Sittin’ on the deck today, watching the boats in Bristol Harbor sway. I’m inviting you to come in — this video tour is where we’ll begin.”

Kim Marion

Watch one of Kim's videos

(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay

The stress of buying and selling keeps emotions high in the real estate world, so when a realtor breaks into a catchy, upbeat tune to showcase a home for sale, that energy inevitably becomes contagious. Portsmouth resident and global real estate advisor Kim Marion has added a unique marketing strategy to her repertoire — something she enjoys and that clients are now eagerly requesting. 

Marion, a real estate advisor, singer, and marketer, is a lively, driven individual who has found a way to combine all three of these talents to help her clients during a time when the housing market causes stress for both sellers and buyers. 

Marion is no stranger to singing or selling. “I have been singing since I was a little kid. I used to get the neighborhood kids together and make them all practice with me because I wanted to audition for a show called ‘Community Auditions.’ ” Marion sold her friends on that idea and later applied those same “selling” skills during a 25-year career in the corporate world before taking a leap into the real estate business in 2017. 

Real estate wasn’t a huge leap for Marion, as she is used to selling ideas — just like she did with her friends as a child. “Even when I worked at Coastal Medical, I had to think about engagement. I had to get creative with strategies to get patients to come in and do their bloodwork. It’s all about how you communicate, and I carry that mindset with me wherever I go and in everything I do,” Marion said. 

After years of considering how to incorporate music into her marketing strategy   — and with a close friend jokingly issuing an ultimatum, ‘If you don’t do this, I won’t be your friend anymore’ — Marion was finally ready to create her first music video for a client in 2024. 

Finding the right tune 

“Sittin’ on the deck today, watching the boats in Bristol Harbor sway. I’m inviting you to come in — this video tour is where we’ll begin,” Marion sang in one of her videos debuting a home her clients had listed for sale in Bristol. These lyrics, a playful nod to Otis Redding’s classic “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” set the tone (and the tune) for her creative approach to real estate marketing. 

Being in real estate means Marion is often on the road — and that’s a good thing. Her creativity gets sparked in the car when she turns on the radio and a catchy tune reminds her of a home she’s trying to sell. 

“I was in my car by myself, thinking about this cute coastal cottage and listening to the radio when ‘Sunday Morning’ came on — and I knew right then it couldn’t be anything else,” Marion said in reference to a home she sold in Westerly.

Marion chooses a song that almost everyone will be familiar with once they hear the tune. And she doesn’t let clients pick the song, because it has to be the right tune for her, or the lyrics won’t come as easily. “Once I have the tune, the words just come to me — they are simple and about the house,” Marion said. 

“ ‘When is my song going to be ready?’ is a question I often get nowadays. This has really become a thing,” said Marion. Though everything is about the client and what they want, she can’t make a music video for every listing. It all depends on timing — and finding the right tune. 

As it is a seller’s market with little inventory for buyers to choose from, timing is often the biggest hurdle when it comes to creating a music video. “A client in Warren listed a home recently, and it had offers before they could even do an open house,” Marion said. For a home like this, it’s not possible to choose a song, write lyrics, shoot a video, and complete editing in time. When possible, she does create one — and it doesn’t cost anything extra for her clients. “If they want it, if I have time, and if I am inspired by a song, then I do it,” she said. 

So far, Marion has filmed five music videos for various clients, to the tunes of: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5, and “Smooth Operator” by Sade. She is currently working on her sixth and seventh music videos — so stay tuned for those tunes.