Can’t sell your home? You can always play dress-up…

Estate agents are always looking to gain maximum exposure for their listed properties, but one agent in East Yorkshire has gone the extra mile – using a panda costume and a willing vendor.

Many estate agents employ professional photographers to paint their client’s homes in the best possible light – always trying to capture that ‘brochure’ feel in terms of perspective and lighting – but does it grab a potential UK home buyer’s attention? For one estate agent and their client, the answer is a resounding ‘no’… but they feel they have the answer to the age-old question: ‘How do I make my house stand out from the crowd?’ And that answer is absurdly brilliant and has captured the attention of the industry and social media alike.

When Lee Wilson first approached estate agent Richard Welpton regarding his wish to sell his recently remodelled five-bedroom home in East Yorkshire, he had no idea what he was getting into. Richard had been looking at ways to gain more interest from potential buyers browsing his properties on Rightmove and Zoopla, including encouraging vendors to appear in the photographs themselves to help bring advertisements to life – with very few taking him up on the offer.

Naturally, as well as investing in new ideas, he had also invested in a panda suit off eBay three years previously – with the hope of incorporating it into the photos – and after a long wait he finally had a vendor willing to play ball.

Donning the costume for the photo shoot, seller Lee Wilson can be seen performing various activities in each room of the house from working out in the conservatory, to eating at the kitchen table.

“I get very bored of seeing the same old pictures and videos. For me it’s a bit like Groundhog Day,” said Richard, a director of East Yorkshire-based Quick & Clarke estate agents.

“That idea didn’t catch on until Lee agreed to do it and we’re hoping that it makes the house stand out. We certainly had a lot of laughs shooting the video.”

Richard’s odd idea has been hailed as a stroke of genius by those within the industry and on social media as the property has gained a huge amount of interest, as well as being covered in news articles by national newspapers including the Daily Mail and the Telegraph.

“I just thought it was a novel way of showing the house – it’s just a little bit different,” said Lee. “They’ll always think, ‘I’ll just have another look at that house with the panda in it’.”

For those sellers looking for a quick house sale who don’t happen to have a panda costumer lying around, there is still hope – as there are plenty of property buying companies who will buy any house for cash with a friendly, efficient service and competitive offers.

Worried your photos aren’t appealing to buyers? Why not ask National Homebuyers for advice, as we buy any house. Call 08000 443 911 or request a call back to find out how much you could get for your property.