Robyn Cavallaro: From Broke to Booked Solid by Building a YouTube Empire in Real Estate

[0:03] Welcome back to the REI agent. We are here with Robin Cavalero. Robin, thanks so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. Um, where are you coming out of, Robin? I am in the Villages, Florida, which is in Central Florida and the community is an active adult community. I’ve been selling here for about six years.

[1:03] like I know sometimes there’s almost unspoken rules about like you know you don’t sell in my area I don’t sell in your area or or do you kind of just naturally kind of work that area because you live there is that kind of how it works? Well there’s two sides of the villages. There’s the developer side which is new construction and then there’s the resale side. And so if you are looking for resale, you go to a realtor. If you’re looking for new construction, you go to the developer. So, we compete as realtors just on the resale side and there’s about 3,000 realtors that sell in the villages.

[2:56] So, you were, you said you were in the restaurant business before you got into real estate. What was the transition like? It was, honestly, it was a really pivotal moment. My husband and I were in restaurants. We had a very successful restaurant in upstate New York. He passed away very suddenly. And at that point I was like, I have to reinvent who I am and what my life is going to look like from this point. And so, I moved to the villages and I decided to get my real estate license. I had zero experience. I just knew that I needed to start over.

[4:01] And you went all in. You didn’t do this as a side hustle. You just said, this is what I’m doing. I had to. I had no choice. I had no money. I had no savings. I had to make it work. And I think that’s actually what propelled me forward because when your back is against the wall and you have no plan B, you figure it out. You just go.

[6:50] You know, it’s interesting because a lot of agents focus on listings. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Listings are great. But my entire business is built on buyers. And I think that’s a little bit unconventional because most people will tell you, listings are the name of the game. But in the villages, people are relocating from all over the country. They don’t know anybody here. And so they go to YouTube and they start researching. And that’s where they find me.

[8:01] So, YouTube has been the the biggest lead generator for you? Without question. I started my YouTube channel in 2019, and the first year, I think I had maybe 500 subscribers. And then in 2020, when COVID hit, everybody was sitting at home watching YouTube, and my channel just exploded. And since then, it’s been my number one source of business.

[9:03] And you know, the beautiful thing about YouTube is that it’s evergreen. So, I have videos that I made three years ago that are still generating leads today. That’s the power of YouTube versus something like Instagram or Facebook where the content dies after 24 to 48 hours. YouTube content lives forever and it compounds over time.

[10:48] You know, the relocation piece is huge. Because these people, they’re sitting in New York, they’re sitting in Ohio, they’re sitting in Michigan, and they’re watching my videos and they’re getting to know me. They’re building trust with me before they ever even set foot in Florida. And by the time they come down to visit, they already feel like they know me.

[13:55] You know, and the YouTube monetization piece is a nice bonus too. I mean, I’m not going to say I’m making a fortune on YouTube ads, but it’s nice to get a check every month for content that I’m already creating for my business. And it also builds your authority. When you have 10,000, 20,000 subscribers on YouTube, people take you seriously.

[15:34] The short-term rental piece was actually very strategic. I purchased a property in the villages and I run it as a short-term rental. And the reason I did that is because when I have buyers coming in from out of state to look at houses, I let them stay at my rental. And so now they’re experiencing the villages firsthand, they’re staying in a home that I own, and they see me as even more of an authority because I’m also an investor.

[16:49] Well, I think the first thing is you start off slow with what you know. Don’t try to go and make videos about topics and information that you’re very sketchy because that’s where you’ll start to get caught up. Find a topic that you know inside and out. Or just pick one thing and keep hammering it for 90 days.

[18:13] You know, I would say that’s I mean knowing what you’re going to say is definitely huge. I wonder if like if somebody just set a goal for themselves and said, I’m just going to record a video every day for a week and not post it. Like, that takes the pressure off. You don’t have to post it. Just get comfortable being on camera. Just talk to the camera like you’re talking to a friend.

[19:20] You need to define who you are, define who you serve, and what makes you different. And when you can do those three things, it makes it a lot easier to speak because you’re coming from a direction and you’re talking about a topic and you know who your avatar is, what your target market is.

[20:20] Do you put the short form on YouTube as well? No, I don’t put shorts on YouTube. I keep my YouTube strictly long form and I put my shorts on TikTok and Facebook reels. And I think that’s the smart play because the YouTube algorithm favors long form content. And when you start mixing in shorts, it confuses the algorithm a little bit. So, I keep them separate.

[23:22] Is your style typically like a live stream type of thing? Is it pre-recorded? It depends. Sometimes it’s a market update which is me in front of the camera talking. Sometimes it’s property tours where I’m walking through a home. And then sometimes it’s like a day in the life. I think variety is important because you don’t want your channel to be just one thing.

[24:51] And as far as editing goes, I keep it simple. I use iMovie. I’m not using any fancy editing software. And I think that’s important for people to hear because they think they need this elaborate setup with a $5,000 camera and professional lighting and a full editing suite. And you don’t. You can start with your iPhone and iMovie and just go.

[27:30] The biggest thing I tell people is just start. Start with what you have. Start with your phone. Start with free tools. You can always upgrade later. But if you wait until everything is perfect, you’ll never start. And consistency is what matters most.

[28:26] But if I had to pick one thing to invest in first, it would be sound. Because people will forgive bad video quality, but they will not forgive bad audio. So, get a good microphone. You can get a great lavalier mic for 30 bucks on Amazon.

[30:52] Would I start with YouTube again if I were starting over? 100%. Without a doubt. YouTube has been the single biggest driver of my business. And I think any agent who is not on YouTube is leaving money on the table. Especially if you are in a market that attracts relocation buyers.

[33:22] The golden nuggets that I would leave for agents who are just starting out. Number one, pick a niche. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Number two, be consistent. Number three, be authentic. People can spot a fake from a mile away. And number four, don’t be afraid to invest in yourself.

[35:26] My favorite book recommendation would be the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. It changed my life. I also wrote two books. I wrote Stop Chasing, Start Attracting and I wrote the Villages Relocation Guide. Both are available on Amazon.

[36:50] People can find me everywhere. My website is robyncavallaro.com. I’m on YouTube at Robyn Cavallaro, and I also have a second channel called Stop Chasing, Start Attracting, which is specifically for real estate agents who want to learn how to build their business through content.

[37:43] Awesome. Well, Robin, thanks so much for joining us. This has been a fantastic conversation. Lots of value packed in here for agents who want to leverage content and specifically YouTube to grow their business.