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People Online Are Going To Pieces Reading This Sarcastically Honest Listing Of A 2-Story House In Iowa
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People Online Are Going To Pieces Reading This Sarcastically Honest Listing Of A 2-Story House In Iowa

Interview With Author This Real Estate Agent Goes Viral With Her Sarcastically Honest House DescriptionHumorous House Listing Goes Viral And People Are Viewing It Just To See The DescriptionPeople Online Are Cracking Up At This Sarcastically Honest Listing Of A 2-Story House In IowaReal Estate Agent’s House Listing Goes Viral For Her Sarcastically Honest Description2-Story House In Iowa Is Going Viral Because The Real Estate Broker Made A Hilariously Sarcastic ListingPeople Who Aren’t Even Interested In Buying A House Are Coming To See This Listing Because Of Its Humorous DescriptionPeople Online Are Going To Pieces Reading This Sarcastically Honest Listing Of A 2-Story House In IowaPeople Online Are Going To Pieces Reading This Sarcastically Honest Listing Of A 2-Story House In IowaPeople Online Are Going To Pieces Reading This Sarcastically Honest Listing Of A 2-Story House In IowaPeople Online Are Going To Pieces Reading This Sarcastically Honest Listing Of A 2-Story House In Iowa
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When you are looking for a property to buy or rent, there are a lot of things you need to consider. But most often the photos are the thing that draws your eyes first. The appearance of a house or apartment may be a deal breaker for many.

So property owners and real estate agents have to get creative when they realize that the photos will not attract any buyers or renters. They then rely on the descriptions to highlight the advantages of a place to outweigh the disadvantages seen in the photos. One of those descriptions caught people’s attention because it was so honest and sarcastic that they couldn’t get mad at it.

More info: Facebook | Realtor

Real estate agent Laura Grimm Bailey shared a listing on her Facebook that is not your typical house description

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

The house in question is located in Keokuk, in south Iowa. Its size is 1800 square feet (about 167 square meters) and it stands on a 3,920-square-foot property (364 square meters).

As can be seen in the pictures, it is a 2-story house of a lovely soft green color completed with an asphalt shingle roof. Inside you will find a basement, then on the first floor there is a family room, a kitchen with a dining room and a bathroom. On the second floor you find all three of the bedrooms.

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The author of the description listed all the important things that you should know: it’s a two-story, 1,746-square-foot and 3-bedroom house

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Right now it is estimated that the value of the property is $67,000, but it is being sold for $25,000, so it is quite a deal. Especially having in mind that when it was first listed, the owners were asking $30,000 for it.

All of these specifications are really useful for a person that is seriously interested in the property, but what really captured people’s attention was the witty, funny and really sarcastic introduction. The real estate agent Laura made all the shortcomings of the building seem like they are the features of the house and it is supposed to be that way.

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Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

But then she listed all the flaws that are quite obvious from the photos and presented them with a twist

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Bored Panda got in touch with the real estate agent who wrote the listing and we got to know that she is 45- year-old mom to 4 children, twice widowed and a formr barber. We also learnt about the origins of the humorous listing.

Turns out, that she grew up in a big family with 6 siblings and they weren’t that wealthy. Laura told us, “Many times we would go without utilities growing up. During those times, my oldest brother Kenny would sit us all down and record us on a portable cassette player. We would create stories, alter our voices, and turn ourselves into characters with different names. During those years of growing up, our comedy tapes became quite popular with the neighborhood kids, so we just kept making them. That’s where the humor in this listing stemmed from.”

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Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

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Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

The real estate agent revealed to us that the house wasn;t getting the attention the owner was expecting with only one view after 10 days, so she decided that she needs to change the wording she usually uses as it was obviously not working in this case. Laura said that she sometimes uses reverse psychology on her children and it often works and that is why she “thought she would use that technique in her listing and throw humor in it so it wouldn’t sound so bad to the viewing audience.”

Her logic was that “If the good things about the home are not selling it, then I will highlight the bad.” Laura never thought that it would work so well and would help to reach so many people. And she was contacted by various people from “someone offering her their grandpas favorite wrench they inherited, to someone offering their lighter to burn the property down, to full price offers and everything in between.” However, the property is still available as no deal was made yet.

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Laura used sarcasm and irony to make it seem like those flaws are the features of the house and that it would be a blast living there

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Even though Laura’s description sounds sarcastic, she truly believes that the house is a true gem and could be a wonderful home for someone. She says, “A person who knows where to spend a dollar to bring the most value out of the property will find this property to be a good deal.”

The real estate agent explains why no one has grabbed the house yet: “The location is what may deter buyers as well, as it is located in the south eastern corner of the state with a smaller sized population.”

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Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

But according to her, the house itself is great: “The home has good bones. The original builder spent extra money when building it and added personal touches only you can create if you spent the extra dollar back in 1920. A lot of the originality and character is still intact that show these finish touches I was describing like the exterior columns that support the porch to the front entry. The double sided entry to the staircase is a dead giveaway as well as the original hardwood floors.”

Laura compares this house to others she has seen: “I worked in the residential appraisal side of real estate before becoming an agent so I have had the opportunity to view a lot of homes of this era and in comparison, this home can be just as valuable and beautiful as the rest of them when repaired.”

The house is quite old so it has leaking pipes, creaky floors, no windows and a creepy vibe

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Usually, people who make the listings, whether they are the owners, or real estate agents, try to highlight the good things about the thing they are selling and only brush through the not-so-good parts. It is understandable as they would like to sell or rent out a property as quickly as possible.

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However, the real estate agent Laura decided to take a different approach. She took all the flaws and made it sound like living in the house would be like an adventure, because when you sleep at night, you will feel like you’re living by the sea as the pipes leak and create a wonderful calming sound of waves.

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

It’s no matter that there is no glass in the windows—it will actually serve as a cooling system. What is really cool is the creepy vibes reminiscent of a horror movie with all the creaky wooden floors, the exterior falling apart, and wild and unkempt weeds.

And this was the first time that Laura used humour in her listings but seeing the success it has received she is considering to use this approach more often. She explains that these kinds of things have o be discussed with the owners and if the seller would allow her to be creative, she will not stop with this listing.

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However, Laura turned all these shortcomings to positive things that would create a wonderful experience of living there

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

Image credits: Laura Grimm Bailey

The listing is quite a masterpiece, but what did you think of it when you first read it? Do you think that this is unprofessional or you would consider it to be a great marketing tactic? Maybe you have already seen something similar and would like to share it? Leave all of your reactions in the comments and let us know of anything similar you’ve seen!

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Also, if you would liked Laura’s sense of humour, you can follow her on Facebook, Instagram or her real estate company’s Facebook account to watch out for future listings with a twist.

Here are some of the reactions that people had when they read the Facebook post

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Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

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Having started as a content creator that made articles for Bored Panda from scratch I climbed my way up to being and editor and then had team lead responsibilities added as well. So it was a pretty natural transition from writing articles and titles as well as preparing the visual part for the articles to making sure others are doing those same tasks as I did before well, answering their questions and guiding them when needed.

Read less »
Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

Having started as a content creator that made articles for Bored Panda from scratch I climbed my way up to being and editor and then had team lead responsibilities added as well. So it was a pretty natural transition from writing articles and titles as well as preparing the visual part for the articles to making sure others are doing those same tasks as I did before well, answering their questions and guiding them when needed.

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lunanik avatar
Nikki Sevven
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That house actually has "good bones." The staircase is gorgeous too.

robertjarvis avatar
Alloydog
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the '90s, I was riding through the Scottish highlands, when I passed a field with a remains of an old cottage. I t was literally about a foot or so of three stone walls and a bit more of a pile where the fireplace and chimney has been. The "For Sale" sign said "Great renovation project"!

suzannehaigh avatar
Tee Witt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We bought one of those, 1740 croft house. It did have a roof (rubbered carboard), and cold water piped in. Pure luxury.

Load More Replies...
lsgm2fw avatar
Zoe's Mom
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a shame. It may have been a glorious house at one time.

Load More Comments
lunanik avatar
Nikki Sevven
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That house actually has "good bones." The staircase is gorgeous too.

robertjarvis avatar
Alloydog
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the '90s, I was riding through the Scottish highlands, when I passed a field with a remains of an old cottage. I t was literally about a foot or so of three stone walls and a bit more of a pile where the fireplace and chimney has been. The "For Sale" sign said "Great renovation project"!

suzannehaigh avatar
Tee Witt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We bought one of those, 1740 croft house. It did have a roof (rubbered carboard), and cold water piped in. Pure luxury.

Load More Replies...
lsgm2fw avatar
Zoe's Mom
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a shame. It may have been a glorious house at one time.

Load More Comments
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