The first thing is targeting: you can't target people by age, location, interest, or really any of the million ways ads can specify who they're trying to go after. This is because of fair housing policy, and I support it, but it means I don't pay for ads. There's no point in my boosting a post about NYC real estate on IG if it's just going to send to a bunch of random men in CA for them to slide into my DM's.
Then, for similar reasons, there are a lot of regulations around HOW you can advertise, and the info requirements on any ad. Assuming you're the agent representing the buyer or seller, you need to include your real licensed name, your brokerage, the address and the price. If you want to advertise a listing that isn't yours, you ALSO need explicit permission from the listing agent. And then you must also include the listing agent's name and brokerage, and the address and price on the ad. Technically, if the price ever changes, you're actually supposed to go back and update the prior ad accordingly.
The exception to this is open listings (which could technically be rentals or sales, but I’ve never seen an open sales listing), which agents are able to advertise themselves. If you're a rental agent trying to grow your business, advertising these is actually a great way to do it.
What do you care though?
Some of it is my annoying dedication to transparency, and a frustration with agents who act as gate-keepers rather than actual value adds. I want people to WANT to work with me, not feel that they have to because I misled them.
Any agent can show you any listing, from any company. That's it. You do NOT need to choose a certain agent for access; you choose them because you like them and trust them and know that they'll do a good job. Yes, some people are better at finding off-market listings than others. Some firms have more "pocket" listings than others (which still doesn't mean only they have access). But anyone who tells you that only THEY can get you XYZ, they're lying.
And at the end of the day, this does nothing to help anyone get a home, learn anything about real estate, or make people hate my industry less. If your only value as an agent is blocking information and lying until someone works with you out of confusion, I don't get it and I don't support it.