30 Ridiculous, Creepy Or Nasty Home Features That People Found (New Pics)
Back in the day, prospective home buyers were at the mercy of newspaper ads and playing phone tag with real estate agents. Thankfully today, websites and apps have made finding a place to live much simpler. One of the most famous of such apps is Zillow, an online real estate network that allows users to buy, sell and rent properties, as well as find agents and available home loans. While Zillow can be a great tool to search through properties without spending an entire day driving around, it can also be a treasure trove of entertaining content.
To celebrate all of the quirky listings on Zillow, the Instagram page “Zillow Gone Wild” was born. With 1.5 million followers and over 750 posts, Zillow Gone Wild has gone viral for sharing photos of extravagant homes most people could only dream of and other homes so bizarre that it’s amazing anyone imagined them. We’ve gathered some of the most intriguing and least humble abodes for you to view and live vicariously through the owners.
Keep reading to also find interviews with Samir Mezrahi, the creator of Zillow Gone Wild, and Jennifer Lebow, realtor and "neighborhood guru". Then if you feel like the real estate bug has bitten you, check out Bored Panda’s last Zillow Gone Wild piece right here.
This post may include affiliate links.
Maybe The Most Perfect Mid Century Home We’ve Ever Seen In Sarasota Fl, Currently Listed At $899,000. 3 Bd, 1 Ba. 1,268 Sf
Zillow may now be gaining worldwide popularity for the absurdity of some of the listings, but it has grown into an immensely successful website since it’s conception in 2004. Started in Seattle, Washington by Rich Barton, Zillow now has 6,400 employees. In 2020, Zillow reported having 201 million monthly users, 9.6 billion visits yearly and $3.3 billion in yearly revenue. At the time, there were also 135 million homes listed in their database. Their corporate website states their mission is to give people the power to unlock life’s next chapter” and notes that they’ve also expanded their business into affiliates and subsidiaries including HotPads, Inc. Trulia, StreetEasy and more.
Zillow has dominated the housing market in the United States, and they credit becoming a household name to the success of their “Zestimate” feature. This is their “proprietary valuation algorithm” that provides each listing with an estimated property value, estimated rental value and the history of the property’s value in the past.
New Goth Home Just Dropped. $250,000
There are certainly pros and cons to using an online real estate service like Zillow, so Union Street Media broke some of them down for buyers. We live in a digital age, so it makes sense for people to want to buy everything, including homes, online. The first pro listed for using Zillow is the sheer exposure. It provides buyers with seemingly endless options, meaning sellers’ homes are also seen by wide audiences. It also eliminates the need for many buyers to hire real estate agents, saving them some money. And for agents selling homes, it can take little effort to get listings seen by a broad audience. Zillow even has a “Premier Agent” feature, where agents can pay to get more traffic to their listings.
On the other hand, Zillow is not a perfect site. The first con Union Street Media mentions of using Zillow is the inaccuracy of their famous “Zestimate” feature. Apparently, the estimates are often incorrect, misleading buyers and making agents’ jobs harder. The website also tends to promote “non listing agents alongside listings that aren’t theirs” which causes confusion for buyers seeking more information. Being a Zillow Premier Agent also comes at a high price, ranging between $300-$1000 a month depending on the location of the realtor. Agents also have to spend a pretty penny to get their own listing leads.
This Home Is Rainforest Cafe Meets The Home From Encanto. $25,000,000
We were lucky enough to get to talk to Samir Mezrahi, the creator of Zillow Gone Wild, and hear from him what it's been like to see this page become so popular. "It's been so much fun," he told us. "I never imagined the reception would be this well received and across platforms. It's regularly picked up by local news when a home goes viral and it's really cool to see that people are actually buying these fun homes." We also asked Samir to talk a little about his favorite parts of running the page. "My favorite part is checking my inbox. I get like 50-100+ DMs a day of homes, and I never know what I am going to get and what I haven't seen before. One of my favorite homes was this one recently that was a Jetsons meets mid century modern vibe."
We also asked Samir if he'd be interested in any of these homes. "I'd live in almost all of these homes! They all have such unique and fun characteristics." He didn't always feel that way, though. "I have to admit, before I started the account I wasn't so into some of these styles like mid-century modern, but it radicalized me and now I love them." Lastly, he reiterated how much fun running the page is and added that he feels like "we've only begun seeing some of the coolest homes out there". We love Samir's enthusiasm and greatly appreciate his page. Don't forget to give Zillow Gone Wild a follow right here!
My Life Is 100% Better After Knowing This Mailbox Exists. $1,200,000
We reached out to realtor and "neighborhood guru" Jennifer LeBow to hear her thoughts on Zillow and whether or not buyers should steer clear of the site. "I would not necessarily avoid using it," Jennifer told us. "I would just be very clear on what to use it for. It will provide for sale by owner properties as well as MLS listed properties, which is good. However for any kind of estimate of value, it’s terrible. Additionally, a lot of its information is outdated as far as what is still available. Furthermore, one of the worst things is that Zillow is designed to make money by charging agents for showing up on a listing as though they were the listing agent. So consumers contact the agent who pops up, assuming that that agent will be knowledgeable about the neighborhood and the house. Most of the time, that is not the case and the buyer ends up with an agent who cannot properly represent them."
If you are interested in avoiding Zillow, Jennifer recommends using a buyer's agent. "There is no cost to the buyer and not only does the agent have access to more listings than just one Zillow shows, if the agent is part of a brokerage that has private exclusives or quiet listings. Even more important, then a buyer is represented by someone who is knowledgeable about the entire buying process as well as the buyer's area of interest."
This $1.2 Million New Berlin, Wi Has Been On And Off The Market For Years And Comes With An Atrium And Indoor Koi Pond
I live right around here too; I'm going to have to check this out.
Load More Replies...Did they take their design inspiration from Jurassic Park, the Flintstones, and Tarzan?
An indoor koi pond??? Do you know how stinky those things are unless you work on them 8 hours a day???
I'd guess with that kind of money, they've got to occupy their lives with SOMETHING!
Load More Replies...The outside is ugly but the inside is nice - unfortunately, I cannot imagine having so much money to burn that I could keep it...
Reptile Sanctuary?! I can hear it now, " I have one more home to show you. But I'm warning you the owner is a SNAKE!" ...30 MINUTES LATER...,"I was being serious!"
I loved on a similar house once. It is annoying to keep clean and you start to miss the few seconds it takes to circle around things as the years pile up. But it 's fun for a while.
Drive past this shithole alllll the time. It just needs to be razed.
This is the first time I've ever seen something on Bored Panda that's from someplace near me, and now I have to find this!
I am going to find this, and nobody will be able to stop me.
Load More Replies...Stone age look aside, there's also a point to made here for too many windows.
What’s with all of those windows? Who in their right mind is going to clean them all?
Look through the windows, do you see the dead trees and the cold, dreary exterior? That's Wisconsin, I'd know.
Load More Replies...$690,000. Kennebunkport, Me
We asked Jennifer if she had any advice for first time home buyers trying to navigate the competitive online market, and she said to first "make sure you have all of your finances in order and that you truly understand the costs of the purchase". "Not only the purchase price of the house, but the closing costs and any kind of appraisal gap coverage you might need to offer to be competitive," Jennifer explained. "Be sure to talk to a lender first thing. Also, expect that you will have to go over asking price, cover at least some appraisal gap and possibly wave or absorb certain amount of issues on a home inspection."
Lastly, Jennifer wanted to add that a Zillow estimate can be "completely useless". "It has some merit if it is being used to look at a house in a very large community where all of the houses are the same, built relatively recently, in the same condition, with the same acreage, in the same school district, etc. It is particularly useless in areas where the housing stock is old because it does not account for updating and condition so it can be wildly in accurate."
Chooo Chooooooooooooo. $305,000
A 105,000 Sf Bel Air Mansion Called “The One” Will Be Going To Auction In February And Is Currently Listed At $295 Million
Happy Castle Mansion Sunday. $5,000,000
Zillow has also encountered some trouble in recent history. After unveiling a business venture in December 2019 titled “Zillow Offers”, which allowed homeowners to sell their properties directly to Zillow for the corporation to then flip the homes and re-sell them at a higher price, Zillow has admitted defeat. The company announced in November 2021 that the project would be ending due to a lack of profits. After relying on their own Zestimate algorithms, Zillow was disappointed to find they had paid too much for too many homes that they just couldn’t resell for significant profits. The Wall Street Journal reports that employees actually had been concerned about the business venture long before it was shut down, but worries were unaddressed or dismissed.
For $165k I Guess We Have No Choice But To Move To Hawaii
Here’s A Really Cool “Castle In The Forest” On 22 Acres In Christina Lake, British Columbia For Sale For $1,395,000 (Cnd)
Every Home Needs One Of These With Easy Access Off The Living Room. Currently Listed At $297,000. 3 Bd, 2 Ba. 2,178 Sq Ft
For first time buyers in the United States, services like Zillow Offers have been quite controversial. With more and more Americans realizing they may never be able to own a home, large corporations like Zillow aren’t making their lives any easier. While historically, prospective buyers were given days or even weeks to view homes before the house would sell, companies snatching up homes before they even hit the market leaves buyers without a chance. Sure, companies like Zillow will soon sell the homes again, but with housing prices rising much faster than incomes, finding an affordable home is becoming harder than finding a needle in a haystack.
Why Buy A Home When You Can Own Your Own 22 Bedroom 320 Acre Western Town In Saguache, Co.$4,700,000
and to our left we have the Nomad of Nowhere but you can call him friend
If You Like The Show Friends Today Is Your Lucky Day Because We’ve Got The Perfect Houston Townhome For You
Whenever I'm About To Do Something, I Think 'Would An Idiot Do That?' And If They Would, I Do Not Do That Thing. $475,000. 4 Bd, 3 Ba. 2,509 Sq Ft. 5 Acres
Zillow was even recently involved in a class action lawsuit alleging that the company “misled investors about the ability and sustainability of its Zillow Offers home-buying service”. Aaron Winston Hillier, who filed the lawsuit, stated that, “As a result of defendants’ wrongful acts and omissions, and the resulting declines in the market value of the company’s securities, plaintiff and other members of the class have suffered significant damages.” He also claims Zillow knew they would need to eliminate their Offers venture far before the decision was announced. According to Top Class Actions, Hillier’s goal is to “represent a nationwide class of individuals who purchased or otherwise acquired Zillow securities between Aug. 7, 2021, and Nov. 2, 2021”.
$6,900,000
Good Luck Living Here Lol. $169,000. 4 Bd, 4 Ba. 2,750 Sf
The “Worst House On The Best Block” In San Francisco Just Sold For $1.97 Million
Aside from Zillow being a household name, the Zillow Gone Wild account has gained massive popularity due to the followers’ obsession with homes. Why do we find viewing homes so interesting? I remember spending Saturday afternoons as a child attending open houses with my mother, even though we had a perfectly fine home and no intention of moving any time soon. In fact, I’ll still happily go to an open house with her when I visit. Touring other people’s homes is fun! And it’s actually pretty common for us to be captivated by real estate, so much so that author Daniel McGinn wrote House Lust: America's Obsession with Our Homes.
What’s Happening In Canada? $990,000
Who Is Moving To North Carolina With Me. $1,150,000
We Are Down In Tampa Fl For This $8.95 Million Castle And Comes With This Very Green Ball Room
Ok I don't get it: what do you do with so much space? Like walk around your house all day? And sit in that garden that looks like a cafe alone?
In the New York Times’ review of House Lust, Alexandra Jacobs mentions that Daniel McGinn was “not the first person to draw… an explicit link between sex and real estate”. In Marjorie Garber's 2001 book Sex and Real Estate: Why We Love Houses, comparisons are drawn between house hunting and dating, likening real estate agents to matchmakers. McGinn continued to expand on these metaphors in his book. “Today, in some neighborhoods, finding someone who doesn’t know the square footage of her house can be as hard as finding a Playboy centerfold who doesn’t know her bust size,” he stated. And I have to admit, he has a point. Living in a “dream house” (while the definition of that is different for everyone) is certainly many people’s fantasy.
Santa’s Home Is On Zillow Lol North Pole
When Red Is Your Favorite Color. $550,000
This Castle Is Over 20k Square Foot. Has 14 Bd, 17 Bathrooms And Is For Sale For $11.8 Million. The Home Sits On Over 4 Acres
One woman who took her obsession with having the ultimate home quite far is Jackie Siegel. Jackie and her husband David became the infamous stars of the 2012 documentary film The Queen of Versailles. The film, directed by Lauren Greenfield, follows Jackie as she embarks on her journey to build the “largest single-family detached home” in the United States modeled and named after the famous palace in France. While the 90,000 square foot home is still not complete today, it’s certainly a shining example of the obsession many have today with elaborate homes.
Nothing Can Prepare You For The Interior Of This $895k Scottsdale, Az Home
Here’s A 3,500 Square Foot Castle In Harford, Wi For $420k. 4 Bd, 4 Ba. .58 Acres
Babe Get Down From There Your Favorite Part Of The Movie Is About To Come On. $180,000
You gotta respect parents who are willing to turn their home into a place their kids love and use <3
What makes a house really feel like home is different for every person. Some people simply need their loved ones and their pets to feel comfortable, while others require a bowling alley in their basement. I'm not here to judge, but I will take some time to enjoy viewing all of these unique homes. Be sure to upvote your favorite quirky properties, and if you're interested in seeing even more, don't forget to give Zillow Gone Wild a follow on Instagram. Then let us know in the comments, would you ever live in any of these wacky homes?
On Todays Edition Of You Never Really Know What’s Happening In A Home. $639,000
Here’s A Classic Castle In Woodstock, Ct Thats Been On And Off The Market For Years, Currently Listed At $60,000,000 With Almost 19,000 Square Feet Of Space
I Have No Idea What’s Happening In This $650,000 Denver, Co Home But I Respect It
If You Have Ever Wanted To Own Your Island With A Hovercraft I Have Good News For You Because This $6.6 Million Saint Paul, Mn Has Both Amenities For You
Here’s A 1 Bedroom 1 Bathroom 196 Square Foot Home In Santa Rosa Beach Florida That Is Currently Listed At $1,095,000
NY Apartment For $49.5 Million. 8,908 Sf. 4-6 Bedrooms, 6.55 Ba. Built In 1882
Former Nba Star Tony Parker’s Texas Home Is For Sale. $19.5 Million
Welcome To Hogwarts (In Reunion, Fl). $5,450,000
The Perfect Basement Does Exist And It’s In This Home. $899,900
This Dorothy Draper Designed Home Is Art. $1,750,000
Here’s A Fun Home In Spokane, Wa - Currently Listed At $475k And Has 4 Bd, 4 Ba And 3,546 Sf
Here’s An Insane $49.5 Million 21k Square Foot Home In Palm Dessert, Ca. $49,500,000
$15,000,000
There Is A Little Design Theme In This Home And I Hope You All Can Tell What It Is. $733,000
My deprived children didn't have a vanity next to their crib. They had to paint on their faces in the bathroom like peasants
This Hollywood Hills Fairytale Cottage Was Designed To Match The Style Of The Disneyland Castle And Can Be Yours For Only $1.395 Million
This Home Is Called “The Sun Valley Starship” And I Am Pretty Sure Its Zombie Proof. $5,950,000
We Can All Hold Hands Together In There. $450,000. South Milwaukee, Wi
Welcome To Your New Perfect Home. $750,000
It Never Ceases To Amaze Me With How Many Homes Are So New Jersey And This So Nj. $999,999
NJ + the worst design elements from the past 5 decades = this .... can't think of a proper word to use here so, yeah, this.
Does Anyone Need Things. $355,000
Verified If Saved By The Bell And Your Old Trapper Keeper Had A Baby It Would Be This $450,000 848 Sf Duplex In Big Bear Lake, Ca
Would You Live In The Triple Dome Home??? Advance, Nc. $449,000
while some of the properties on this list are in need of aesthetic changes, here is an example of a home that is a real issue because of the way the structure is. You have this big place but only one useful wall in each room so you can never move things around. And for such a large place it feels so constricted. You're being held hostage by the design.
Here’s A 11,200 Sf $2.95 Million Home In Joplin Mo That Looks Like Two Different Homes Combined Into One
This Home Is Truly Perfect. $3,100,000
This 41,000+ Square Feet Indianapolis Home Is On The Grounds Of A Former Monastery And Even Has Its Own Lake. $14,000,000
This is not creepy or weird. Beyond what most people need and can afford? Absolutely. Excessively large? For sure. Tastefully done and reasonably priced for what it is? Also yes
The Iconic Home From Edward Scissorhands Aka The Boggs’ House Aka The Avon Lady’s House Is For Sale In Lutz, Fl For $699,900
Here’s A Near Perfect Mid-Century Modern In Stone Mountain, Ga For $475,000 And Yes It Has A Conversation Pit
Disney But Make It In Upstate NY. $799,000
Indiana’s Hottest Club. $799,900
In The Kitchen??? Whitehall, Oh. $325,000
When It’s A Starry Night But Every Single Day. $349,900. 4 Bd, 3 Ba. 2,653 Sf
Here’s A Really Cool Victorian Home In Boston For $1 Million. 4 Bd, 2 Ba. 4,395 Sf
Another Perfect Home. $139,900
Violinist Itzhak Perlman’s Approx 8k Sq Ft Upper West Side Home Which Was Just Put On The Market For $17.5 Million And It Comes A Rare Surprise In The Basement
This $1.3 Million Albuquerque Home Is A Lifestyle For Sure
Couldn’t Hide The Interestingness With This One. Scottsdale, Az
you'd think with the money they had for this home they could do more than cheap wood paneling. it literally looks like corkboard.
New Friends House Just Dropped!! $135,000. 3 Bd, 1 Ba. 1,137 Sf. 6,751 Sq Ft Lot
Here’s The Most Expensive Home On Zillow Right Now. You Can Buy It For $125,000,000 As Is
This Is A Lot Of Stuff. $975,000
They sellers will take all that with them when they leave, right? I know that probably won't do anything about the clowns making their way back on their own though
This $420k (Lol) Onalaska, Wi Belongs In The Michael’s Hall Of Fame, And One Of The Signs Outsigns Them All. 4 Bd, 3 Ba. 3,600 Sf. 1.53 Acres
If You’ve Been Looking For An Over 7,000 Square Foot Bunker In Arizona For Under $400k Then Today Is Your Lucky Day
Looks like those themed restaurants where you watch horses and people having a duel
Everyone Seems To Love This Seattle Home. $478,000. Seattle, Wa. 3 Bd, 1 Ba. 1,264 Sf
Really Retro Pack, Check Out The Loudest And Oldest 4 Bd, 3ba. 8,000 Sf
We Haven't Seen A Home With A Bunker In A While But Here’s One With 5,000 Square Feet Of Underground Living. Also A 2 Story Main Bedroom Closet. $6,500,000
I've been wondering what to do with that extra $6.5M I have laying around.
Everything About This Home Is Perfection. $298,000
We Have The Perfect Home For A Chiefs Fan In Joplin, Mo For Only $275,000
The Foyer Of This $550k Tulsa Home Greets You In The Most Special Way Possible. 3 Bd, 5 Ba. 3,993 Sq Ft. .52 Acres
"There are two types of people in this world. Greek, and people who wish they were Greek!"
If Your Home Doesn’t Have This Feature Then Don’t Ever Think About Inviting Me Over. $589,000. 6 Bd, 4 Ba
Here’s A Cool Home In Adamstown, Pa That Used To Be Two Homes That Were Connected To Each Other. $725,000
There Are Only These Two Pics Of This Home And It’s Perfect. $949,000
As An Extremely Lazy Person I Love The Convenience Factor Here.$325,000
I've seen a stove in an island but never where the stove is the island (and dining table)
$3.199 Million
Always Appreciate A Nice Collection And This Mid-Century Modern In Portland Delivers
This Home Basically Has An Indoor Potato Shed But Instead Of Potatoes It’s Storage For Something Else. $575,000
The Perfect Home Doesn’t Exi–. $975,000
Most of these houses do not belong under this title. Most of them were amazing
If you look at the ones that were voted down below the threshold you see some weirder or uglier ones but yeah, this title is click bait.
Load More Replies...I gotta admit I liked most of these. The only downside I see is they don't look like they'd be to comfortable to live in. Hard to imagine being sprawled out in the recliner with a can of beer and a pizza.
So maybe its just me but there are plenty of homes on this list I would love to have! That all-black home is pretty amazing.
The Rabbi across the street from us tried for 5 or 10 years to sell his house. He always did for sale by owner, but that' not what did him in. He keeps a Kosher house, so he pretty much has two kitchens. That means that you either need to sink a lot of money into a kitchen remodel, or you have to want to keep a Kosher house. The problem with the first is that he won't take an offer that is lower to allow people to do the remodel. The problem with the second is that we live nowhere near a Synagogue. Anyone who is religious enough to keep a Kosher kitchen is religious enough to abstain from using their car on the Sabbath (his family stays with his parents during the Sabbath so they can avoid using their cars). So no one who would want the kitchens wants his house and no one who would be willing to remodel wants to pay him what he wants.
Not going to lie. A lot of these houses are so beautiful. Wish I could afford one of them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The only questions I ALWAYS have for the ornate is ...how do you clean this??...how do you heat a space that is open as big as a factory?...where do I get furniture that will fit the space, dimension-wise, style-wise?...would anybody be able to fix structural problems? I guess I am too practical to own most of these.
This shows that money and taste don't go together as they should.
I need to stop looking at pictures of amazing homes. It makes my two bedroom apt seem bleh
Maybe change the title of this one, BP. Or find images to actually match the title.
Here's a fun one from the recent listings. So many headless mannequins! As another comment mentions, I had no idea they had drag queens in Mississippi, lol: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdTabcou9nx/
All these buildings are beautiful. All you'd have to change are some of the interiors and you'd have a lovely home.
Most of these houses do not belong under this title. Most of them were amazing
If you look at the ones that were voted down below the threshold you see some weirder or uglier ones but yeah, this title is click bait.
Load More Replies...I gotta admit I liked most of these. The only downside I see is they don't look like they'd be to comfortable to live in. Hard to imagine being sprawled out in the recliner with a can of beer and a pizza.
So maybe its just me but there are plenty of homes on this list I would love to have! That all-black home is pretty amazing.
The Rabbi across the street from us tried for 5 or 10 years to sell his house. He always did for sale by owner, but that' not what did him in. He keeps a Kosher house, so he pretty much has two kitchens. That means that you either need to sink a lot of money into a kitchen remodel, or you have to want to keep a Kosher house. The problem with the first is that he won't take an offer that is lower to allow people to do the remodel. The problem with the second is that we live nowhere near a Synagogue. Anyone who is religious enough to keep a Kosher kitchen is religious enough to abstain from using their car on the Sabbath (his family stays with his parents during the Sabbath so they can avoid using their cars). So no one who would want the kitchens wants his house and no one who would be willing to remodel wants to pay him what he wants.
Not going to lie. A lot of these houses are so beautiful. Wish I could afford one of them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The only questions I ALWAYS have for the ornate is ...how do you clean this??...how do you heat a space that is open as big as a factory?...where do I get furniture that will fit the space, dimension-wise, style-wise?...would anybody be able to fix structural problems? I guess I am too practical to own most of these.
This shows that money and taste don't go together as they should.
I need to stop looking at pictures of amazing homes. It makes my two bedroom apt seem bleh
Maybe change the title of this one, BP. Or find images to actually match the title.
Here's a fun one from the recent listings. So many headless mannequins! As another comment mentions, I had no idea they had drag queens in Mississippi, lol: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdTabcou9nx/
All these buildings are beautiful. All you'd have to change are some of the interiors and you'd have a lovely home.