Ep. 43 - The Algorithm Is Lying to You: How Social Media Is Destroying Real Estate

The Last Honest Realtor

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In this episode of The Last Honest Realtor, host David Fleming confronts a reality nobody wants to admit: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok—they’re all lying to you about real estate. And it is reshaping what buyers and sellers expect in ways that no one is prepared for.
What starts with a rant about food photos on Instagram turns into a sharp, critical look at how social media has distorted the housing market. David dives into the rise of curated content, AI-polished listings, and the dangerous new standard of “scrollable perfection” that buyers now demand—and how all of it is quietly setting everyone up for failure.
In This Episode:

• Why social media is creating unrealistic expectations for buyers and sellers
• How algorithms, not agents, are misleading today’s real estate consumers
• Why perfect staging and Instagrammable marketing are backfiring
• How buyers have been conditioned to expect “12 out of 10” houses
• Why engagement metrics like showings and likes no longer equal demand

Timestamps:
00:00 – Social Media is Lying to You About Real Estate
05:00 – Why Real Estate Has Become a Sport (and an Addiction)
10:00 – How Algorithms Misprice Homes and Mislead Buyers
16:00 – The Rise of Scrollable Perfection and Unrealistic Standards
24:00 – Sellers Are Overstaging, Overpricing, and Overestimating
32:00 – Why Likes Don’t Equal Offers in 2025
38:00 – How to Focus on Fundamentals Instead of Fantasies
Also in This Episode:

• David explains how filters, AI, and real estate apps are setting buyers up for disappointment
• The hidden damage caused by HouseSigma, Instagram staging, and “perfect” listings
• Why honesty, substance, and brutal realism are the only things that will get deals done in 2025

Subscribe to The Last Honest Realtor on YouTube or your preferred podcast app. Drop a comment if you’ve ever been fooled by a too-good-to-be-true listing—or if you’re just fed up with the filters.

Bosley Real Estate
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Chapters

1. Social Media is Lying to You About Real Estate (00:00:00)

2. Why Real Estate Has Become a Sport (and an Addiction) (00:05:00)

3. How Algorithms Misprice Homes and Mislead Buyers (00:10:00)

4. The Rise of Scrollable Perfection and Unrealistic Standards (00:16:00)

5. Sellers Are Overstaging, Overpricing, and Overestimating (00:24:00)

6. Why Likes Don’t Equal Offers in 2025 (00:32:00)

7. How to Focus on Fundamentals Instead of Fantasies (00:38:00)