Correct me if I’m wrong, but you probably wouldn’t buy a property that reads “The roof leaks, the floor creaks, and there's a terrible draft.” But “literally the worst house on the street” surely would catch your attention. And then you’d start scrolling, only to see… it’s kinda not so bad!
So when the realtor Philippa Main from Tampa Bay, Florida penned this 826sqft listing description in Zephyrhills, FL, it was a question of time until it would go viral. Its brutal honesty, zero wish-wash, and excellent sense of humor made it into somewhat of a best home listing description for the very worst house.
But reverse marketing may work wonders, and Philippa’s tongue-in-cheek description is a good example of it. According to Realtor.com, the listing not only drew thousands of page views, but it also attracted an offer, so beat that, you glossy ads!
More info: Facebook (Philippa Main - Realtor) | YourMainAgent.com
This realtor has used reverse marketing and instead of boosting the imperfect house, she penned a tongue-in-cheek description that went viral for its brutal honesty
Meet the $69,000 "literally the worst house" in Zephyrhills, Florida that won hearts with its hilarious listing description
Image credits: realtor.com
To find out more about this brutally honest property listing you don’t see very often these days, Bored Panda reached out to its author Philippa Main, a Tampa Bay realtor of “Your Main Agent.”
When asked how she decided to go with such an unusual listing description, Philippa said that “she asked her client (the seller) if they had anything specific they wanted me to say about the property (highlights, important details, etc.) and they made a joke to me about the fact it’s the worst house on the block.”
And here are some more pictures of the property which perfectly sums up how we feel after 2020
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
So the realtor spent an hour or so writing and then rewriting the listing description, sent it to them to sign off on, and then listed it. “I also wanted to make sure that the listing was detailed, because I hate when other agents are vague and don’t provide details because they’re hoping that the lack of information will make people go see the home,” she recounted.
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
“I would rather be clear about what they can expect, so we only get people who are truly interested in purchasing that type of property contacting us. It doesn’t help anyone to be unclear about a listing or try and sell it as something it’s not,” said the realtor who could have never guessed her listing would go as viral as it did.
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
We also inquired whether “literally the worst house on the street” is really that bad, and Philippa confirmed it’s really bad.
“When I stepped in, I almost backed out immediately. And that was with everything removed from the home—I can’t imagine what it must have been like prior to all the stuff that was on the lot and inside the home being removed,” she commented.
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Philippa believes her reverse marketing trick is a really good strategy if given “the permission of their client, and in the right situation.” “Even if it doesn’t go nationally and internationally viral, it will likely get good local exposure,” she said and added that “we’re supposed to be closing on the home this week!”
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Image credits: realtor.com
Some people pointed out the poor state of the property, others praised the viral description
