top of page

Everything real estate agents need to know about hashtags in 2022 - Yes, they still work

Updated: Dec 23, 2022


Real estate hashtags are an essential component of your social media strategy.


But do you know how to use them properly? Are you just slapping random hashtags on your Instagram post, or do you have a concrete strategy?


This post will cover how you can boost your business’ exposure by using hashtags the right way, as well as give you a list of 101 real estate hashtags to inspire you.




What We’ll Cover

  • Why Should You Use Hashtags?

  • How to Use Hashtags on Instagram

  • Trending Real Estate Hashtags in 2022

  • Final Thoughts on Real Estate Hashtags


Why Should You Use Hashtags?


Boost Brand Awareness

By far, the biggest reason you need to use hashtags is to increase your brand awareness.

Using hashtags in your post boosts your business’ exposure by getting your content in front of the right people. This gives you the potential to discover new audiences beyond your current number of followers.


Over time, by choosing the appropriate hashtags and using them in a strategic manner you can easily increase your followers and level of engagement.


Carefully selected real estate hashtags can be the key to growing your business and establishing yourself as a brand in your area.


Hashtags allow people to discover you and your content, so it’s important that you include them on every single one of your posts.


Track Your Competition

In order to establish yourself as a brand, it’s essential for you to know what your competition is up to. Hashtags are a great way to do this.

Search your competitors’ Instagram pages and take note of their strategy. Look at what hashtags they use for their photos, and how they implement them.

Or, search for the hashtags that you want to use and then see what type of photos come up, as well as what other tags are included alongside them.

When tracking your competition, look for the answers to questions such as:

  • On average, how many hashtags do they use per post?

  • How many likes and comments are they receiving?

  • How often do they post?

  • How many general and specific tags are they using?

  • What sorts of trends are they jumping on?

You can then decide to adopt their strategies as your own or use them as inspiration to come up with something new.


Advertise

Another function of real estate hashtags is to advertise your services.

You can use tags such as #newlisting, #openhouse, or #homesearch in your posts to attract people who are interested in finding a home in your area. Hashtags allow you to access a broader audience of potential customers.


You can also use tags about a home’s features, such as #marblecountertops or #townhome, so that people specifically interested in those aspects will be drawn to your photo.


Tags related to interior design and architecture are other ways to reach a broader audience that is still relevant to real estate.


Even if your audience won’t end up being potential customers, these hashtags could make your photo inspiration for others who are looking for ways to redesign their homes.

These types of hashtags let you create content that appeals to a broader audience, and as a result, your brand has the potential to attract more followers.


How to Use Hashtags on Instagram


So now that you know why you need to use real estate hashtags, you need a concrete strategy to implement them on your Instagram posts.


In today’s world, it seems like using hashtags should be second nature. However, it isn’t actually as simple as it appears.


While you may be tempted to just use whichever hashtags you want, and as many as you want, there are actually a number of rules you should follow when it comes to posting on Instagram.


Following these rules is crucial to make sure you are utilizing hashtags in the most effective way possible so that you have the best chance of increasing your brand awareness.


Less is more

Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags on a single post. However, just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should.


Deciding how many hashtags to use is a matter of testing to see what draws in the most engagement for you. There are no one-size-fits-all rules.


Sometimes using too many hashtags, especially if they are irrelevant, is similar to keyword stuffing a blog post: it will ultimately hurt you in the long run.


Instead, aim for between three to five well-thought-out hashtags per post.

However, if you’re new to Instagram for real estate, then it could help you to use more hashtags in order to cast a wider net. You might even go up to the 30 tag limit.


In the end, you will have to use trial and error to see what works best for you. Play around with the number of hashtags on your posts and see what amount gets you the most engagement.


This is likely to change over time, so keep testing to see what works best for you.

While it may seem like there is no certain rule, the point is that throwing 30 hashtags on your post without any thought isn’t guaranteed to help you.


Keep it neat

No one wants to click on a post that is cluttered with hashtags.


You could find a way to blend a couple of your hashtags into your caption, or just place all of them several spaces below your caption.


Another strategy is to place the bulk of your hashtags in the first comment of your post.

Utilizing the first comment for your hashtags, especially if you have close to the 30 tag limit, is a great way to keep your post looking clean and easy to read for your audience.


Switch it up

To keep things from getting stale, don’t always use the same hashtags for every single one of your posts.


When you do this, your posts wind up in the same categories every time, where they are appealing to the same audience, who have probably seen your photos come up before.

At this point, these people have already decided to either engage with you or ignore your posts. The longer you continue using the same tags, the more likely it is that they will choose the latter.


In order to avoid your content being ignored, put effort into using new hashtags and ensure you are reaching new people.


Try making a list of usable hashtags for your business, and then rotate between that selection to keep things fresh for your audience.


Don’t be too general

If you simply tag your post with #realestate, it’s going to get lost in the noise of the millions of posts in that category.


Instead, you must find what works for you. Try experimenting to see what blend of broader, general hashtags and more specific ones works best for your brand.


Overall, and especially if you are working to establish your brand, specific hashtags are more beneficial since you won’t be competing with as many posts.


Instead of #realestate try including your city or neighborhood. For example: try something like #sanantoniorealestate to add specificity.


This way, you are narrowing your focus and have a higher chance of reaching the right people.


Creative hashtags are even better, such as #lovewhereyoulive.

Real estate hashtags like these are more engaging compared to simply using your city or neighborhood.


Of course, the great thing about hashtags is you can use several of them at once.

This way, you can focus on using more creative or specific tags, but also include a few general ones to cast your net as wide as possible.


Make sure the photo and hashtag match

This rule seems obvious, but there is a surprising amount of people on Instagram who use hashtags that have nothing to do with their photo, simply because it is a popular hashtag.

Unless you can come up with a way to relate that popular hashtag to your business’ photo, it’s better to stick with something more accurate.


Again, think of the blog keyword scenario. You wouldn’t try to rank for a keyword that has nothing to do with your post. That would only serve to upset your reader and confuse your overall effort.


The same goes for Instagram. No one wants to click on a hashtag and see a photo for something different.


However, you can include a hashtag on your photo that doesn’t necessarily relate to the photo itself, as long as it relates to your brand.


Take advantage of holidays and special events

This should be a key aspect of your hashtag strategy. Holidays and special events are a great opportunity to jump on what’s trending and get in front of a wider audience.

Aside from the major holidays, try participating in some of the lesser-known “holidays” such as “Fun at Work Day,” “National Smile Day,” and “National Say Something Nice Day.”

Find a creative way to incorporate your brand into these holidays. Brainstorm how you can put a real estate spin on them.


Holidays and special events provide a creative opportunity to get yourself in front of a much wider audience, which will help you boost your exposure.


Consistent content

Lastly, in order to get the most out of your hashtags, you must use them consistently. This means uploading your photos on a consistent schedule.


Figure out what works best for you. Can you manage to post high-quality content a couple of times a week? Every other day? Daily?


In addition, aim to upload at the same time each day. Time of day is another important factor in getting the most out of your hashtag strategy.


Try running tests to see which days and what time of day gets you the most engagement. Once you figure that out, use that as your posting schedule and try to follow it closely.

With those rules out of the way, here are 101 real estate hashtags you can use to boost your exposure and help increase brand awareness for your business.


Trending Real Estate Hashtags in 2022


General Tags


Listing Tags

Neighborhood Tags

  1. #lovewhereyoulive

  2. #loveyourneighborhood

  3. #neighborsandfriends

  4. #community

  5. #downtown“city”

  6. #beachlife

  7. #walkableneighborhood

  8. #HOA

  9. #”neighborhood”realestate

  10. #“neighborhood”homeforsale

  11. #“city”realestate

  12. #“city”homeforsale

  13. #“neighborhood”living

  14. #“neighborhood”life

  15. #“city”realtor

  16. #“neighborhood”+“typeofhome”

  17. #suburbs

  18. #suburblife

  19. #explore“neighborhood”

  20. #location

  21. #“county”realtor

  22. #“state”realtor

  23. #greattransportation

  24. #uptown

  25. #closetothebeach

  26. #localattraction

Business Branding Tags

Final Thoughts on Real Estate Hashtags

As you can see, there are a variety of real estate hashtags that you can use for different purposes. And don’t forget you can always create your own.


Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive list. You will no doubt encounter many other hashtags as you work to build your brand.


Instagram’s own automatic suggestions will show you different variations of a hashtag, as well as how many posts there are under it.


By following the basic hashtag rules, testing to see what works best for you, and creating a solid strategy, your real estate business will see a boost in exposure and engagement in no time.



bottom of page