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What makes the difference between surviving and thriving in today's real estate landscape? Felicia Mares-Villa has figured it out, scaling the team she co-founded to eight agents in just one year while mastering the ever-shifting world of social media marketing.

In this conversation brimming with actionable insights, Felicia reveals how Instagram's algorithm has fundamentally changed—it's no longer about follower counts but whether your content gets saved and shared. She explains why TikTok's superior geo-tagging makes it particularly valuable for real estate professionals, while also acknowledging that text-based platforms like Threads and Substack are making surprising comebacks as "people kind of want to start reading again." 

Follow Felicia on Instagram at @fel.villa

Beyond marketing tactics, we explore the deeper reasons behind Felicia's success with Arlowe Homes. Rather than aggressively recruiting, she's created a culture agents naturally gravitate toward. "A lot of people are feeling the lack of support and genuine care," she explains, noting that community has become paramount in an industry where loneliness is common. This people-first approach stands in stark contrast to the production-focused environments many agents seek to escape.

We discuss AI's role in real estate. From predictive analytics platforms that identify likely sellers to custom GPTs that provide instant answers about everything, Felicia shows how to harness these tools without fearing replacement. "AI is smart," she acknowledges, "but it's wrong"—particularly when analyzing property values.

For those struggling in challenging markets, Felicia shares multiple tools that can help agents make strategic adjustments to marketing campaigns. And perhaps most valuably, she offers wisdom on maintaining balance in a demanding industry, emphasizing that finding activities outside of real estate is essential for sustained success.

Whether you're an industry veteran or just starting out, this episode delivers the perfect blend of cutting-edge marketing tactics, team-building wisdom, and life balance strategies from someone who's trying and succeeding in mastering them all.

Felicia Mares-Villa is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 02028970

Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898