Hyperlocal Hustle: How to Dominate Micro Markets

When Cole Slate decided to invite two food trucks loaded with coffee and breakfast sandwiches to his cul-de-sac one Saturday morning in May, he figured it was a fun way to mingle with the neighbors.

“I’m not handing out swag or trying to generate business,” says the broker-associate with The Slate Group at Keller Williams St. Johns.

He and his wife and business partner, Laura, have several friends with food trucks, and once a month they host them at their house in RiverTown.

“It’s like a big breakfast party out in front of our house,” Slate says, noting that he covers the cost to treat neighbors and friends to a free meal.

One of the food trucks that morning was Moo’s Coffee, owned by his friend Meghan, whom he met when they both attended Bartram Trail High School.

As Meghan served coffee from her truck, she suddenly called out to Slate, “Hey, Cole, this couple from Denver wants to talk to you about moving here.”

He couldn’t believe how a random morning gathering had turned into an unexpected real estate lead.

“It was one of those amazing, lucky moments,” he says. “The husband laughed, saying they were just driving by and needed some coffee and breakfast.” Slate showed the couple a house later that day.

Slate has built his niche by becoming the “source of the source” in his community of RiverTown.

Whether it’s recommending a plumber, finding a local restaurant or sharing updates on neighborhood developments, people call him first rather than looking it up themselves.

“People have even stopped Googling certain contacts because they know it’s quicker to ask me,” he says. “When the opportunity comes up to consider buying, building, selling or referring business, people tend to think, ‘Oh, that Cole Slate guy—he always has resources and is constantly posting in the community Facebook page about new developments or local news.’

"Those relationships naturally evolve into name recognition. I live in the same ZIP Code where I grew up, and I’m a big ‘remember where you come from’ kind of person. Does it help my business? Yes, 1,000%, but that’s not why I do it. People often reach out and say, ‘Cole, I know everything you’ve done in the community—we’ve never met but I hear about your teacher appreciation events,’ or ‘I’ve been to a handful of your events.’ It’s all about being that reliable point of connection.”

Pro perspective: According to Richmond, Virginia,-based Jeff Mays, a coach with Tom Ferry International for the past 10 years, building a strong presence in a niche community starts with passion. “You’ve got to do it for the right reasons,” he says. He adds the most successful agents are those who identify a “passion project” that energizes them, whether it’s new construction, first-time buyers, condos, probate, working with veterans or assisting seniors. “What fires you up? What are you comfortable doing?” he asks. “The answers to those questions can make all the difference.”

Here’s how several agents from around the state are building neighborhood fame.

Selling the local story

Mariah Marvel, a Tampa native and social media influencer, has established herself as a go-to source for real estate and local culture by creating content that features the area’s neighborhoods, small businesses and lifestyle.

“I love getting to highlight that we are such a unique city,” says the sales associate and team lead of Marvel Home Group at RE/MAX Collective. Her background in marketing and community relations gave her the skills to build what she says is “a real estate business rooted in strategy, storytelling and service.”

On Instagram @movewithmariah, Marvel gives followers a glimpse of what life is like in the Tampa Bay area as she explores new places and supports local businesses.

For example, she often visits hazel + dot, a local gift shop, for closing gifts and she has partnered with them on giveaways. Another favorite is GINO’s Restaurant in Carrollwood, where her family has dined for years.

“We have relationships with them and they’ve supported us,” she says. She also builds connections through local networking groups like Hello Culture Tampa Bay, which brings female entrepreneurs together. “We do in-person workshops and group content creation, which makes it more fun!” she says.

When Marvel started out a decade ago, she focused on first-time buyers, but her niche has shifted to first-time sellers.

“My ideal client is someone who is selling their first home in Seminole Heights or Tampa Heights—and looking to upsize to a larger place or a better school district,” she adds. “I’m trying to connect with my ideal audience on Instagram and keeping it lifestyle-focused helps people relate to me. Followers know I have a Golden Retriever and two kids—they connect with me beyond, ‘Oh, there’s Mariah and she sells houses.’ When someone follows me and we click, I will invite them out for coffee or to an event.”

Being “real” makes a difference, Marvel says, when creating home tours and community vlogs.

“Videos where I pop in and wave tend to get more reach than those where I’m behind the camera,” she explains.

Sharing the messy, less-than-perfect moments also resonates with her followers. “I’ll show up in my stories and be honest about a rough day or challenging closing, and those posts get more interaction than just saying, ‘I sold this property.’ ”

One memorable moment happened on April Fool’s Day when a property under contract fell through for the second time.

“I jumped on social media and said, ‘Y’all, this is not an April Fool’s joke—this property is back on the market.’ Leaning into real moments helps people see me as authentic.”

Her content is also a valuable networking tool, particularly for agent referrals.

“An agent from Washington was helping a military client relocate to Florida,” she says. “She found my Instagram and saw that I was also a mom who shared tips like the best playgrounds in Tampa and summer activities for kids. Her client had a child around my son’s age, and she felt I’d be the perfect fit. That connection led to a successful referral and a closing.” Marvel advises other agents to be authentic and consistent on social media. “Don’t just rely on generic content—show up as yourself, pull back the curtain a little and people will start to connect with you,” she says.

Pro perspective: “I love her approach,” Mays says. “Authentically showing what it’s really like to be an agent is key. People think we just show up and write closings, but it’s important to highlight our day-to-day work. I’m a big fan of that—keep it up. There’s no story in Just Listed and Just Sold postcards. It’s almost like bragging. People love stories—they want to hear the process and see what it looks like.”

Orlando ambassador

Nine years ago, Ken Pozek and his wife visited Orlando on vacation and decided to move from Detroit, where he had built a successful real estate business through targeting FSBOs, door-knocking and open houses. After becoming a Florida agent, he started off using the same old-school methods. But when his efforts fell flat, he knew it was time to try something else.

“A friend asked, ‘Have you tried YouTube?’ and I asked what he meant by that,” says Pozek, team lead and founder of Pozek Group | The Orlando Real. “He explained that he made videos featuring new construction and area tours, and people called him. I thought that sounded like something I could figure out.”

What started as builder tours shot on Pozek’s cell phone evolved into a full-scale content strategy.

One early video, “Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Celebration, Florida,” unexpectedly took off. “[A prospect] from the U.K. called, said they found me on YouTube and wanted to buy a house,” he recalls.

From there, he perfected his approach: fewer, high-quality videos that provide real value to potential buyers.

It paid off. Today, his Ken Pozek YouTube channel has amassed nearly 60,000 subscribers, and he’s become the go-to resource for all things Orlando. His niche is single-family residential in the ZIP Codes within Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Polk counties.

Pozek’s content includes area tours, live shows and podcasts that cover Orlando real estate and community topics. His philosophy? “Provide 95% value and 5% call to action—and don’t ask for their business before you’ve earned it,” he says.

He and his team post videos every Tuesday or Wednesday with practical tips for people moving to Orlando. “We also chunk longer YouTube videos into bite-sized content for Instagram and TikTok,” he says, adding that hundreds of inquiries are generated each month from both platforms. “Some people have followed me for years before they’re finally ready to reach out.”

Popular content includes “Top 5 Reasons to Move Here,” and comparisons of neighborhoods like Lake Nona, Horizon West and Windermere. His website, The Orlando Real, also focuses on hyperlocal content and covers eight popular neighborhoods, local trends and what it’s like to live in Orlando.

“On Thursday nights, we go live [via our The Orlando Real] show to talk about the news of the week pertaining to homeownership or renting, road networks, new developments, and new jobs and initiatives coming to the area, which has been fantastic,” he explains. “Our live show is also available as a podcast on Spotify, Google Play and Apple Podcasts.”

One fluke video—a walkthrough of Shaquille O’Neal’s former home—went viral.

“The agent let me bring a videographer, and that video got 7 million views,” Pozek says. “I didn’t sell the house, but it resulted in multiple million-dollar sales because luxury owners reached out and said, ‘I want to work with you.’ ”

Pozek also hosts in-person meet-ups and homebuyer seminars to help newcomers feel welcome. “When people move here, they shouldn’t feel alone,” he says. “Our events are held all over the area—sometimes on the west side, sometimes downtown or on the east side. One day at the park, we had Kona ice machines and bounce houses, and a family that had just moved from Boston met another family from Boston—it just clicked. The byproduct just happens to be clients down the road.”

The results speak for themselves. Pozek’s team recently sold 86 houses in one month. “Our business has grown 30% year over year for the past five years,” he says. Instead of relying on external lead sources, he has built an enduring asset: A community that keeps coming back.

Pro perspective: “As Realtors®, we’ve got to put ourselves out there and get uncomfortable,” Mays says. “I would encourage agents to get over their fear of shooting videos, quit overthinking and just get it done.”

Equestrian expertise

Specializing in equestrian properties was a natural fit for Ocala-based Joan Pletcher, owner of Joan Pletcher Real Estate Network, thanks to her lifelong passion for horses and deep ties to the equestrian community.

“I grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Daddy bought my first horse when I was 5 years old,” Pletcher recalls. “I learned to tack and groom him and grew up to start showing my own horses.”

After moving to Ocala 40 years ago with her husband, Jake “J.J.” Pletcher, an acclaimed Thoroughbred trainer, Pletcher immersed herself in the local equestrian world.

Her stepson, Todd Pletcher, won the Eclipse Award eight times as Trainer of the Year and is also a two-time Kentucky Derby winner. The family’s involvement in thoroughbred training and racing, coupled with their local connections, has helped solidify Joan’s reputation. Whether she’s at the racetrack or hosting community events, she sees herself not just as a Realtor® but as a fixture in Ocala’s equestrian scene.

Knowing she never wanted a 9-to-5 job, she got her real estate license in 1972. Her career took off as she honed her ability to intuitively match clients with properties. “God has given me an innate sense to ferret out what people want even if they don’t know themselves,” she says.

She sold renowned Thoroughbred racehorse trainer Kenneth McPeek a farm in Ocala. “I had to make him buy it,” she jokes. “He won the Kentucky Derby last year with Mystik Dan and Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna. We were talking not too long ago, and he said, ‘Joan, I’m so glad you made me buy that farm; it’s really changed my luck.’ ”

One of Pletcher’s most notable achievements was facilitating the acquisition of land that would become part of World Equestrian Center (WEC). “WEC has totally changed the dynamics of Ocala/Marion County,” she says. “We have so much more to offer our citizens and visitors. We are truly the horse capital.”

She has sponsored local equestrian events, such as Horse Shows in the Sun Ocala. When the Florida Horse Park was built, she was part of a group that helped arrange the details of the equestrian course—and at Live Oak International, she sponsored a class and hosted a table to greet guests on weekends.

Her dedication to quality marketing also set her apart early on. Before drones became commonplace, she would charter a helicopter to take aerial shots of properties for her clients.

Today, she uses YouTube videos, online advertising and networking with fellow Realtors to stay at the forefront of the market. She credits having integrity and honesty with helping her achieve success in her niche.

“I am a people person, so I feel that you are important no matter what your walk of life is,” she says. “Each client is different with unique concerns and expectations for the property they are searching for or selling. You have to get to know their needs and expectations, and their plans for the next few years. Most importantly, you have to love what you do and put your client first.”

Pro perspective: Mays advises agents who want to break into lifestyle-driven niches to focus on visibility. “Nobody knows what you’re doing unless you put it out there,” he says. He recommends embracing video and social media to showcase your expertise. “Think about what it would’ve taken in the ’80s to shoot a video and put it out there—you couldn’t even imagine it. It’s amazing that we have these tools available today.”

Hometown connections

Courtney Welch’s path to real estate was anything but typical.

Although she comes from a long line of Realtors—her great-grandmother was one of the first female agents in Lexington, Kentucky, and both her grandmother and mom were also in the business—she originally pursued a career as a mezzo-soprano on the opera circuit.

“I sang professionally for a few years, but it’s hard to break into that world,” she says. Now in her 10th year in real estate, she leads Welch Family Group at Keller Williams South Shore. Her niche is Seffner, where she was born and raised, and her team includes her mom, Betsie Welch, her brother, Ben Welch and his best friend, Juan Corredor. Her father, a well-known local dentist, supports her business by promoting it on the wall in his office, where he sees dozens of patients every day.

“It makes sense to focus on the community I’ve always called home,” she says. “We know every street, and so many of the families here. About 25 to 30 percent of our business comes from people we know.”

Welch’s hyperlocal approach is both practical and creative.

She sponsors local events, including neighborhood yard sales, pie giveaways on Kentucky Derby Day and dinners for residents to get to know each other. She also stays active in the community by sponsoring church events and supporting teachers and local veterans.

“We’re doubling down on events to stay top-of-mind,” she says. “One event that’s really taken off is our fall carnival, which keeps growing. Last year, around 200 people came, and we’re planning to make it even bigger this year. We like to give back, create a positive experience and have fun because we’re social people.”

Welch also has a strong presence on Facebook, where she runs community groups and highlights small businesses with videos and promotions.

“We’re always trying to stay connected without being salesy,” she says. “Whether somebody is asking about an event or looking for recommendations—even if it’s not real estate-related—we like to be a knowledgeable guide for the area.”

Welch’s team stays active in the neighborhoods they farm by sharing upcoming events, keeping people updated on home sales and answering questions. “Facebook is one of our biggest sources for staying in the know with our client base,” she says, noting that the platform makes it easy to keep track of client events, such as birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones. “We send out birthday cards and text clients on the one-year anniversary of their home purchase—and use [Facebook] as a resource to celebrate our own achievements, too.

Pro perspective: Mays says that one of the most effective ways to stay connected is by engaging with the local community through consistent outreach and relationship-building. “It almost feels like in real estate you’ve got to look like you’re running for office,” he says. “You’ve got to put yourself out there because we are in the relationship business. Sometimes it’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”

In the end, Mays believes that true hyperlocal success comes from genuine community involvement. “You’ve got to get in front of a minimum of 50 people a week,” he advises. It’s important to be visible in the right places, whether you’re sponsoring HOA meetings, volunteering or connecting with local leaders. “The average agent isn’t just in the right rooms,” he points out. “You’ve got to start doing something that nobody else is thinking about.” 

Data-driven insights

After discovering that many market reports were written by analysts without firsthand real estate experience, Miami-based David Siddons, of the David Siddons Group at Douglas Elliman, decided to create his own detailed, neighborhood-specific market reports and blogs targeting the area’s micro-markets.

“In 2011, I had an epiphany,” he says. “I was reading a report by a brokerage house, and I noticed it was written by an analytical group based in Washington, D.C.—people who don’t sell real estate and aren’t even in Miami. It was incredible to me that they’d publish such a report without having personal experience or optics on the market. Every market has nuances that can’t be realized by numbers and data.”

Motivated to set the record straight, he started crafting his own reports in 2012.

“I wanted to write a personal narrative about the market—what it was doing and why,” he explains. “At first, I was a one-man band, but as the demand grew, I began bringing people into the business. By 2015, we had an operations director and started assigning territory managers to each neighborhood.”

Siddons’ team focuses on developing expertise within specific neighborhoods. “Most teams operate in an ‘every man for himself’ fashion, with agents running around the same neighborhoods and cannibalizing the market,” he says. “Our formula produces content explaining not just what is happening, but why.”

His team now includes 13 territory managers who utilize AI to analyze data and identify emerging issues.

“We use these labs systems to ask the right questions,” he explains. “Recently, one of our reports addressed the five biggest concerns about the Miami real estate market, such as the affordability crisis, challenges in middle-income condo markets, mortgage financing and the risks posed by climate change and insurance costs. Clients were grateful because we not only identified the problem but also offered practical solutions for navigating the changing market. You can’t just say it’s awesome or tell people what they want to hear. You have to be truthful about the challenges as well as the positives. That’s what builds trust.”

Leslie C. Stone is a Vero Beach-based freelance writer.