When it comes time to sell a house, the general wisdom is to clear up the clutter and prepare it in a manner that appeals to prospective buyers. Sometimes this means moving furniture out and sometimes it means bringing new furniture in. Rarely, if ever, does it involve a huge stuffed bear. But when times are tough, it's time to get creative.
The Voyeur section of the New York Daily News recently featured this house for sale, and while I am not in the market, the photos caught my eye. Robbin Richardson, a real estate agent in Raleigh, NC, decided to do something a little different to make it stand out in a tough market. She had purchased a large stuffed bear for her grandchildren and decided it was the perfect accessory. After snapping pics of the bear in all types of domestic poses she went a step further and used a 'Goldilocks' theme in the listing, captioning each photo accordingly.
If nothing else, the photos are fun to look at. But what do you think? Effective? Inspiring? Too goofy?
(Photos by Robbin Richardson)
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Because it's a giant version of something normally small, it throws the whole sense of scale- and makes the house look smaller to me.
On the other hand, people would give their right arm to have their home listing featured on national news sites and blogs, so maybe it's working.
I think it's a cute idea. Especially since the bear is posed doing what would normally happen in each room. The kitchen picture is my favorite.
I think its creepy. Its hard enough walking through someone's home with their belongings/photos everywhere but creepy giant bears dressed to act like people would do me in.
I laughed out loud at the bathroom shot. I think this is hillarious, and why not, standing out gets you attention and that's what's needed in a market flooded with houses right now...very creative.
I think it'll work. I can imagine saying to my partner, "Hey, let's go look at the Bear House." It's memorable. So many houses are staged so poorly and make no impact at all. In lieu of a proper staging, absurdity is at least eye catching. Huzzah!
it's definitely attention-grabbing, which can't hurt the marketing! I agree with adrienne, though...it's such a BIG bear that it made the bathroom look tiny tiny tiny
Ha ha, I love it! I think it makes the house feel inviting and fun!
I got so involved in looking at the bear that I really didn't look at the house at all. The only bit of the house itself that I remember is the bear-free shot of the outside. So while it is attention-getting, I don't know how effective it is at actually showing off the house.
When you've tried everything else, why not? It can't hurt, and you can always list bear-free photos again later.
I tend to agree w/Medusa12120. You're trying to sell your place here-not make felt cat coasters to sell on Etsy.
I think it's a good attention getter, and if the bathroom is small, buyers are going to figure that out eventually, with or without the bear. I do agree that it could have been placed more strategically, i.e. the room with him in the far corner looks deeper than the one with him in the middle, and I have no idea what the kitchen sink looks like.
If nothing else, I imagine this is a realtor I'd enjoy working with. (Though I would assume she is a softy and I might question her ability to play hardball on my behalf.)
think this is hilarious, and very creative.