Katrina Campins is the co-founder of Campins Company, a Miami real estate brokerage.

Every week, we ask a Miami real estate professional for their thoughts on the top three stories from the week before.

This week, we talked with Katrina Campins, the co-founder of Campins Company, a brokerage that has handled more than $500 million in real estate since its founding in 2004. In addition, Katrina is an expert in the Miami Beach, Pinecrest, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and Design District housing markets.

Miami Agent  (MA): What forms of online marketing have you found to be the most effective for you real estate practice?

Katrina Campins (KC): I’m big on social media. I do Twitter a lot, and I use Facebook a lot. One of the main reasons that we drive business to our site is our HTML database, and I believe that the strength of our database is what makes our marketing effective. The people in our network is the result of years and years of networking and relationship-building.

For creating the network, I started selling real estate when I was 18 years old. I love meeting people and interacting with people, and I would say that my ability to network and fulfill my client’s needs has been what has allowed me to continue building that database, and keeping it strong and effective.

Regarding social media, for my real estate business, I sell a lifestyle, and through social media, I’m able to convey that message. Nowadays, people don’t have the time to read, and so much of whatever we’re able to digest is in picture format, and that’s why I believe that social media – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook – are so incredibly effective at conveying your message.

MA: It’s no mystery that the housing inventory throughout Miami is very tight; how do you ensure that you’re providing your clients with a high level of service when good, active listings are so rare?

KC: It’s really interesting now – although South Florida is driving the real estate recovery throughout the entire nation, there still is a lack of inventory in the market, and that’s fueling the market and making prices go up. What’s challenging is, presently, we have so many buyers, and we’re just not able to find that right property for them because of the lack of inventory. I think people are initially surprised; there’s a learning curve that goes along with that. And then when they start searching for a home, there’s a little frustration there as well.

If there aren’t enough properties, it’s difficult to find them that dream home, so many times, they have to be patient and see if something comes up on the market. It’s just a challenge of waiting, and the search becomes that much more difficult. So it’s a game of patience, and then when you find what it is you’re looking for, having the ability to execute, follow through and close the deal.

MA: Finally, what attributes would you say an agent needs to reach top-producer status in the South Florida marketplace?

KC: First and foremost, success in general is being true to yourself. That’s the foundation for success in any aspect of life, and it’s no different in real estate.

The second quality would really be your selflessness  and understanding your client’s needs, and making sure you fulfill those, and not try to fulfill your own values; that’s why we’re all here, to serve others. Top producers become really successful when they remove their ego, and put the client’s needs before that; once you do that, you rise to the top.