Top Marketing and Branding Lessons From Jose Prats’ Journey Into LA Real Estate

From discovering a passion for Los Angeles’ unique architectural gems to navigating the competitive corridors of its real estate market, Jose Prats has traversed unexpected terrain, wielding curiosity, tenacity, and an ever-evolving digital arsenal. His recent appearance on the Luxury Presence Podcast offered a thoughtful look into his professional journey, sharing tactics, philosophies, and insights that might surprise even experienced agents. Here are five key takeaways from Prats’ engaging conversation.

His path to a unique niche

The son of Cuban immigrants, Prats spent his childhood between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., even living in Poland with his wife before moving to Los Angeles. Although he initially studied aerospace engineering, he realized quickly it wasn’t for him and pivoted toward real estate.

He started working with investors towards the end of the 2008 recession, which gave him critical experience evaluating properties under tight timelines. He often found himself going door to door to “evaluate the building really quickly, [while] talking with the owners.” This fast-paced role contrasted sharply with his earlier position as an assistant to a top producer on the West Side, exposing him to a broader range of property types and market dynamics.

His work with investors sparked a personal interest in property investment, prompting him to decide, “Yeah, this is our goal too.” He began flipping homes in 2015, initially completing three projects in the West Adams neighborhood.

After these successful flips, Prats shifted his focus toward helping “clients that weren’t able to afford these really expensive properties,” guiding them to purchase homes needing improvements and connecting them with his network of trusted contractors and designers. Prats says he approaches renovation advice carefully, balancing honesty with sensitivity to clients’ budgets and preferences, joking that he sometimes sounds “like a politician.”

Through this hands-on renovation experience, Prats developed a deep appreciation for architectural styles, particularly the unique Spanish designs found throughout Los Angeles. “Along the way, discovering all these amazing Spanish homes, amazing architecture we have here in LA…these are ones that really speak to me and the homes I want to work with,” he said.

This passion evolved into a specialty, ultimately leading him to become the director of character homes at Christie’s International Southern California. He leveraged social media to showcase these properties and his renovation insights, believing strongly that “if you’re authentic and passionate about something, you’re gonna find your people.”

Following aesthetics, not trends

While many agents lean on staging trends, Prats swears by illumination upgrades. “If you put in thoughtful light fixtures, they can really change up a room,” he explained. He dismisses sterile design tropes, insisting even minor electrical tweaks transform atmospheres.

Prats points out outdated choices such as “a line of like 18 recessed lights in a row,” labeling such uniform illumination as uninspired and useless. Instead, he champions pendants, chandeliers, and diverse fixtures capable of evoking mood, enhancing depth, and emphasizing architectural flourishes.

Paint selections receive equally precise scrutiny. “Paint colors: Don’t use basic white. I have a whole list of whites on a notepad that I use specifically for different homes. It’s so important, it’s crazy,” he noted. These carefully curated shades pair with hardware changes, blending subtle shifts that significantly elevate property appeal.

Authenticity trumps overproduction

Amid social media’s explosion, Prats resisted highly polished aesthetics. Drone-heavy house tours, crisp cinematic pans, and glossy edits strike him as disconnected. “One thing that always rubbed me the wrong way about the overproduced stuff was the excessive use of drone shots,” he said.

Instead, he leans into casual footage captured on his mobile device. “We shoot everything on the iPhone. And also I think it helps with the algorithm because most people are viewing on the iPhone, right?” he said. Regularly upgrading devices ensures crispness without sacrificing spontaneity.

Prats values the immediacy and relatability of handheld tours. “I’m doing almost a one-take of the house, so it’s like you’re there. I start in front of the house, whip the camera around, and I take people through, POV style,” he described. This immersive method satisfies curiosity while retaining personality, a balance often absent from sterile, corporate real estate productions.

Social platforms directly feed revenue

While digital channels intrigue many agents, few can cite such tangible results. “About 80% of my business comes through social media, right? Now it’s mixed in with TikTok leads and also from YouTube,” Prats revealed.

Rather than relying on ads, he’s nurtured purely organic growth. “We run an ad and it doesn’t really get leads or business or even engagement,” he admitted. Instead, inbound interest surges through personal outreach. Direct messages fuel follow-ups, transforming casual viewers into paying clients. “And Zoom allowed me to meet with so many people,” he said, spotlighting the pandemic-era pivot that remains central to his workflow.

Success stories include rapid property sales directly tied to social buzz. “We have case studies where we’ve sold property through Instagram, where we have offers in hand before it was on MLS from social media,” Prats confirmed. That digital traction dwarfs conventional listing exposure, evidenced by metrics. “One post,” he said, “got two million [likes] and then we posted again and it got four [million] and another one went even higher.”

Alongside social media, Prats credits his website, built with Luxury Presence, for capturing significant leads, offering clients an engaging way to explore properties. Prats has built a pipeline fueled by passion, analytics, and authentic storytelling. His process reflects a vision extending beyond mere square footage, prioritizing design heritage, cultural resonance, and market insights. Meanwhile, platforms like TikTok promise new possibilities. “I go on the app and they’re asking me specifically to do real estate lives,” he shared, suggesting untapped frontiers remain.

Using AI in multiple ways

Beyond social media and design savvy, Prats is increasingly integrating artificial intelligence into his business, using it for everything from social media captions to transaction paperwork.

“AI really helps us on social media.” However, he adds, “I always preface that by saying you’ve got to be really careful with what it pumps out, right? You have to train your chats very well to speak like how you would speak — and always edit.”

Prats also relies on AI to simplify the nuts and bolts of real estate transactions. He uses tailored AI prompts to help draft offer documents, quickly inserting property-specific terms into templates so he can generate polished emails and paperwork in far less time than manual writing would require.

During escrow, he leverages AI to manage detailed tasks like compiling repair requests, transforming his thorough notes into organized, professional documents that save time while maintaining accuracy.

For Prats, AI has become an integral part of his business operations. He’s continually exploring new ways to expand its use, seeing opportunities to improve both efficiency and the quality of client service. His approach underscores how forward-thinking agents today are embracing technology not just for marketing but to enhance every step of the real estate process.

Harnessing passion and presence: Elevate your brand with Luxury Presence

For real estate professionals determined to evolve, Prats offers a blueprint marrying creativity, adaptability, and digital fluency. His story is about crafting narratives that spark curiosity, foster trust, and generate momentum.

Luxury Presence stands ready to help professionals implement such insights, weaving robust digital strategies and custom tools into each agent’s personal brand. We’d love to chat about how thoughtful storytelling and our innovative technology can elevate your business and help you find your people.