A new online craze is changing the way some people look at homes.
More and more people are turning to apps and social media to find real estate trends and deals.
It’s called “Zillow surfing” and one social media account is capitalizing on the trend. Its creator is from Tulsa.
Zillow is an online platform full of real estate listings. New and used homes of all price ranges can be viewed in the palm of your hand. Many users have no interest in buying a house.
Tulsa native Samir Mezrahi is building a brand around an online hobby.
“Instagram is where it’s exploded the most,” Mezrahi said.
Mezrahi graduated from Memorial High School in Tulsa in 2000, but now lives in New York.
He is the creator and brains behind Zillow Gone Wild, a social media account on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok that harnesses people’s love for looking at homes, especially unique homes.
“The wild range really depends on the house,” Mezrahi said. “It’s December 2020, I’m browsing Zillow for fun. It’s like my boredom, my phone time. I kind of thought other people were doing it too, so I opened the account, and it really took off.”
Within weeks, the account exploded, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers. The account highlights strange houses, making them go viral.
“Since I’ve seen so many of these homes now, I kind of have an idea of what people would really like,” Mezrahi said.
A year and a half later, Zillow Gone Wild has millions of subscribers across all platforms.
One of Zillow Gone Wild’s most unique homes is in Tulsa. Mezrahi featured the house on his account in June 2022.
Angela Barnett is the listing agent for the house and her phone hasn’t stopped ringing.
“A lot of people didn’t even know it was here,” Barnett said. “I cannot keep track of the number of calls, questions and interviews.”
The house attracted potential buyers from all over and gave Barnett a chance to share the story behind the house.
“It’s kind of a love story,” Barnett explained.
Located near Sand Springs, the house was completed in 2005 by a man who saw a similar house on a postcard from the 1960s.
When his wife was diagnosed with cancer, he made it his mission to build it. This man has since died, but the house is still standing.
The only quick way to move between floors is a narrow wooden elevator. The thin base means the middle tiers are small. The big attraction is the saucer at the top.
With two bedrooms, a bathroom and a spacious kitchen, the biggest draw is the 360 degree view and the balcony.
In a competitive industry, going viral can be a good thing. Just ask agent James Wood of Tulsa REMAX.
He, like Mezrahi, is well aware of the impact Zillow and social media accounts are having on the real estate industry. That’s why he started his own YouTube channel.
“I think marketing is crucial,” Wood said.
Wood works with a team to showcase homes purpose-built for the digital age.
“Virtually all homebuyers start their search online,” Wood explained. “So they look at the photos, then they look at whether the agent included a virtual tour or a video, they look at those multimedia marketing possibilities.”
Wood thinks Zillow surfing and accounts like Mezrahi’s are encouraging agents to do even more online.
“There are people browsing online and the next thing you know they’re writing a contract the next day,” Wood said.
Wood thinks it’s a trend that’s only going to get bigger as more and more people look to find something unique.
Zillow Gone Wild also plans to expand, as the next big discovery might be just a click away.
“It’s cool to be in this space as someone people think of for homes,” Mezrahi said.
