This real estate influencer puts a glamorous spin on Maine homes | Column

Maine Real Estate Agent Turns Social Media Savvy Into a Booming Business

In a state where real estate marketing has traditionally meant yard signs and open houses, one Saco-based agent is rewriting the playbook — one Instagram reel at a time.

Bailey Pate, 35, owns Maine Real Estate Co., a Scarborough-based brokerage that has grown to 19 agents in just a few years. What sets her apart in a crowded field isn't just her sales numbers — though she's ranked 21st in Maine for sales volume at $23 million in 2025, according to RealTrends Verified. It's her Instagram following: 23,000 and growing, second only among Maine real estate influencers to former "The Bachelor" contestant Chelsea Roy, per the online media database FeedSpot.

Pate's approach to marketing listings is noticeably different from the Maine norm. Her Instagram reels feature cinematic footage shot in and around properties, set to electronic music, with Pate and other agents walking through homes in heels and delivering polished lines about square footage and backyard space. The production style gives even a standard Colonial in Saco — patchy lawn and all — the energy of a luxury TV show.

"I give every house the same marketing treatment because that's why clients come to me," Pate said. "In my old office, they would call me 'Deals on Wheels' because I would only sell mobile homes."

That commitment to high-gloss content extends to homes at every price point. According to Darren Brock, owner of Dream Home Shots, the Maine real estate marketing firm that produces Pate's listing media, the cinematic style has been popular in larger U.S. markets for about a year and is just now catching on in New England.

"We're a little bit behind in New England," Brock said.

Brock's company produces similar videos for other agents in Maine and New Hampshire, using drone footage and varied editing speeds. But what distinguishes Pate, he said, is her dedication to maximizing exposure for her clients through social media.

"Her commitment to getting her clients the most exposure is definitely her thing," Brock said.

Pate's digital-first strategy began long before she launched her own brokerage in 2023. Seven years ago, while working as a licensed agent, she started making videos with her mother about Portland neighborhoods and Maine landmarks — content designed to appeal to a broad audience rather than just prospective buyers. The idea was simple: build a following, and when those followers eventually thought about buying or selling, they'd think of her.

She said the approach has paid off handsomely. "That's really my main source of business," Pate said. "I get messages multiple times a week" from people who discovered her through social media.

A Thornton Academy graduate who still lives in Saco, Pate developed her marketing instincts while running a residential cleaning business. A client noticed her talents and suggested she get a real estate license. She spent several years at Keller Williams before deciding to strike out on her own, building a brand she wanted to feel "modern, luxurious and, foremost, different from everyone else." Her original black-and-white logo was eventually softened into a neutral palette after she noticed competitors adopting the same monochrome look.

Maine Real Estate Co. was voted the state's top real estate company in last year's Best of the 207 contest, run by Portland Media Group, and Pate herself took the title of best agent.

Her personal brand is carefully cultivated. Pate favors fitted dresses and styled hair, and she believes the polished look matters in a profession that often defaults to casual in Maine. "I don't think it hurts to take care of yourself and present yourself professionally and show up and look your best," she said. "Clients appreciate it as well."

That visibility, though, has come with a downside. Pate said she receives objectifying and rude comments on her posts, some directed at her and others at her colleagues. She used to delete offensive remarks but has stopped bothering.

"I'm too busy selling houses," she said.