalize what I had built or ever make it seem like building this community was a means to launch a business, was hugely important to me, and it was really scary, and I wanted to make sure that people were opting into my real estate journey rather than me shoving it down their throats. And so that is why I separated out the real estate handle, so that when I you know, very in micro doses, I'll say on the little hill dripped out the fact that I now had a real estate license, that you could interact with me in this way.

Rachel Melby:

But you would have to come and follow me in this other location that it wasn't going. I wasn't going to post a lot of realistic content on the little hill right fair enough, so it grew slowly very tastefully done.

Declan Spring:

So how did it go? You got a good response. I would imagine a lot of people migrated not migrated, but they chose to follow you both, both places.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, I mean from the very beginning, the people who mattered, the people who really wanted to buy and sell houses, they jumped right over. I couldn't believe it, honestly.

Rachel Melby:

And beyond that small group of people, cheerleaders who just wanted to champion me, and follow my entrepreneurial journey came with them and they boost all of my posts and they reshare things and they show up to all of my events today and those people are just as important, if not more, because, as you know, entrepreneurship is hard and having those people as followers and friends and supporters are fantastic.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

And so.

Declan Spring:

It's been amazingly well done, and so do, you think, the Little Hill, the original effort to be part of the community and a benefit to the community. You know, effort to be part of the community and a benefit to the community. Has it suffered at all from your need to also create some creating content for two, for two instagram, you know handles, and has one suffered? Or how do you manage the two?

Rachel Melby:

yeah, the little hill yeah has, I wouldn't say suffered, but I have have been posting less frequently in terms of the content that goes on the main page.

Declan Spring:

Okay.

Rachel Melby:

You know, historical content and things that really take time to research and procure images. I tried outsourcing some of it at one point because I didn't want to let followers down and I wanted to maintain the integrity and the high quality of the content. And it just didn't feel right to me. And when I look back at those posts now and I know that I didn't write those, I almost want to take them down. I know, I know it just feels different. So I'm still creating all of the content myself, but in order to do that, I have slowed down. I used to post maybe two or three high quality posts a day on the little hill and maybe it's one every two weeks now okay on the stories, though I'm still curating what's happening around town on a daily basis.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, you're big on stories. How often do you post? Okay, well, we'll keep talking about the Little Hill, not the real estate one, so you're doing less posting there, but you have a good, solid following and it sounds like it's. Yeah, I mean, you're building a business, but you're still. What kind of stuff do you have, you know, in mind over the next, let's say, several months? Do you have anything you're working on for, just just for Little Hill? Uh, you know, right now, historic, you know, do you have any little? You know pet projects?

Rachel Melby:

yeah, actually. So through the Little Hill, I mean, we just had our second annual summer kickoff festival, which was a big hit. We had probably four or five hundred people come through live music, food makers festival, that whole kind of thing. I'm already getting requests to do it bigger and better in six months time for a winter flavor of the event. So we're already planning that and I'm looking to find people to help with this, to help scale the event. I need to also scale myself out of it a little bit.

Rachel Melby:

I'm also working closely with the El Cerrito Historical Society that has a strong architectural underpinning. There's pretty much also one guy who does all of the curation and the archival content for this website, el Cerrito Historical Societyorg, and they're planning a big 50th anniversary party this year.

Declan Spring:

And we're trying to collaborate on what that looks like for the community in the coming months, I think in september okay, it's going to be at a location to be decided or, like, maybe at the movie theater there or something oh, the movie theater is a nice idea right yeah, thanks for that.

Rachel Melby:

But yes, a tbd location, but somewhere in el Cerrito.

Declan Spring:

Very cool. We should, we should, probably. I'd love to talk about that closer to the date as well. I love, I love anything history related yeah.

Rachel Melby:

I'm trying to get the Little Hill community offline and into the real world interacting as much as possible. Yes, so that's what I've been focusing more of my energy on with the. Little Hill in the last couple of years.

Declan Spring:

Yes, I've been doing.

Rachel Melby:

You know, I did a 10K recently where we walked all through the town. Yes, these festival events, you know, the historical society stuff, all of this is designed to get people face to face.

Declan Spring:

Community organizer. I meant yes, I was reaching for it earlier, I was like what? Yeah, so you're really a boots on the ground. Community organizer.

Rachel Melby:

I guess.

Declan Spring:

So yeah, you are, and you and you love that and there's. No, it doesn't feel like an effort. I do love it, you just love it, and so, then, what you know? Then, when it comes to the real estate Instagram, do you find that you're sometimes coming up with posts that can work on either place? Is that? Is that usually like a yay, I can use this on both.

Rachel Melby:

It's a huge yay. It is a huge yay when it feels like I can double dip a little bit. There is always still that lingering thought in the back of my mind oh, is someone going to think I'm trying too hard to, you know, force my real estate business into the community?

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

You know, the branding is a little bit different.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

But I'm trying to go easier on myself.

Declan Spring:

Oh, yes, you should.

Rachel Melby:

About that. You should, as time goes on, recognizing that nobody cares or is paying that close attention.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

As I am.

Declan Spring:

Right, yeah, no, they're definitely not. We all know that, yeah, and we all suffer from that by the way.

Rachel Melby:

I am Right? Yeah, no, they're definitely not. We all know that and we all suffer from that. By the way, I know.

Declan Spring:

Yeah so.

Rachel Melby:

I hold myself to a high standard in that regard.

Declan Spring:

What's the tone of, what's the tone you're kind of trying to achieve for your, for your real estate social media? You're like well, you know, uh, from you know, I see your stories frequently enough. Uh, oftentimes you're in your car. It often to me feels like uh, hey, uh it. It almost feels like you're being. You know you're at a party and somebody like tops you and shows it come over here. I just want to tell you something.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah.

Declan Spring:

And then they tell you a thing and then you're like back into the party again. You know it's usually a hey, I want to tell you something, because they're often in your car. That's what I've noticed.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, yes, that's very much by design.

Declan Spring:

Okay.

Rachel Melby:

I think it does feel more authentic to film those types of videos on the go.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

In fact I have a couple of times started to film a little educational informational type reel in my office.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

And it's like you know what. This just feels a little too polished. I'm going to go get back in my car.

Declan Spring:

Okay, and finish this. That's your happy place.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, I mean maybe the acoustics are good. Yeah, I need the pressure of like people staring at me on both sides, but no, it does feel a little bit more intimate and on the go, which is very much the nature of this business. We do live out of our cars, right? This is where thoughts come into my mind and very often, where, you know, I have a moment to stop and create content about whatever it is.

Declan Spring:

And so you know the problems. I don't post much, and so I'm fascinated by the world of social media because for me it's just haphazard right, there's no design whatsoever. There's no design whatsoever. And I also, you know, I get concerned about like well, you know, for example, I know you're not on Facebook, but I was telling you earlier like I don't understand Facebook anymore, like I used to see stuff from my family in Ireland because I had a lot of cousins, and all Now it's like I can't. It seems to be reposts of other people's posts and reposts, like I've lost touch with how Facebook is benefiting me.

Declan Spring:

And then on Instagram, you know, I like the stories, I think those are great, and then reels are. I don't know what works, what lands anymore. And then I hear stories that they're maybe going to break away reels and have it be its own separate thing entirely. And I think like, well, if you get good at one thing and then they're going to change it and do another, like I just can't stay on top of all of that stuff. So what in the last couple of years? Let's say what's worked, what do you enjoy doing, what have been some changes you've seen? And just for the benefit of the rest of us like like what are the changes you've seen in that?

Declan Spring:

do you see change in the algorithm? Do you see this works better than that it could be for you? So we can't generalize, but like what's going on on instagram.

Rachel Melby:

I mean, I think what you just articulated is so astute, it is so fickle.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

I mean from Instagram itself, from meta itself. Right, we're going to prioritize reels.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

We're going to boost reels, oh no, we're going to dial them back.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

Because people are complaining that they miss seeing their friends' photos, right?

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

We can't get too reliant on what the algorithm is going to favor.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

What I have always done for myself and what I would recommend to anybody else is to stay versatile. Learn how to do a little bit of everything.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

Not only is it going to benefit you on Instagram, but it's going to help you on all of the other platforms, should Instagram go away? Yes, right. If you know how to make a reel, you know how to make a TikTok.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

If you know how to make a carousel, you're going to be fine on Facebook or wherever. Yeah, your leads end up living one day.

Declan Spring:

And I really don't want to be rude to anybody who's in the business of coaching or marketing or anything, but do you think if somebody says to themselves, oh I need to do like a social media boot camp, to me that's like that's already a red flag? I think, because if it's, do you know what I mean? Like if it does, if it's not something that you just began to do as social media evolved over the last 10 years, do you really think a class is going to make you more comfortable and happier with it? Like, that kind of concerns me, because here's my, here's the thing that I like. Here's how I try and describe how difficult it can be to be a realtor to people.

Declan Spring:

Sometimes You're standing in line, you're in Safeways, right, for example, down on Solano, and you're there and you've been told you need three or four real estate conversations a day in your community. So you're like you're just waiting in line for somebody to mention something about real estate. You've got your cards in your pocket and while you're doing that, you're like staring at the shopping cart and there's another realtor's name on it. You're already feeling bad that you didn't take the call from Safeway for advertise on the cart and now there's your colleague on the cart. You're looking at their face and they're smiling and you've got your hand in your card you're listening out for. And then you're scrolling your social media and everyone else is doing great content and you just constantly feel like you're behind in your marketing and all that stuff.

Rachel Melby:

But like is a boot camp a good idea. So I don't think in that scenario, a boot camp is going to help you any more than buying a fancy pair of trainers is going to help you become a runner, you know you have to kind of figure out how to get moving a little bit on your own.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

Prove to yourself that you have the ability to build this habit into your lifestyle before you invest in the $200 shoes, right For that. You know that fancy race you're going to do to really prove to yourself that now you're a runner or social media guru or whatever it is.

Declan Spring:

That's a really nice way of putting it. Actually, that's nice, well done. Yeah, I like that a lot. Yeah, you're right, absolutely, cause I see that all the time.

Rachel Melby:

Um yeah, so many people invest in all kinds of courses right. Coaching programs this, that and the other right. And they never actually act on them.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

They'll watch a few hours of this or they'll sit through a workshop.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

And if you don't have the muscle memory of the implementation.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

If you haven't kind of worked out the kinks on your own.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

You're probably not going to follow through.

Declan Spring:

Right, right. So if you're not doing it or you're not drawn to it, you probably there's no point, but at the same time there's go ahead.

Rachel Melby:

I was going to say figure out what it is about social media. That's putting you off as a first step. Yeah, I talked to so many people and asked them questions like is it that you don't like how you look? Is it that you think you have to be on camera?

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

Because you don't. Is it that there's somebody who's following you? That you are specifically thinking about.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

That's judging you. You know someone from high school, your last job or whatever.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

You know, just block them.

Declan Spring:

Yes, your last job, or whatever, yeah, you know, just block them.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, figure out what it is specifically. Yeah, or whom it is.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

That's preventing you from just showing up like a bumbling idiot like I am.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

Because, regardless of what you think of me showing up every day, it's working for me and you say you want the same thing.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

But you're not doing it. So let's just get to the crux of what that is and you have to find a voice. Too right, you have to like I have a point of view.

Declan Spring:

Yeah I, I could sing fairly well, but I was always fascinated by you know the, as I was growing up as a teenager and we're all in bands and that kind of thing and you know those people who could sing uniquely in their own voice. How do you do that? Because I always sounded like the person I was impersonating. Whatever right, I'm just a karaoke singer at the end of the day, um, but people and you see that like finding your own voice, like in in in lots of things. So what I enjoy on social media is, just when you think there's nothing new, of course something new comes along. Like who's that blonde-haired Kate? Something? She does it. She's almost like a stand-up comic. She does this very dry monotone, you know who I'm talking about.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. She stands in the house, yeah, with the little microphone. Yeah, the little depressing jokes. Yes, yes.

Declan Spring:

And it's very funny.

Rachel Melby:

And it was new when I saw it.

Declan Spring:

I was like this is new.

Rachel Melby:

Yep.

Declan Spring:

And then you start seeing people holding the mic like became a thing like that. But you know but it's authentic to her and she like found her voice worked.

Rachel Melby:

She just boom, just boom, took off, but it's that finding your finding your voice thing, you know is is so important on social media. Yeah, finding your voice or finding your shtick, you know, it is cool that in that particular example, she found something that really worked for her. Yeah, and I think what stops a lot of people from making their own content like that is thinking well, I don't want to create something like that because I feel like I'm copying her. Everybody has seen her do this. It's going to feel old, it's going to feel tired, and that may be true, but I also want to point out the fact that not everybody has seen her and there might be a way to take that format and tailor it to your specific niche, your specific location, your personality. You know, you don't have to borrow it exactly. Right, right, right, no, no.

Declan Spring:

Just like going back to the singing thing. You know you can try around with a few things that feel right for your voice and you borrow. It's like everything else, like I never liked. I never liked over the last. You know, when things got super wokey over the last five years, I, I, I, I always found it a little depressing that people were talking about, you know, appropriation.

Declan Spring:

I was like how do you think we got here in the first place? You know, like, how do you think anyone invented any kind of food in the first place? Like this is you go on vacation. You come back like I've got some new, I know right, but you're talking about the same thing. You know, it's like trying on different, different stuff. Trying you know, see what feels good, and from there something new can happen.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, it's uniquely you, but for goodness sakes, you have to try a few things try a few things, and I read this incredible book a few months back by mel robbins called the let them theory. Have you heard of this one? No, I just heard of her, but not there's a whole chapter about watching what other people are doing uh-huh particularly on social media okay and feeling a little bit jealous, but also like I could be doing that better because I'm more experienced.

Rachel Melby:

Who do they think they are? And rather than being jealous and doing nothing and just fuming over this other person, look at them as providing a blueprint for success.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

Taking that format or however they're creating content or building their website.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

And applying your specific expertise to it.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

And being thankful. Yeah, they just showed me exactly how to be successful Right On this platform.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, you kind of celebrate that stuff. Yeah, I don't resonate with anyone being jealous or envious of anybody else. I can't go there for some reason.

Rachel Melby:

Well, that's great.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, because you want to celebrate the people around you.

Rachel Melby:

Yes.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, so I like that idea as well. And so just back kind of to the algorithm stuff, though, because I do really find this interesting how things changed over the couple of years. Have you yourself like as successful as you are when you're very successful in your Instagram? Thanks, uh, efforts, yeah, no, you're great. Have you noticed little tweaks and shifts where you've been like, oh bummer, I really I really don't like what just happened there um, yeah, over the last couple of years, video has become so much more important yes which is great.

Rachel Melby:

We all like watching video, but it takes so much more effort yeah to create yeah which, yes, yeah, you know, posting 10 photos and a caption, you know, 5-10 minutes, woohoo, yes, but a video, I'm not gonna lie.

Declan Spring:

10-20 minutes, right at a minimum at a minimum for somebody as good as you. 10-20 minutes for you know for somebody else.

Rachel Melby:

hours for somebody else yeah and intimidating. Yes, and so the problem is that the algorithm yes is boosting a lot of these videos. Oftentimes it's because they have licensed music associated with it. These trending tracks yes. It's getting more engagement.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, the algorithm's going to favor what's getting watched and re-watched and on you know loops yes and you just have to play a little bit of that game every once in a while, which is why I say be versatile. You don't always have to play the real game with the popular track, but you have to do it something. You got to work it in a little bit right.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

So for every couple of reels I've earned the right to post just a photo. Right Good for you Just a couple photos.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, yeah, I was. I was a big Instagram fan and poster when it was really just photos these photos that you see in the room. Yeah, you know, that was my jam. It was like, and then the reels thing took over. I was like I'm lost.

Rachel Melby:

I know.

Declan Spring:

How about growth? And, like you know, just growing, because this is the promise of some. You know, you know, as realtors, people are reaching out to us all the time trying to sell us the silver bullet, you know. So growth on social media is a thing. Have you, did you hit a certain point? I'm curious, where, you know, just growth seemed to just level out. No, I mean, you're specifically catering to a geographic community not just an online community, right?

Declan Spring:

So I guess I'm answering a question for myself in a way that there's only so many people in that community, but have you ever struggled with, like you know, just there's no growth in a period of months, or do you care?

Rachel Melby:

You know, it actually hasn't come up for me. I do feel like my following on both my real estate account and on the Little Hill are kind of at their peak.

Declan Spring:

Okay.

Rachel Melby:

Because I have such a hyper local audience.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

I mean the population of El Cerrito is around 26,000. Right 11,000 people follow me on the Little Hill.

Declan Spring:

Good for you.

Rachel Melby:

And I know that half of the population is over the age that is likely using the app.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

Okay, and so just a subset of those people are going to follow my real estate account. I feel like I'm tapped out.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, that makes sense.

Rachel Melby:

And it's fine I'm still getting a steady stream of outreach and leads through both, both of these communities.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

Uh, the people who eventually will reach out to me, I feel, are already there watching.

Declan Spring:

Okay, yeah, you're, you're, you, you have, you have found your audience, your audience has found you and you're, you're very comfortable, sounds like.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah.

Declan Spring:

So you're just enjoying now, you know, benefiting the community and it benefiting you back, and it's a nice. It's a nice reciprocal arrangement. And you, you you've't do facebook um, do you? You know, in recent like you know, we've seen the demise of twitter. I don't know if you were ever on there, but then, we've seen the emergence of, I want to say, blue sky. What's another one? Are you using any of the other or you just I've established accounts on everything.

Rachel Melby:

I've reserved the the handle in case I ever decide to migrate, you know, just like TikTok went away for a day, I want to make sure that I've got a backup in case something you know pops off. I want to have an alternate, but I am not regularly posting any place else. I will sometimes cross post on the little hill, tiktok.

Declan Spring:

Okay, I didn't know, tiktok was still around actually.

Rachel Melby:

Oh, TikTok is very much still around.

Declan Spring:

Oh it is.

Rachel Melby:

Absolutely. Tiktok is the platform where you have the highest likelihood of growing a really rapid following.

Declan Spring:

Really.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, far beyond Instagram.

Declan Spring:

Oh okay, wow, and it's, and oh okay Wow, and so it's not going anywhere.

Rachel Melby:

I can't say never Right, right and that's the thing about social media. Yes, but the threat of it going away has subsided for now.

Declan Spring:

Okay, okay.

Rachel Melby:

And the TikTok creators are alive and well.

Declan Spring:

Okay, good, good, Because I mean that was an awful moment, for when you think there's been a lot of awful moments in the last year or so. But yeah, I really genuinely felt for those folks.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, I follow a lot of real estate agents who have strong TikTok followings. They prefer TikTok to Instagram.

Declan Spring:

Yes.

Rachel Melby:

Not just because the reach is so much deeper for them, but because the community vibe is a lot more positive.

Declan Spring:

Yes.

Rachel Melby:

They describe the TikTok community as being much more warm and welcoming and supportive Really and the Instagram community sometimes just being a little more catty and combative Really, really, just being a little more catty and combative.

Declan Spring:

Really, really. Is there a real difference between posting on, like how to post on TikTok versus how to post on Instagram? Or if you can do one, you can do the?

Rachel Melby:

other. Technically it's almost identical.

Declan Spring:

Okay, because Instagram really just copied TikTok. Yes, yes, okay.

Rachel Melby:

As did YouTube Shorts. It's all TikTok Right as far as I'm concerned.

Declan Spring:

Okay, so let's let's do this again, cause I'm very, very helpful to people. So let's just remind people, especially realtors, who most likely listen to this. You know, let's just I'll put them in the show notes, but what are your two Instagram handles? Again, just saying.

Rachel Melby:

Sure, instagramcom slash thelittlehill for what's good in El Cerrito and my real estate account is Instagramcom slash littlehillrealestate.

Declan Spring:

Okay, perfect, and people really should follow. And then my question to you is because I discovered you before we met in person, because I'm always looking out, especially locally, like who's using this well, who's having a good time on here and building and growing, but I can't say that I'm on top of it as much as I used to be, so I feel like I've lost touch a little bit. Let's give a shout out to our hardworking colleagues and you know me, I don't care what brokerage, but is there anybody else locally whose content on social media you enjoy following? Oh my goodness, yeah, come on, let's give them a shout out.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, yes, I love following Ellie Ridge at District Homes. I mean, she's got a massive following by now. I learned so much about how homes are constructed watching her content, as do hundreds of thousands of people around the world at this point.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, it's insane.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, and it's also really interesting just watching how very different a geographic following of that nature you know interacts with content as opposed to a hyper niche following like mine, right right yeah, but I, I love following her. Uh, major, major kudos to what she's built it's unreal it's unreal.

Declan Spring:

I think she's also out of a tech background, which is interesting.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, yes, I don't think she would mind my saying she worked at Instagram prior to real estate.

Declan Spring:

Right, yeah, I don't think she'd mind at all. No, and it's just kind of interesting, not that it should make anyone feel defeated. Oh, she had a leg up. No, you don't build a following like that just because you worked at Instagram. You might have an affinity for the platform, but that's different from in any way having a leg up. Yes so okay, so I follow Ellie Ridge. Obviously, who doesn't follow Ellie Ridge?

Rachel Melby:

That's a good question.

Declan Spring:

So anyone else?

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, I also love following Felicia Maras and her husband, dominic Villa.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

I love that they incorporate so much of their personal life into their real estate brands, their real estate and their lending worlds. I actually first think of Italian food and cooking when I think of Dominic, for better or worse, but I just love the authenticity of this whole person approach.

Declan Spring:

Yes.

Rachel Melby:

We're so much more than the jobs that we do. Yes, and I like thinking about people beyond just the transactions. Yes, and those two make a really dynamic duo. Okay, cool and I've followed them for a long time.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, they're great. I look forward to this Saturday mystery vegetable almost every week.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, it's so catchy.

Declan Spring:

Is there anyone else?

Rachel Melby:

Gosh, who else do I really really enjoy? Who's doing something different? Um, yes, there is a young man at Kai, actually in Kosi. Okay, Um, I'm in cosy okay um, I'm. I don't know his last name, we'll have to look this up, but he is stylish. He's got swagger. He is showing up in these listing videos lately looking like a million bucks and it is stopping me in my scroll wow yes, he is just.

Rachel Melby:

He's just adding, adding this polish and this pizzazz to listings that I have seen presented in other ways that make them feel fresh, cool, funky, and I just love seeing homes in different lights, with different personalities, and so I think he's doing a great job.

Declan Spring:

And all of these people. I think a word that is important is consistent yes, right yes, showing up in very much the same manner yeah such that I could, I can harken a visual of them.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, as I'm thinking of them yeah, and they pop up, they become your friends like me in my car yeah, you and exactly you, and your car, exactly. Well, that's great. I love to give a shout out to people, but what strikes me is, you know, here we've talked about four people. Maybe I mean, there's so much more room for anyone who can just find their voice and be consistent, because you and I, between us, we know scores of realtors right.

Declan Spring:

Maybe even hundreds, and yet there's just four or five come to mind. I mean, how much space is there for more voices on social?

Rachel Melby:

I would love to see more interesting things.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, it's incredible. There's other people who are fantastic, but it's not consistent, and I think the consistency is huge. So well, look, I've really enjoyed talking social media with you. Do you have any concerns? Say, if Instagram decides to separate Reels out, Will that rock the apple cart? I don't even know how they could do it.

Rachel Melby:

I wouldn't be mad about it.

Declan Spring:

No, no, no Okay.

Rachel Melby:

Well good, the following is there.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, okay and then. So I did want to ask you then what is good in El Cerrito? Can we talk a little bit about El Cerrito real estate? I think you're still primarily focused as a realtor, you know, on El Cerrito. I mean, that's really your, the bulk of your, and congratulations, by the way, I think you made the top one and a half percent in terms of production nationwide recently with the real trends.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, Isn't that a fun stat that comes out every year? I'm new to this.

Declan Spring:

The real trends yeah, Every year you know everybody wants to try and get on there because it's a nice thing, it's a nice thing to put on the Instagram. It's very nice and and uh, so I did. I noticed you on there, and so congratulations for a career that's only a few years old. That's very impressive. Thanks and so. But your, your focus in real estate is in El Cerrito, so a couple of questions.

Declan Spring:

So so, now that you're an El Cerrito, a seasoned El Cerrito realtor and you've been watching the market and watching the data, you know what. What is going on in El Cerrito in your opinion yeah, let's just talk about single-family homes, so we won't go into other types of property sure.

Rachel Melby:

I mean we mostly have single-family homes, so that's easy to do. Yeah, it's a mixed bag. Over the time that I've been licensed, which is now three years, yeah, housing inventory has increased. Yeah, and home values have decreased just a tad. I think the median price right now on a single family home is just under 1.3 million. Okay, my buyers are having much more success getting into homes this year than they have in previous years. I think that because of the influx of inventory as compared to years prior we have a little more leverage on certain types of property.

Declan Spring:

And.

Rachel Melby:

I say certain types of property because of course there are still certain homes that check all of the boxes, what we call hot homes, hot homes, hot homes that are still getting multiple offers going well over the asking price.

Declan Spring:

Right.

Rachel Melby:

And because, with interest rates where they are picky, buyers are all going to compete for those homes.

Declan Spring:

Yes, yes, all going to compete for those homes, right, yes, yes, and so are you seeing. So there's a little less demand at a time when there's a little more supply. Yes, Sounds like people are a little pickier on finding. Do you think the hills have fallen a little? So when we talk about the average price of 1.3, of course we have to look at El Cerrito and realize there's the flats.

Declan Spring:

And the hills S Of course we have to look at El Cerrito and realize there's the flats and the slightly smaller homes, there's the hills, and so we got to kind of well, what are we talking about here? Do you think the hills properties have declined in value a little more than maybe the houses and the flats? Is there any kind of dynamic like that?

Rachel Melby:

happening. Yeah, on a price per square foot basis. The larger homes in the hills have declined a little bit more than the smaller ones in the flats, and I think that's because of the insurance concerns that have been compounding year over year, particularly after the January fire event in LA and all the insurance companies tightening their reins. Almost every buyer that I'm working with wants to know what is insurance going to cost on a house in the hills that is in the high fire zone that is close to the earthquake fault. We can't have any additional compounding factors like an old roof or old electrical. And when you're down in the flats, electrical, yeah, and when you're down in the flats, yeah, you're in much more safer territory with regard to those natural hazards.

Declan Spring:

Okay, so a lot of people are leaning towards those properties, or you know, lower mid-hill okay, lower mid-hill lower mid-hill and then, of course, there's always the surprise entry from saint jerome's which it throws everything off right. Has that been your experience?

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, it's always the most coveted neighborhood. We haven't had quite as many listings in this neighborhood this year so far. I'm still waiting for them.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, yeah, could be waiting a while. Yeah, I've been tracking it at an average of about 16 active listings each weekend.

Declan Spring:

When I look at the numbers and also read up for a period of some time now, but like 10 of them are the same week over week yeah, yeah, that's true, that's true, that's true, that are just sitting and so and so, for the benefit of any consumers listening listing, because I think this is really, really important, let me just ask you when you see a listing come on market and it's an out-of-area realtor, do you find yourself, more often than not, just recognizing some perhaps challenge to their approach on marketing that a local agent might you know, might, might not have done it that way, absolutely. Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, most noticeably on pricing.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

We see that an out-of-area agent is probably close pricing more closely to the home's actual value or the expected sales price than a local agent would be. You know, we're playing a little bit of an underpricing game for the most part where we are.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

And oftentimes local buyers who've been at it for a while are going to be filtering out a three-bedroom home over a million dollars because they know it's going to go 30% or 40% over, which is more than they've budgeted for. But if that listing is from an agent who came in from sacramento, where they're not playing that game right, they're relying on me to pluck that from obscurity and let them know we need to go look at this okay it's a you know, it's an opportunity that was not on your radar or your custom query.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, yeah, there you go. So, the local, because just real estate's just so local. You probably know it's one of my pet peeves in the media is any kind of general statements about how we do our work. I just can't stand how they lump the entire nation of realtors into one thing.

Rachel Melby:

Oh, my goodness. Yes, I've recently had a front row seat to both my mom and my sister buying and selling properties in other areas, both out of state and then just an hour from here north in Sonoma County.

Declan Spring:

Yeah.

Rachel Melby:

My mind has been blown open by the practices of other realtors in other locations.

Declan Spring:

It's it's a completely different act it just yeah, it feels like a different country. I mean it's just like wow, there's a borderline there that is unknown territory to me yeah, yeah, so hyperlocality is critical okay. So now I want to ask you okay things.

Rachel Melby:

Okay.

Declan Spring:

So you're a few years in the business. Somebody has listened to this. They're thinking about getting their license right now. Words of wisdom Ooh, um.

Rachel Melby:

as tempting as it is, and as sage as it probably is, to hold down a W2 job as you're dipping your toe into real estate, I can now say that I held on to both worlds for too long.

Declan Spring:

Wow.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, this is something that we haven't talked about, but I had my tech job for the first two out of three years of my real estate business because I wasn't fully sure I was going to make it and if anyone else is listening to this, knowing what a fickle industry this is, rightfully so. Somebody told me early on you got to go all in, and I know now that the sooner I had gone all in, the sooner I would have found success, and if you can save up a little more money to make that leap, I would have done things differently in retrospect.

Declan Spring:

Okay, go all in.

Rachel Melby:

Go all in rather than trying to live in two different worlds.

Declan Spring:

It's hard to do it as a part-time job, yeah.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, yeah, yeah Okay.

Declan Spring:

That's great advice, and so I want to congratulate you again for something else, which is that you have now expanded Little Hill Real Estate brand to being a partnership. Well, I don't want to say partnership, that's not. That's maybe not accurate, but you now have another agent working yes, team Little Hill, team Little. Hill.

Rachel Melby:

Yeah, if we're another Rachel so yes, yes and very exciting, yeah so congratulations on that thank you shout out to. Rachel, if you like. Yes, rachel Sheftel, she is also. Yes, rachel Scheftel. She is also on Instagram Rachel Scheftel Realtor.

Declan Spring:

Uh-huh, you guys have been having just almost as much fun as Dom and Felicia you know, with how you're doing your stuff together.

Rachel Melby:

Yes, we like to be a dynamic duo.

Declan Spring:

And so, and then we'll just end with some more El Cerrito love. So tell me anything you want, any community events, anything coming up in El Cerrito that you're looking forward to.

Rachel Melby:

We have the El Cerrito Historical Society's 50-year anniversary coming up. I will certainly be sharing more about that on my socials as we prepare for some sort of event in September.

Declan Spring:

Okay.

Rachel Melby:

I'm really, really excited to be partnering with the Historical Society on that Beautiful and yeah, we will be very, very soon starting to plan our Winter Makers Fair Spectacular.

Declan Spring:

Wonderful, okay, and we did cover a little bit of that earlier.

Rachel Melby:

Are they going to bring?

Declan Spring:

back women racing on ostriches anytime soon.

Rachel Melby:

You know that was actually a topic of conversation with the historical society Ostriches dog racing. There were a lot of interesting historical things that happened at the El Cerrito Plaza back in its heyday.

Declan Spring:

Yeah, and I hear above the Ace Hardware too. Yes, there's a lot of cool stuff that you will dive into, no doubt, and I look forward to all of it.

Declan Spring:

Thank you very much, rachel Melby okay, thank you alright this episode of the podcast was edited by me, with original music by Chuck Lindo, graphics by Lisa Mazur. The podcast is brought to you by the Home Factor. Realtors thehomefactorcom Catch up on the latest news from the East Bay Market in their weekly sub stack, published every Saturday. Go to thehomefactorcom to subscribe. If you'd like to reach out to me with suggestions for the show, please text me at 415-446-8591. Catch you on the next podcast, everybody.