A home is its owner’s castle — and when kings and queens put their castles up for sale and then invite strangers to tour them, things can get a little blush-worthy. From falling down in front of clients to interrupting a shower to stumbling over, ahem, intimate accoutrements, there’s a ton of opportunity to embarrass yourself (or the seller) when a home is listed on the market.

Here, three real estate professionals share how they use real words on real paper to grow their own businesses and let clients past and future know they’re paying attention. With dedication, sincerity and some pretty pens, these masters of the handwritten word turn another laborious task on the procrastination list into a simple outreach method: sign, seal, deliver. 

When Facebook bought Instagram for almost $1 billion in 2012, some people raised their eyebrows at what seemed like a ridiculous amount of money for a social media network. But five years later, Facebook is laughing all the way to the bank. Most real estate agents (and brokerages) have embraced Facebook as an important part of a well-rounded marketing strategy, but a lot fewer have jumped on Instagram’s bus to date. That might be a mistake.

What kinds of products are included in the real estate technology landscape? How much of their funding is invested, and how much of it comes from agents and brokers? Where will we see the most growth in the next few years, and which verticals seem to be simmering down? Inman dug into the numbers, researched the investors, surveyed readers and interviewed the experts. Here are our findings.

DENVER — “OK, people: Do not run your businesses based on videos made by mortgage brokers,” advised Brian Levy, an attorney at Kattan & Temple, at the RESPRO (Real Estate Settlement Services Providers Council) meeting today. Levy was referring to panicked phone calls he received earlier this year when his clients saw a video that two mortgage brokers put on YouTube.

DENVER — Co-marketing agreements can help agents, brokers, and teams reach a larger audience of prospective buyers. But when forming such an agreement with a settlement service, it’s not enough for the parties involved to know what’s in RESPA (the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act), a 44-year-old law designed to keep settlement services honest for consumers.