By Mélido Marte
Special for El Inmobiliario
In recent years I've witnessed a quiet transformation in our profession: too many colleagues believe that "selling" is synonymous with "investing in social media." They acquire a property, upload it to the platform, pay for advertising, monitor metrics… and wait for the algorithm to decide its fate.
If a thousand agents each invest a thousand dollars a month, that's a million dollars a month just on digital promotion. Meanwhile, companies like Meta generate over 98% of their global advertising revenue, driven by more ads served and higher average prices per placement. Adjusting reach, showing less organic content, and pushing the advertising auction costs them nothing, but it does force us to pay more for visibility.
It's not a conspiracy. It's digital economics
When sales depend on an algorithm, the agent ceases to be a strategist and becomes a hostage: anxious, always paying, competing with others for the same client, and trapped in an auction where the return is never guaranteed. That's not selling. That's gambling.
This is confirmed by industry data
Recent NAR studies show that buyers find the property they end up purchasing:
-51% via the internet,
-29% through their agent,
-4% through signs and open houses,
-8% through friends and family.
But when it comes to finding the agent, the numbers speak even more clearly:
-Around 40% through referrals,
-nearly 30% through repeat customers.
-And multiple reviews agree: up to 80% of closings come directly or indirectly from relationships, reputation, and people who already trusted us.
Selling remains human, relational, and strategic. Networks accelerate, but don't replace, the process.
The equation that never expires: After almost four decades, I still see three infallible pillars:
- Location, location, location.
The natural buyer is almost always nearby. That neighbor who already knows the area, the transportation options, the services, and the property value. You don't have to sell them the project or the location: just the price and the payment plan. - Active territoriality (the offline aspects that still work):
The sign, the open house, the door-to-door letter, walking the neighborhood, talking to the residents' association… these don't generate "likes," they generate real conversations. And conversations are the legitimate prelude to closure. - Referrals (the silent gold)
The referred client arrives already converted: they trust you because someone they respect spoke highly of your work. No algorithm buys trust. No campaign pays for reputation.
Sales Formula vs. Sales Intent:
The algorithm-dependent formula looks like this: Capture – post – advertise – wait.
This dependence increases costs, fuels anxiety, and leaves the sale in the hands of a platform whose business model relies on you paying more.
Intentionality is something else entirely: Deciding what I want to sell, to whom, when, and how, and designing the path to reach that precise buyer.
I sell what I want, when I want, and to whom I want, because I don't wait around: I provoke.
I don't chase leads: I build relationships.
I don't live by the algorithm: I live by my strategy.
Trade sovereignty in the age of algorithms
I have nothing against social media. It's a tool. But it should never become a crutch or a substitute for the profession. RE/MAX wasn't created to produce content for Meta.
It was created to represent families, advise on investments, interpret the market, and close deals with professional precision. The platforms will adjust their algorithms to maximize revenue.
Our task is different: to maximize reputation, relationships, intent, and presence.
That's why I believe in the legitimate business equation:
-Intent over impulse,
-Territory over superficial numbers,
-Referrals over unknown leads,
-Strategy over algorithms.
And if, after canvassing the area, activating your network, generating referrals, and sparking real conversations, you want to use digital advertising as a supplement, go ahead. But use it responsibly. Don't become overly dependent on it. Because with you—and with us—doing business is easy and enjoyable when we return to the essentials:
selling with intention, not with digital anxiety.
The author is: regional director of RE/MAX Dominican Republic, a pioneer in real estate in the country, with almost four decades of experience in the real estate sector.
