LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — With close to 18,000 followers, Rachel Kilmer, otherwise known as RachtheRealtor on social media, finds that her inside jokes about Kansas City do really well on TikTok.
"Everyone knows at Gates you have to really rush through the order line or else you’re going to be stressed, and everyone from Kansas City knows you have pick if you’re a Missouri girl or a Kansas girl," Kilmer said.
She enjoys making her content, but she never expected how much it would impact her job as a realtor at Reece & Nichols.
"To this day when someone says, 'Hey I saw your TikTok. I want to use you to buy a house.' I’m like, 'Girl, are you sure?'" Kilmer said.
Last year alone, social media helped Kilmer said $4-5 million worth in homes.
"They feel like they know me, and then it’s like, this connection the second we meet because we have the same sense of humor, we’re from the same area, you know, we have the same interests usually," she said.
Possible security risks with the Chinese-based app has the U.S. government on high alert, so much so, they're talks to do away with the app in the country entirely. That has a lot of users worried, especially ones who rely on it for income.
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"I have a system set up so when I post a TikTok, it also goes to Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn," Kilmer said. "So, if TikTok goes away, I have to rethink the way I do everything."
Her strategy now: diversifying her social media presence with a newsletter and podcast, so in case the U.S. was to lose the app, @RachtheRealtor wouldn't lose the followers.
"That’s part of the reason that I think I’m kind of living in this state of ignorance is bliss — it’s really sad to think about because it’s such a fun part of my job," she said. "It’s there today, it’s working for me today. I enjoy it, and I’m gonna keep doing it while I have it."
