North Augusta realtor goes viral on TikTok, amasses more than a million views on single video

A North Augusta realtor recently went viral on TikTok, amassing more than a million views on a single video.

"That one just when bananas," said Joe Seamon, owner of the @forsalebyjoe TikTok account and J Properties Group, which is brokered by Meybohm Real Estate.

Seamon, who has only been on TikTok for less than a year, said he posted the viral video on a Sunday afternoon and showed another house, not checking the post again until later that night.

"It had 500,000 or 600,000 views in four or five hours and about 6,000 comments," he said.

In the video, Seamon took viewers on a walk-through of a North Augusta home that was not selling, and asked viewers why they thought it was still on the market. The video, posted on Nov. 12, continued to gain traction and currently sits at 1.1 million views and nearly 12,000 comments as of Dec. 6.

"I received a very good mix of comments," Seamon said. "A lot of people were talking about the interest rates, which are higher than what we've been used to over the last three years, but there were also a lot of people from out of state who were shocked that our prices are still so low in this region."

Seamon, 44, worked in business before shifting to real estate nearly six years ago.

"I've always had a love for real estate," he said. "Back when I was in elementary school, when all of my friends were drawing cartoon characters and stick figures, I was drawing houses and floor plans. I still have all of the drawings."

It wasn't an easy career change, Seamon said. The first year, he only made about $11,000 and struggled to support his wife and four children.

"That was a tough year, but I just kept my nose to the grindstone and kept doing it," he said. "In 2018, I sold eight houses and in 2019, I sold 54 houses. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and said, 'OK, I can do this.'"

Now, Seamon sells about 200 houses each year.

While Seamon is not profiting financially off of his social media videos, he said he receives referrals, is able to connect with other TikTok realtors in the state, and show prospective clients a more personal side of his business.

"I have linked up with another realtor off of TikTok in Atlanta and she has given me a referral here in Augusta and I have passed one to her for a buyer or seller in Atlanta," he said. "It's also important to show credibility on social media and help clients feel like they know me before meeting."

Self-described as the "least technological person on the planet," Seamon's videos are filmed and edited by a videographer on his staff. However, he said he is the creative mind behind the content ideas.

One of those ideas is the 12 days of Christmas series, which he posts on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. Seamon is using his platform to help local businesses in the community.

"Our media team wanted to help our local businesses during the holidays with nothing in return," Seamon said. "We came up with the idea for the 12 days of Christmas series where we highlight 12 businesses from Dec. 1 to Dec. 12 to help drive traffic there."

Seamon said the response to the series has demonstrated the power of social media, with a few of the businesses reporting back that they received more business because of the videos referrals.

Seamon can be reached via direct message on his social media platforms: TikTok at @forsalebyjoe, Instagram at @joeseamon_realtor and Facebook at @J Properties. More information can also be found on his website, www.moveto803.com.

To watch Seamon's podcast with his wife, visit his YouTube page at @JProperties.

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This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: North Augusta realtor goes viral on TikTok