Editor’s Note: This story originally said the costume was of a Tyrannosaurus rex but was later corrected to say it was a velociraptor.
An Alberta real estate listing has gathered close to 50,000 views online thanks to pictures of the property featuring someone in an inflatable velociraptor costume.
The listing for 41 Cimarron Springs Way in Okotoks, Alta. is posted on Remax.ca.
The homeowner dressed up for the pictures, showing off the kitchen, pool table and yard in the inflatable costume.
According to one of the houses’ brokers, Tim Jones, the 50,000 views they’ve seen online are 10 to 20 times more than what a normal listing sees.
“This is way above and beyond the norm, as far as numbers go, oh my goodness,” Jones said.
“Does it help it stand out? Absolutely, it is a differentiator,”
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“Staging is a big factor in how the house looks to try and make it stand out,” Jones added. “So in pictures, what does the dinosaur do? It attracts you to look at, it makes you stop and look at the house.”
Both Jones and his associate broker, Karen Salmon, thought the fun approach was a great idea.
“It was actually the seller that discussed the idea with Karen Salmon, and she thought, ‘Well you know what, with a slow market in that particular price point, why not? It would be fun,’” Jones said.
He mentions that in every house, staging in its best light will help keep people viewing the property.
“There’s various ways to get that attention when people are looking. It is the online pictures that are the first things that people see and what they determine whether they want to go look at the property or not,” Jones said.
In this case, the owner thought adding in a bit of amusement would highlight the house’s appeal.
While the house has gathered a lot of attention, Jones said there aren’t more offers than usual.
Jones hopes to see the right person come along and appreciate the good humor in the home.
“It’s definitely been fun and caused a lot of interest, which certainly doesn’t hurt anybody,” Jones said.
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