Relocating Buyers Watch Dozens of Videos Before Calling an Agent in New Braunfels, Texas

Written by:

Heather Hook

Date:

25 Aug 2026

KeyCrew Studio

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In high-growth markets attracting out-of-state relocators, the traditional first contact between agent and buyer has been replaced by months of one-sided relationship-building through video content. According to Yitzchak Pierson, Broker Associate / REALTOR® at eXp Realty LLC in New Braunfels, Texas, buyers who eventually reach out to him have often watched enough of his content to feel they know him personally before a single conversation has taken place. Pierson says this changes what clients expect from agents and what agents owe clients before any formal engagement begins.

The Relationship That Forms Before the First Phone Call

Pierson describes a pattern that has repeated itself across clients from other parts of Texas, Arizona, California, New York, Florida, Canada, and even as far as Israel. A prospective buyer considering a move to New Braunfels finds one of his YouTube videos. They watch it, then another, then another. Over weeks or months, they accumulate a detailed picture of the city, its neighborhoods, its outdoor amenities, its community character – and of Pierson himself.

“By the time that they’re ready to make a move, they’ve built a relationship with me online, through video, and then they’ll reach out to me to help them buy the house,” Pierson says.

By the time that first call happens, the buyer is not evaluating whether to trust Pierson – they have already decided. They are calling to begin the transactional phase of a relationship that has been developing for months. In a traditional model, trust is built through the transaction itself – through responsiveness, knowledge demonstrated in real time, and guidance during negotiation and closing. In Pierson’s model, a substantial portion of that trust is established before the transaction begins, through content the buyer consumed on their own terms and timeline.

What Pre-Built Trust Changes About Client Expectations

Buyers who arrive having watched extensive content from an agent have already formed opinions about that agent’s character and competence. They have a mental model of who this person is. If the actual experience of working with the agent diverges from that model, the gap is more jarring than it would be in a relationship that started cold.

This places accountability on agents who build their practices through content. Every video functions as a promise about the kind of professional the viewer will encounter when they eventually make contact. Pierson frames his content not as lead generation but as genuine service.

“The more value I provide to somebody, the more likely they are to do business with me or refer me, and the better experience that they’re going to have,” he says.

Clients who have benefited from an agent’s content before the transaction, and then had a positive transaction experience, become a different kind of advocate than clients who simply had a smooth closing. They have a longer story to tell about the agent – one that begins with the content that first helped them understand a new city.

Why This Dynamic Is Concentrated in Relocation Markets

Pierson’s market is particularly fertile ground for content-driven relationship building. New Braunfels has grown from a population of 52,000 in 2010 to 130,000 now, according to Pierson, and sits between Austin and San Antonio. People relocating from California, Arizona, or other states to an unfamiliar Texas city have no local network. They have no trusted advisor who can tell them which neighborhoods suit their lifestyle, what HOA costs look like, or what a $400,000 house actually looks like compared to a $300,000 house in the same area.

“I’m positioning myself to be that guide to help them on their journey,” Pierson says. Some people move to the area not knowing a soul here, without friends or relatives, starting over in unknown territory. “Because of my YouTube channel, they feel like they know me.”

Pierson describes two families who moved from Round Rock, about two hours north of New Braunfels. Both found him on YouTube and spent six to eight months working with him before buying. They wanted a mature, established neighborhood – not new construction – with outdoor access and proximity to parks and rivers for their children. One family specifically wanted river access. The process began with lifestyle videos, progressed through neighborhood research, and ended with both families relocating.

“Those children are going to have a higher quality of life growing up in a town like New Braunfels than they would have in a bigger city,” Pierson says.

In markets where most buyers are local – already familiar with neighborhoods and pricing – the information gap that content fills is smaller. But in markets experiencing significant in-migration from distant regions, the buyer who has watched 20 videos about a city before visiting it is not an edge case. Pierson’s experience suggests it is common among relocating buyers in his market.

How the Channel Works

Pierson’s YouTube channel, Living in New Braunfels, has been active for approximately four years. It covers neighborhood deep dives – including Veramendi, River Chase, Mayfair, Copper Ridge, and Vintage Oaks – with details on HOA costs, property taxes, recent sale prices, and proximity to downtown and shopping. He also produces price-point vlogs where he stands in front of homes and explains what $300,000, $400,000, and $500,000 buys in different areas. Additional content covers outdoor recreation, local business reviews, river tubing guides, and festival coverage including Wurstfest, Wassailfest, and Wine and Saengerfest.

He also wrote a book, “The Nine Steps to Buying a Home as a First-Time Home Buyer,” and built a video series around those steps. He is currently producing five new videos and developing free downloadable guides covering restaurants, parks, and river access.

“It’s a relationship. People build relationships with me before they ever even meet me,” Pierson says.

Pierson ranks approximately 25th in production among eXp Realty agents in Texas for the current year and has already surpassed his full-year 2025 production volume by mid-year. He attributes a significant share of that output to relationships that began on YouTube – including new construction investor partnerships that trace directly to the channel.

The strategy requires sustained investment in content production and a willingness to provide information without guaranteed return. But for buyers relocating to unfamiliar markets, agents who have already built deep content libraries are the ones those buyers find first – and trust before they ever pick up the phone.

About Yitzchak Pierson: Yitzchak Pierson is a licensed real estate broker in Texas, serving buyers and sellers across New Braunfels, Canyon Lake, San Marcos, and Seguin. He has been named Best Real Estate Agent in New Braunfels for two consecutive years and was ranked in the Top 100 agents by the San Antonio Business Journal.

This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.

Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.