Their Listings Went Viral—But Did It Actually Help Them Sell a Home?
Photo: Courtesy of Susie and George Pattison
Since hitting the market in August 2024, the listing for 3675 Waldo Place, a five-bedroom home in Upper Arlington, Ohio, had steadily received around 200 views a day on Zillow. But on December 3, 2024, that changed dramatically. “We started receiving around 2,000 to 3,000 views per day,” says realtor Susie Pattison, who holds the listing with her husband, George. On that day, the property had been featured on Zillow Gone Wild, an Instagram account that highlights unique and unexpected properties across the country. “The owner of Zillow Gone Wild actually reached out to us and said that the home had been nominated a number of times,” George explains.
At first glance, the residence appears as a standard suburban ranch house: brick cladding, a gabled roof, and a well manicured lawn on the outside; hardwood floors, beamed ceilings, and contemporary furnishings on the inside. But one standout feature—an underground, Space Age–inspired pool—caught the attention of “Zillionaires,” fans of the account who nominate listings for publication.
“I wanted a pool, not a conversation piece,” Walter Wolske, the home’s original owner, said in a 1979 New York Times article about choosing a subterranean pool over an indoor one. “In houses that have indoor pools, the damn pools are the total topic of conversation. It gets pretty boring.” The irony of Wolske’s decision prompting viral internet chatter over 45 years later is not lost on the Pattisons. “The pool is the total topic of conversation, but there’s nothing boring about it,” Susie says.
For a realtor, a viral home might seem like an ideal way to get eyeballs on a property and reach a potential buyer. But does it actually help sell a home?
The benefits
In the nearly two months since being posted on Zillow Gone Wild, the Waldo Place listing has yet to secure a buyer. “Despite getting so many views, we knew and continue to understand that those aren’t necessarily buyers for the property,” Susie says. “We did have one or two individuals who reached out to inquire more seriously from out of state that wouldn’t have seen it otherwise, but nothing has turned into an actual buyer for us yet.”
However, there are instances where a wide-spread social media post can be the essential introduction to a buyer. In 2022, Lou Zucaro, a realtor with Baird & Warner based in Barrington, Illinois, sold a home that had been posted on Zillow Gone Wild to a buyer who saw it on the platform. Notable for its cylindrical shape and concrete exterior, the property received over 44,000 likes when it was posted on the account.
“It certainly received plenty of attention here in the Chicago market, but after Zillow Gone Wild picked it up, it really went crazy,” Zucaro says. “So I’d say we probably had twice as many showings at that house after they published it than before.”
Attention and interest is the biggest benefit for realtors. “We’ve never had this many eyes on a property,” says Susan Thayer, who represents a residence known as the Rock House in Larkspur, Colorado, which was posted on Zillow Gone Wild in August 2024. “Our job is to sell someone’s house and put it in front of as many possible buyers as we can find. Unless you’re going viral for the wrong reasons, it’s a positive thing.”
The drawbacks
However, this doesn’t mean there can’t be downsides. Social media opens a property to public comment, which can be uncomfortable for sellers. In fact, Zucaro has even coached his clients about the potential negative reactions online critics might share. “Once you put your house on the market, for better or worse, your home is now a product,” he says. “And your taste is not everybody’s taste; some people are going to love it and some won’t.”
Viral listings can also create more logistical headaches for realtors. Zucaro says that while the Zillow Gone Wild post inspired more people to inquire about the residence, it didn’t necessarily translate to more earnest viewings. “Even though we did have a lot more showings after the post, I wouldn’t say that in general the quality of the people coming to see the house was better,” he explains. “It ended up that we did sell it to somebody who saw it online, but a lot of the people who came to see it I think probably were less serious about it and more curious just to see the house in person.”
Thayer, who represents the Colorado home, says that some interested parties even showed up to the Rock House unannounced. “People just drove up and knocked on their door,” she says, adding that this is not encouraged. “The owners live there and work from home, so they were usually around, but if a house is vacant and it goes viral, I would say that’s a little more dangerous and would recommend a security system or camera.”
Ultimately, all say the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. “We are of the opinion that any publicity is good publicity, so we didn’t see any negatives.” Susie says. “If we had a another unique home in the future and we were approached about it going on Zillow Gone Wild or another account, we’d be very open to it.”
The professional pitch
The benefits of a viral listing have inspired some realtors to nominate their own listings to be on these platforms. In fact, Thayer was the one who pitched it to Zillow Gone Wild. “I knew right away that I was going to try to make it viral,” she says. “Marketing nationally is not easy. So I knew if we could get it viral through social media, people in other states would see it.”
Though she was able to get it onto the popular page, in the end, the home didn’t sell. It’s currently off the market and the buyers plan to relist it in the spring. “Just because it goes viral doesn't mean its going to sell,” she says. “The only thing we kick ourselves about is that we got all of that exposure, and it didn’t sell.”
Zucaro is currently selling a home in Lake Forest, Illinois, designed by Robert Rasmussen, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. The home was shared on Zillow Gone Wild and Homes with Max, an Instagram account that shares video tours of historical houses in a variety of styles. “I think I got a lot more interest from Max’s channel than from Zillow Gone Wild,” he says. “I feel there is a different tone on Max’s channel. It’s more about appreciation whereas Zillow Gone Wild often has a lot more humor and lightheartedness.”
In cases like these, it becomes apparent that it’s not just about how many views a property gets, but rather who views it. Targeting an account with more tailored following can potentially increase the possibility of capitalizing on a viral moment.
Though in the end, any attention is valuable. “It’s not just potential buyers, but other agents who will know of the home now and might remember it if they ever have a client who is looking for a unique property,” Susie adds. “It was a great marketing tool to hit a very broad audience that we probably wouldn’t have reached otherwise.”
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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