San Diego real estate agent Bern McGovern can't go out in North County without being recognized. Not because he's sold everyone's house, but because of his Instagram.

Why it matters: McGovern and other local agents are leveraging social media to build clientele and their brand in a market where buyers, sellers and dreamers eat up real estate content.

• "You have to separate yourself somehow," McGovern told Axios.

Zoom in: McGovern started posting on YouTube in 2018, and then he added Instagram, where he's gained more than 76,000 followers in about 18 months.

• Now, he reports getting about 70% of his clients from those social media channels.

Between the lines: Most of McGovern's Instagram videos share San Diego and North County news rather than listings and market trends. He can make one in 20 minutes and get 10,000 views almost guaranteed, he said.

• He shares news about local restaurants and businesses, ongoing construction and new developments, events and neighborhood guides. He generally films his posts in front of a green screen.
• "The local stuff is what gets people to trust you about the real estate stuff," McGovern told Axios.

He said people get to know him faster by watching his videos rather than reading reviews, and making content reaches a lot more people than cold calling or door-knocking.

Other local agents have gained followings posting highly sharable home tours that show people what they can get in various neighborhoods at various price points.

• Those videos are eye candy for San Diegans scrolling Instagram and TikTok, and they are legitimate leads for those who can afford to be in the market beyond window shopping.
• Some San Diego real estate agents also create educational content to help their peers navigate the industry.

Dan Parker grew his business making YouTube videos about living in San Diego, and doubled his Instagram following to nearly 10,000 in the last year.

• And it's worked, Parker said, with more than 50% of his business coming directly from Instagram and YouTube at times.
• "I've been able to grow our network and help more people buy and sell homes because of the content directly," he said.

The big picture: Real estate agents have been producing more short-form videos to market their properties and themselves, a tactic that really took off during the pandemic.

• "The question is no longer if you should be active on social media; it's how you show up," a Realtor.com article advises.

Keep reading

San Diego County is home to five cities where the typical starter home costs $1 million or more, according to new Zillow data shared with Axios.

The five $1 million-plus cities in our area as of April are:

• Rancho Santa Fe: $2,862,265
• Del Mar: $2,130,415
• Coronado: $1,694,135
• Solana Beach: $1,379,158
• Encinitas: $1,253,861

Rancho Santa Fe, where home values have nearly doubled since 2020, ranked in the top 20 nationally.

It's not just those high-end neighborhoods — nearly half of local houses are million-dollar listings.

Zoom out: The typical starter home nationwide is $198,649, per Zillow.

• Unsurprisingly, California has the highest number of cities with million-dollar starter homes at 105, led by the San Francisco (37) and Los Angeles (33) metro areas.

Between the lines: Zillow defines a typical starter house as "a home in the lowest third of home values in a given region."

The big picture: A record 242 American cities are now faced with seven-figure prices for entry-level homes, per Zillow.

• That's up from 226 last year, and 80 in February 2020.

Did you struggle to find a starter home, or are you still struggling with that now? Hit reply or email us at [email protected] to share your story.

Commiserate over this story

🥗 Gwyneth Paltrow and her Goop Kitchen empire are coming to UC San Diego this fall. The actress is opening a restaurant at the center of campus, serving "nutrient-dense meals without refined sugars or processed ingredients." (Union-Tribune)

• A second location is also planned for One Paseo.

🍽️ In other restaurant news, The Michelin Guide ceremony is happening tomorrow night downtown, bringing together California's top chefs and restaurants. (UT)

🛣️ A new report says bad road conditions and traffic cost local drivers thousands of dollars a year. (NBC7)

💸 Our budget crunch is being worsened by soaring lawsuit payouts and the hefty insurance premiums those payouts created. (UT)

Toddlers and kiddos rejoice, shiny new playgrounds are popping up in Mission Bay.

• These playgrounds are part of construction across the bay, and have a separate funding source that allows them to skirt the city's budget woes, according to city officials.

Zoom in: One playground at Crown Point doesn't have a confirmed opening date yet, city spokesperson Tyler Becker told Axios, but the goal is to complete the project by the end of July.

• Construction at a South De Anza Cove playground is on hold because of the California Coastal Commission's summer construction moratorium from Memorial Day through Labor Day, he said.

👀 Some people apparently aren't willing to wait. Over the weekend, Claire spotted a family with a toddler at the Crown Point playground.

• Somehow, they'd gone through the fence and had the playground all to themselves.

Tell a parent

Lest you think we have an anti-cat bias, we present the first ever feline in our regular installment highlighting local pets.

Name: Lily

Her story: She was rescued in 2017 in Virginia, owner Jacob G. told Axios.

• "While she used to be a super scaredy cat, she's thrived and flourished ever since becoming a Cali girl."

Likes: Lily loves her life, especially sunbathing on the patio, Jacob said.

• "Now she's just a normal scaredy cat," he said. "Although she's hesitant towards new humans, she loves her dads and is usually following them chirping for attention."

📸 Got a pet that deserves the spotlight? Hit reply and send us their name, some cute pics and what they most like and dislike. They might just become our next featured star!