For the past several months, real estate broker Lucy Oliveira has been trying to build interest in a Ventura County townhome during a time of market uncertainty.
“It’s a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath in an up-and-coming neighborhood,” Oliveira told KTLA. “The market’s been a little slow with a lot of inventory.”
The home is located on Pima Lane in Ventura, and has been listed online for nearly three months.
It has brand new windows, updated bathrooms and a private backyard. It’s minutes from the beach and downtown and “tucked away in a quiet neighborhood.” And while it’s connected to another property with a shared wall, its recognized as a single-family home, not a condo.
But despite the amenities and advantages of the property, weeks went by without any serious buyers.
The relative lack of interest led Oliveira to take a look at the listing and re-evaluate how she and her team at ACME 805 markets properties to prospective buyers.
“Being in real estate for eight years, I’ve seen the same marketing recycled again and again,” Oliveira said. “We’re about being fresh. We’re about thinking outside of the box, ideas that actually connect with people.”
That’s when an unconventional idea sparked in hear head.
“I thought adding Lemon was a joyful detail because it would make the listing stand out and also remind people that really estate marketing can be fun and memorable.”
Who is Lemon, you might be asking? Lemon is a mini-horse, and has helped turn the sleepy real estate listing into a viral hit.
The horse belongs to Oliveira’s longtime friend and client, Zara Dragoo, a licensed speech-language pathologist who uses Lemon as part of an equine-assisted therapy program for her clients.
During a conversation with Dragoo, Oliveira came up with a novel idea: make Lemon the star of the listing.
“I was like, ‘would you be open to bringing Lemon to one of my listings? I think it could be something really fun,’” Oliveira said. “And that’s kind of how the idea started.”
Days later, Dragoo loaded the miniature therapy horse into her van and drove Lemon to the empty townhome for a new, out-of-the-box photo session.
Replacing the standard uninspiring boilerplate property images, Lemon was given a tour of the home as photographer Lauren Purves captured him in each space. Photos show the miniature horse greeting visitors at the front door, peeking into the home from a side window, inspecting the countertop and bathroom sink heights, investigating the fireplace and finally exploring the backyard.
The homeowners—animal lovers—were on-hand for the unusual photoshoot, Oliveira said, and Lemon acted like a perfect guest. “It was a really fun experience for everyone.”
And, as she had hoped, the photos made an impression.
Soon after updating the online listing with the new Lemon-focused images, the property got noticed by ZillowGoneWild, a social media account with millions of followers that shares novelty real estate listings.
“Don’t ask questions. Just swipe,” the caption reads. The Instagram gallery starts with a typical exterior shot of the home, but slowly progresses to reveal Lemon as the host of the virtual tour.
The response was immediate.
“The whole intention was to, obviously, bring more eyes to my listing. But the response has been incredible. People are really engaging with it, they’re sharing, they’re talking about the condo in the ways that you wouldn’t typically hear it,” Oliveira said.
And, as she hoped, the new photos didn’t only bring attention to her clients’ home, it also generated leads.
“We have several appointments that basically came out from this,” she said. “I’ve got lots of showings. I’ve got lots of calls. And we should be selling really soon, hopefully.”
So, that begs the question. After the success of Lemon’s real estate debut, will we see more of him in the future?
The answer, Oliveira says, is a resounding yes. “He’s definitely the star now, and he will definitely be in some of my new listings coming up.”
Regardless of whether her real estate team’s new mascot leads to the same viral success of this listing, Oliveira said she’s learned and confirmed a lot from the experience.
“When marketing is fresh, and a little unexpected, I think it cuts through the noise more, and that extra buzz translates into real exposure.”
If you just can’t wait for the next real estate listing featuring Lemon, you can get your fix by following his adventures on Instagram.
The post Southern California realtor enlists miniature therapy horse to help sell property appeared first on KTLA.
