The Broke Agent is a media brand that creates entertainment for real estate professionals. But the beauty of it is that you don't have to be in the industry to enjoy its content. Sure, that would unlock a deeper level of understanding and appreciation but it's not necessary.
Just look at its project Real Estate Fails, for example. Full of ridiculous architectural and interior design hiccups, it shares pictures from the ridiculous side of the housing market, proving that some agents don't have everything under control. Whether it's due to their own fault, the owners, or unfortunate circumstances, there are plenty of things that might deter potential buyers.
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Notice
We managed to get in touch with Eric Simon, founder of The Broke Agent, and he was kind enough to have a little chat with us.
"Just over six years ago, I started posting as The Broke Agent on Instagram, producing content that focused on the 'inner monologue' of a struggling realtor in Los Angeles. As a licensed realtor, I basically started making fun of everything that was happening to me and put it online in blog form, YouTube Videos, and short-form content like memes, tweets, and Facebook posts. It blew up really quickly and now has well over half a million followers across all platforms."
Even if we were to talk solely about its target audience, there's still room for The Broke Agent to grow as there are over 2 million active real estate agents in the U.S.
Who Needs Inspections?
We had a good example here at work. Dude owned a camping site with houses. The firefighters did a surprise inspection. Dude got fined for not having any fire alarms or smoke detectors. He then proceeds to glue smoke detectors to ceilings without connecting them to anything. The firefighters came back, opened the detectors and found his little scam. Dude got fined AGAIN and then called us to install things properly. 😂
Apparently The Description Read “Stainless Steel Appliances”
Simon started Real Estate Fails to grow The Broke Agent brand and to reach people who aren't necessarily just real estate agents but he quickly realized that it's just a really fun account to manage.
"Everyone likes looking at housing pics, especially luxury or real estate 'fails,' so it resonated with an audience outside of the real estate industry as well as real estate agents."
"Real estate agents love the account because it exposes marketing blunders, property description errors, and other mistakes agents make when uploading their marketing online. It also gives them a platform to submit all the crazy stuff they see in the field and out on showings. The account also casts a wider net on the industry, attracting contractors, appraisers, inspectors, handymen, etc."
This Might Be The Worst One Yet
Sick Flat Screen
Seen In Nebraska
According to Simon, curating the account is pretty straightforward because by now the community around it has gotten big enough for him to receive a steady stream of content.
"Most of my posts come from other realtors in my DMs, but I also get submissions in my Discord, through The Broke Agent and in our real estate Facebook pages and groups," he explained. "Like I said above, most of the photos come from agents actually spotting these crazy fails in the field on showings, inspections, or open houses. We also have a series called #ThingsWeSeeAtShowings on The Broke Agent stories."
Nah Nobody Will Notice
My Worst Nightmare
Get a doormat. If that is an important vent, get one with holes.
When Your Stager Goes A Little Nuts With House Plants
You couldn't find another person more suited to run the project. "Because I am a licensed realtor, I have developed a good eye for what is 'out of the ordinary' and what will perform well as a post," Simon said. "Also, I've been looking at and posting real estate content every day for 6 plus years so that helps with my judgment for what to post."
"The best performing content on Real Estate Fails is toilet content and anything that's sexual. If it looks like a penis or is provocative in any way, the audience goes crazy for it."
Another successful ongoing theme is staging fails where people try to cover up eye sores or contracting issues. The keyword here is 'try'.
No
The F**k Is This?
The Most Insane Apartment Complex Of All Time?
Exactly what I was thinking. When you love to sit out on a balcony, but hate all that stupid nature you have to see when you do so.
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Just paint the roof like the sky and the walls like brick! Like a Vegas mall
So many reasons to love this. Hang out with your neighbours without cleaning your apt or trying to figure out how to get them to go home. A great party could be had and people could come and go at will. No weather to contend with. ;)
and assured 6 ft distancing (apparently assuming the pandemic is here for good)
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This is a housing community in a part of Alaska where the outside temperatures are extremely low.
It's student housing at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.... Still doesn't clarify much 😂
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It’s not strange, it’s called high school gymnasium chic! Love that look lol
It's Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, student housing!!
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Anyone ever been to Virginia Tech? That is where this is. This is the Tech Village Center.
Ahhhhhhhh I had a dream and this was in the dream uh oh that dream ended badly
Ah. Just imagine going out on your balcony just to stare at the wall or at your neighbor walking the halls.....
You can chat to your neighbour and keep 'socially distanced'.
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If you look, there is no apartment numbers on the upper doors. So these are all probably 2 story apartments and the upper doors and balconies may just be odd decorations. Or it's possible the door actually does open...but who wants to sit on a balcony on the inside of the building?
These are the apartments at Virginia tech on top of the record store
How do they work? Are they two floors each, or is there an entrance on the other side for the balcony floor? Also, are they allowed to use the balconies? My freshman dorm at RISD had balconies you couldn’t access and the BS reason the college gave was that they were “decorative” they were clearly not just decorative, they were much larger and more stable than decorative balconies, and had access doors and stairs that were permanently locked. I think the school just didn’t want the liability of letting us use them.
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AND read a newspaper. No nature or trees to distract you from reading or studying.
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You can could go all out decorating these for holidays and nothing would get ruined in the weather. As a kid I would have loved it, great place for tea parties and all kinds of pretend games.
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It's a nursing home. It's for the older people to feel more like "home" in a "neighborhood "
That's a luxury prison right there! This looks like the resort we have the casino has a "high class section" Wich consists of 2 story sweets and a inside balcony over looking the indoor pool tho so at least they have something to look at this is more like a ghetto block party but indoors!
This is oddly appealing. If people decorated their balconies all cute, it could be a really cool neighborly gathering spot, like one of those old European alleyways where the balconies never see sun, but people hang out & chat. I don't hate it.
Let's just pray that none of those balconies fall on a person that lives on the bottom floor 😳
Prison apartments for the best inmates to sit and gloat down from their stylish balconies at the others as they pass through perhaps??
The layout, but not the decor, reminds me of a certain San Francisco hotel between Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf. Add paint and potted plants and you've got it.
Even if this is a converted prison: Gated community. Security bars. Efficiencies available. Wide walkways. Socialize from your own balcony! A minimalist's delight. Wheelchair accessible. Laundry facilities, cafeteria, medical facilities close by. Well lighted parking, extra outdoor security. Speaker systems. Safe exercise yards. Guards on duty.
This is the perfect place for people who like a fire escape that ensures you're still indoors following your escape and comes with a dislocated shoulder or twisted ankle. Personally I like when my door has a light and a cover for when it's dark and rainy. Anything that helps me be more awkward in front of my neighbors is also 5 stars. There is at least a season of Seinfeld that can be shot here just about the in door whatever the hell this is
Odd... but not stupid. Bunch of two-level apartments, right? People like to talk to neighbors. My guess is it's somewhere very far up North, though.
actually that's kinda cool. I'm assuming the balconies are to the apartments below them
They didn’t say what kind of balcony view in the listing did they…
we have something like this where i live but its a nursing home download-6...6621a5.jpg 
Architects defended the lack of slots in the doors by explaining that inmates could stand on the balcony and use a pulley system to raise and lower food trays
Nothing you said is accurate. It's an apartment complex. https://www.intheknow.com/post/indoor-balcony-apartment-building-tiktok/
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What else are you suppose to do if you want a 4 season balcony in Alaska!
That definitely used to be a prison. I’d be more worried about the plumbing.
"i hate rain but i want a balcony in my apartment" "say no more" cause they didnt have ROOFS to begin with
I don't remember what it was originally, but it got converted into a senior/memory care facility. Great use of the space!
Ooh want kidnappers? Come buy this apartment and for the great deal of only 20000000 dollars
2 ways out as per fire regulations?...a way out of the fire and a way back in...
Looks like it could be an upscale Federal prison...for the Bernie Madoffs or US Senators types.
Isn't it converted from a closed-down prison? The "balconies" were the higher floor's walk-rails.
I would be cool to paint forest theme here. Trees, rock path, waterfall, live plants. Liven it up some!
...because having doorways in an apartment that you fall 9 feet if you step through just makes no sense!
Old peoples homes used to be like this so the residents could bid each other goodnight
Hi John. Bye John. Go inside John. I don't want to see you every time, I leave or come home John. Lol
This reminds me of that apartment complex built for senior citizens where every 'door' is made to look like a small house. This may be the same type of situation, where you can let the elderly renters with things like dementia, or alzheimers, or similar relax on a 'patio' but also not have to worry about them falling or getting hurt.
Imagine lots of plants in the balconies and plant carts, cafe tables and chairs on the lower level. This space could be beautiful with creativity. A few stayed and a fountain would look nice. A long indoor outdoor carpet that looks like stepping stones would also add to the ambiance.
This place makes me sad. No outside for you, just inside, staring at concrete an neighbors on your balcony.... super?
Sure. Because who wants to sit on a balcony in the sunshine. On the other hand, it beats having no one with whom to talk.
They have these cool apartments sort of like this but super nice and in a mall
There's a hotel in my hometown that has something like this...kinda... At some point, they'd enclosed what was previously an outdoor courtyard. They never got rid of the balconies or the cobblestones, but it felt quirky and not quite this stupid.
This actually kinda reminded me of an idea I had once to convert old malls into housing, but with the idea of turning old storefronts into individual houses. The larger anchor stores could provide two homes apiece, while the smaller stores could have a dividing wall knocked down between two stores to create one unified home. Each home would have a garage and small backyard where the outside entrance area would be and their front doors would lead out to what would be a community walkway with foliage. Right in the center there could be a series of stores such as a grocery store, pharmacy, department store, and electronics store in a strip mall formation, and at where the food court would be there could be some restaurants that served the community, and there could be a separate grand entrance for community visitors and the general public, though only residents and their visitors would be able to access the interiors of any of those homes. It was a harebrained idea, I'll admit.
It's like when you're trying to make a hotel/apartment in Minecraft and get the wrong dimensions, and say fk it lmao
That is bigger than some yards in California. When looking at homes in CA, we saw some houses where you could open your window and touch your neighbor's house. The only thing you could see from those windows were the other house. So, these are basically the same thing but with larger yards!🤣
Not for really cold whether conditions. Stayed in similar place years ago and it really pleasure to get out your front door without concerned to the outside.
nah its for those people who are sacred of the outside wolrd but need social interaction from a distance
It's obviously repurposing an old school other non-housing-related building. And it definitely could be done much worse (and in a fashion less likely to promote neighborly neighbors). Those features alone make me like it.
But how do the tenants on the second floor get down to the first floor and out of the "balcony"? I don't see stairs or a gate. And why would this be somewhere called the 'Tech Village Center'. It is totally the opposite. There must be some correlation between the two, maybe a joke known only to the students at Virginia Tech?
I kind of dig it. We need those in Florida. Hurricane Parties would be off the chain!
Concerted mental institution-- most places have overcrowded prisons, they're not getting rid of them.. institutions have been closed all over.
I see that the living quarters of the tethered people from Us have been upgraded.
It's a college dorm. There have been news articles about the design.
This is just stupid. The only way this works is if all the residents are in musical theatre and they use this space/balconies for rehearsals.
That's so the neighbors can stand on their balconies and talk without getting rained on. Or one weird way of "dressing up" a light fixture over the doors.
This is an unfinished assisted living community setting. "Sidewalk" aesthetic to be added. Facades for individual "residences." Artificial trees and landsxaping to be added. Sky, clouds to be painted on ceiling. Simulates a residential street. Very beautiful WHEN DONE.
I like the fact they each have a doormat, to walk from that shiny floor into their own apaertments.
Baki Hanma's trip to that prison.... Netflix Live action adaptation
Simon constantly searches for ways to engage his followers. "The best way to [do it] on these posts is to say something in the caption like 'describe this like it's in a property description.' That way, agents can put their humorous twist on a housing feature and highlight it in a positive light like a realtor would do in their marketing."
The man behind the show also highlighted that The Broke Agent has much more to offer; it's a full-on real estate media company with Podcasts (The Over Ask Podcast), blogs, YouTube videos, contributors, and more. "Our goal is to make real estate professionals laugh through the daily stress of the industry and also help improve their business with our marketing, consulting, and content platform."
Light Mold
congratulations! you just got yourself a free houseplant! or dinner, if you’re feeling lucky
The Things We See At Showings…
bad idea, good execution. at least whoever thought of this was pretty good at drawing
You Keeping This Or Updating?
Thoughts On Photoshopping A Ferrari Into Your Listing Pics?
Wtf Is This
What The Hell Is This A Pyramid?
"Beautiful Balcony Looking Over The Palatial Entertaining Area"
Look Away
Genius Listing Photo Marketing
Innovative
Y
Is It?
Whoops
Maybe this is the bathroom from the story a few days ago about the anti-masturbation family.
What In The Fresh Hell Is This?
Ah yes, the sideways toilet. Sometimes you make it in the bowl, sometimes you hit the TP.
“4th Bedroom”
It's a room. There's a bed in it. The car's been repossessed anyway, so what the heck
Staging In Tampa...
I faked a bed in an empty bedroom with cardboard boxes and a couple of blankets. It's pretty common when occupants have already moved.
More Of This
at least they’re being honest…? unless it does suck of course
Nothing To See Here
This is a stupid inclusion. It wasn't a real estate listing; it was the Texas freeze in February 2021, which caused catastrophic damage due to two main reasons: 1. TX houses are not built for such weather (including water pipe insulation) and 2. MOST OF THE STATE WAS DUMPED OFF THE POWER GRID SO THAT IT WOULDN'T FAIL WHICH WAS COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE IF THE TX LEADERSHIP HAD WINTERIZED THE GRID AS THEY WERE TOLD TO DO A FULL TEN YEARS BEFORE BECAUSE EXPERTS KNEW SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAPPEN EVENTUALLY.
Note: this post originally had 110 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
"Most Hectic Homes"? ..." I do not think that word means what you think it means." — Inigo Montoya
Well, the Bored Panda staff is Lithuanian, so...
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I want to briefly visit the minds who made some of these disasters, just to have some chance of understand what they were thinking, if anything.
Jo, can I listen in, on your conversation, it's bound to be interesting !!!
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I've seen every single one of these photos in multiple BP lists before. BP editors, get a grip. I certainly hope no one gets paid for this sh!t.
We just sold it so I can't take pics of it...wish I had...but our last house had some...interesting design choices. They left all of the paintings in the house when we moved in, and said paintings covered up some things like a misplaced vent, a corkboard, etc. There was a fully finished basement but the previous owners obviously failed at something because the shower was in the laundry room while the toilet and sink were in the other end of the basement. Oops. To make room in one of the basement rooms to call it a bedroom they put an indent into the furnace room to create the closet. We never used the room for anything but storage but I couldn't imagine being stuck between the furnace room and the stairs. Other than that it was a gorgeous house and we seriously sold it for twice what we paid for it because of location and the design of the house. But yes, we removed the paintings, we didn't want them to have the surprises we had.
I have not laughed so much in a long time! I feel sorry for the poor agents who had to try and sell those places!
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This post, was one of the strangest, without a doubt, somewhat interesting, there must be a great number, of weird carpenters, or should I say, wanna be carpenters !!!
If I could pick some bits at the cost of a random bit being included, I would love to buy a house made of these.
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"Most Hectic Homes"? ..." I do not think that word means what you think it means." — Inigo Montoya
Well, the Bored Panda staff is Lithuanian, so...
Load More Replies... I want to briefly visit the minds who made some of these disasters, just to have some chance of understand what they were thinking, if anything.
Jo, can I listen in, on your conversation, it's bound to be interesting !!!
Load More Replies... I've seen every single one of these photos in multiple BP lists before. BP editors, get a grip. I certainly hope no one gets paid for this sh!t.
We just sold it so I can't take pics of it...wish I had...but our last house had some...interesting design choices. They left all of the paintings in the house when we moved in, and said paintings covered up some things like a misplaced vent, a corkboard, etc. There was a fully finished basement but the previous owners obviously failed at something because the shower was in the laundry room while the toilet and sink were in the other end of the basement. Oops. To make room in one of the basement rooms to call it a bedroom they put an indent into the furnace room to create the closet. We never used the room for anything but storage but I couldn't imagine being stuck between the furnace room and the stairs. Other than that it was a gorgeous house and we seriously sold it for twice what we paid for it because of location and the design of the house. But yes, we removed the paintings, we didn't want them to have the surprises we had.
I have not laughed so much in a long time! I feel sorry for the poor agents who had to try and sell those places!
How i become a lottery winner with the help of a spell caster calld Dr Ayoola, i meet this great man online when someone was talking about how this man help him to win lottery and immediately i contacted him and ask for help as well. and this great man promise to help me and assure me that i will win once he give me the lottery number, today i am here saying a big thank you to Dr yoola for helping me to win the sum of 50,000,000 dollars all thanks to you Dr Ayoola you can as well contact him today for help via drayoolasolutionhome@gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/Dr-Ayoola-105640401516053/ text or call +14809032128
This post, was one of the strangest, without a doubt, somewhat interesting, there must be a great number, of weird carpenters, or should I say, wanna be carpenters !!!
If I could pick some bits at the cost of a random bit being included, I would love to buy a house made of these.
You can hire Henryclarkethicalhacker for all your hacking needs which include clearing of criminal and driving records, credit hack fix, college grade changes, cloning phones, spying on anyone, hacking all social media accounts, etc,. Reach him via Henryclarkethicalhacker @ gmail. com Text him,, Whatsapp,,+18134211326.
