The problem with some real estate content is not that it advertises, but that it advertises without appearing to be advertising.
Anyone who follows real estate content on social media platforms will have noticed a recent increase in live streams and tweets discussing neighborhoods, projects, prices, and buying opportunities. This is a positive development; real estate is becoming more accessible to the public, and information is no longer limited to specialists.
But the problem begins when the content moves from providing information to decision-making, and from education to guidance, without the recipient knowing the nature of the entity or interest behind this guidance.
The scene sometimes begins with a seemingly casual question:
"Give me a neighborhood that is impossible to live in."
or:
“I received a private message from someone who has 200,000 and is looking for an apartment under construction in northern Jeddah. What do you advise him to do?” Then the responses begin, and the names of neighborhoods, projects, and developers appear. Often, the discussion turns from a general question to a clear path that leads the recipient towards a specific product. I am not saying that all these questions are artificial, nor that every recommendation is backed by a commercial interest.
But the question worth asking is: Does the recipient know the nature of the interest behind the recommendation?
The intermediary has the right to market, the developer has the right to advertise, and the content creator has the right to profit commercially from their audience. There is nothing wrong with that.
The problem begins when advertising is disguised as advice, or a recommendation appears as an independent opinion, while there is an influential business relationship that has not been disclosed.
There is a big difference between someone saying:
"I am marketing this project, and I see it as suitable for this group for these reasons."
He then said:
"If I were you, I wouldn't buy anything but this project."
In the first sentence, the recipient recognizes that they are dealing with marketing and can place the recommendation within its context. In the second, however, they may treat it as independent advice, not a recommendation that might be influenced by commercial interests.
And the influence does not always come from the speaker himself.
Even comments and replies can create the impression of a consensus on a particular neighborhood or project. Frequent discussion of a product might be interpreted as evidence of its quality or strong demand, when it could simply be the result of diverse stakeholders interacting around the same product. A large number of comments is not proof of a property's quality, and frequent discussion of a project is not necessarily evidence of strong demand.
In an era where platforms are able to quickly create impressions, the consumer needs to distinguish between three things that look similar but are not: opinion, analysis, and advertising.
If what you are offering is an opinion, then say that it is an opinion.
If it is an analysis, then show the sources of your figures and assumptions.
If it's an advertisement, that's fine; just make it clear that it is an advertisement. And if you have a business interest in the property you're recommending, disclosing it doesn't detract from your professionalism; in fact, it might even increase trust in you.
Disclosure does not negate the effect of the recommendation, but it makes the recipient more capable of evaluating it.
I don't believe the solution lies in fighting real estate content or questioning every recommendation, but rather in knowing clearly what we are seeing: Is it an opinion, an analysis, or an advertisement?
Marketing is a legitimate right, expressing an opinion is a legitimate right, and generating revenue from content is also a legitimate right.
But disclosing the interest is what maintains the distance between legitimate influence and deception.
Because the buyer not only needs accurate information, but also needs to know why this information was given to him.
A pause for the reader
Before you take any real estate recommendation on social media platforms, ask:
- Who is speaking? What is their relationship to the property or project, and are they licensed?
- What is the source of the information? Especially if it includes figures or predictions.
- Were the advantages and risks mentioned together?
- Is there a business interest? And has it been disclosed?
- Does the content help me make a decision, or does it push me to make one?
