After describing a property she was tasked to sell as “the worst home on the street,” one Florida Realtor unexpectedly saw her real estate listing go viral.
Philippa Main of Future Home Realty wrote a listing that described a dilapidated home in the city of Zephyrhills in Florida listed “literally the worst house on the street.”
“Here it is, literally the worst house on the street!” the listing reads. “The Seller has done the hard work of cleaning up the almost half-acre property (it only took 7 dumpsters!), so now is your chance to take it from here. Have you ever watched HGTV and thought, I could do that!? If so, pack up your tape measure and start Googling how to identify a load-bearing wall because it’s time to put your money where your mouth is!”
[Inman Slideshow]
Listed for for $69,000, the home is, indeed, in bad condition — photos show peeling paint, water stains on the walls, a dilapidated roof and a house that has otherwise been neglected for years. But the brutally honest and hilarious description caused the house to be picked up by the popular Instagram account Zillow Gone Wild and, within hours, start making the rounds on social media.
“The roof leaks, the floor creaks, and there’s a terrible draft, but this 3 bed, 1.5 bath home is very open concept,” continues the listing description. “And by that we mean the inside is open to the outside because several of the windows are broken. There is a large, sunny window in the kitchen… and absolutely nothing else – a wonderful feature for someone interested in a bright reading space (and ordering take out for every meal).”
And while gimmicks like taking listing photos in a dinosaur costume or staging a sexy photo shoot inside a listed home do not always go beyond social media attention, the funny listing worked this time around. Within 10 days of putting it up, someone made an offer that the owners accepted — the home’s status is now marked as pending on realtor.com.
“What else can we say about this one-of-a-kind opportunity?” the listing finishes. “It’s not in a flood zone and will be conveyed with clear title! But we don’t have a survey and the Seller has never seen the property, so buyers are strongly encouraged to do their own due diligence. And if you’re not interested in crying yourself to sleep every night while you rehab this home, might we suggest tearing it down and building a brand new one in its place? The neighbors would likely thank you.”