Former journalist Mélanie Bergeron distills advice on the show The underside of real estate on the waves of 98.5 and in Cursed Residences on CASA. Broker Christopher Salador’s videos have garnered nearly 450,000 views on his Real Estate 101 YouTube channel. DuProprio has just created a team dedicated to producing web content. All try to respond to the public’s growing thirst for advice.
A former journalist who worked at TVA from 2006 to 2018, Mélanie Bergeron left everything for real estate brokerage. But the media caught up with her. “In March 2021, I was asked to host a radio show on real estate. I did not hesitate before accepting. I have always liked to popularize. And I was offered to combine my two passions. »
In his eyes, real estate benefits from being simplified. “The topic often makes headlines with tragic stories, financial nightmares, hidden flaws or bad looking brokers. I wanted to popularize information that is often poorly expressed or misunderstood. »
Scheduled for a single spring, its issue continues.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Mélanie Bergeron, animator and broker
People have a real need to call and ask their questions, without going through a broker, a lawyer or a notary. The volume of calls is incredible, and the questions are very diverse.
Mélanie Bergeron, about the show The underside of real estate at 98.5
In addition, she co-hosts with Yanic Parent, an ex-policeman turned broker, the docu-reality series Cursed Residences, which is less flashy than its title suggests. “We approach people who are going through tragedies, but it’s not a freak show that interferes in their lives to show something trashy, she specifies. It illustrates that some people experience drama and have to sell their property by going through stages unknown to the public. »
Customers from YouTube
Hoping to stand out from the competition, Christopher Salador released his first real estate advice video in September 2017. he remembers. In addition, a coach had challenged me to produce 52 videos in one year. »
His first steps were not easy. “I started with my phone, I stuttered, I hesitated, I spoke too quickly or too slowly. I was trying to be politically correct, upright and perfect. »
Gradually, he found his ease.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Christopher Salador, Broker
What attracts attention is personality, so I let myself be myself. Gradually, my notoriety grew. After 18 months, I started getting clients through videos.
Christopher Salador, Broker
Underneath his videos, he provides a link for people to book a free consultation with him. “At the beginning, appointments came in drop by drop. During the pandemic, five consultations per week came from videos. Today, more than 75% of my clientele comes from YouTube. »
Longer content from DuProprio
For its part, DuProprio relies on a YouTube channel and on its website to democratize the sales process. “We do TV ad campaigns that give us huge brand awareness. But after 15 seconds, people don’t always fully understand what we do and how we do it, explains Julie Benoit, general manager and chief operating officer. Our platforms are perfect for longer content. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Julie Benoit, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer at DuProprio
The company has created several videos to explain its services, but it also produces videos to explain the stages of selling a property or to talk about the state of the market. “Over the past two years, the market has been on a roller coaster,” adds Mr.me Benoît. We remain attentive to the field and we manage to talk about it in our videos in a neutral way. »
Endless choice of subjects
Christopher Salador’s content has evolved over time. At first, he sought to educate people on the various particularities of a transaction. Then, he noticed that real estate investing content was getting a lot more views, followers, and questions. “I also found that the interviews reached a lot more people,” he says. From now on, I prepare my questions for a guest, we discuss in a fluid way, and that saves me having to prepare all the content. He also hired a person to target the real estate topics that most appeal to the public, in order to approach them in his own way.
For her part, Mélanie Bergeron reacts to questions from listeners and remains glued to the news. “A few weeks ago, there was talk of the closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel and we wondered how that would influence our real estate choices. In another context, if I see less overbidding, we will talk about it. »
The young content production team at DuProprio remains attentive to real estate advisors. “They are the ones who talk to customers, who hear their questions and their fears,” says Ms.me Benoît. It’s different from six months ago and it will change in three months. We try to react by creating content that meets their needs. »
Personalized advice
If the clientele has its needs, the same can be said for each platform. “We aspire to create personalized and exclusive content for YouTube, TikTok, our website and our blog,” explains the general manager at DuProprio. We really want to develop that in the next few years. »
Mélanie Bergeron also wants to invest in social networks.
Web platforms reach young people more, even if several people in their twenties also call me on the radio. It is important to reach them and to support them well.
Melanie Bergeron
She plans to create several small one-minute capsules. “I want to interest people and push them to look for other information afterwards. »
It also encourages the general public to diversify its sources of real estate advice as it is useful to do in terms of information. “Instead of relying solely on an unknown person, it may be good to validate information on the OACIQ website [Organisme d’auto-réglementation du courage immobilier du Québec], with those around us or with a professional to make sure that we don’t get slandered by someone who wants to put on a show. »
She qualifies all the same by affirming that the Quebec content is generally very reliable. “There are all kinds of videos made by real estate brokers who put their personal touch, but the information is generally good,” says Mélanie Bergeron. A broker could not transmit false information on public platforms without receiving complaints. »
Julie Benoit shares her opinion. “The good news is that we all say pretty much the same thing, but with a different lens, depending on whether you are a broker, lawyer or notary. Each offers a personalized look. »