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Tom Bolduc, an agent with Keller Williams Metropolitan in Bedford, N.H., took a spooky approach to the photos of his recent listing, with Michael Myers—the iconic horror character from the “Halloween” franchise—making a cameo throughout the two-bedroom home. The listing drew 330,000 views in just four days on a real estate listing site, the most traffic Bolduc has ever gotten on one of his listings, he says. The photos have grabbed national headlines and have been featured on NBC’s “Today” as well as in The Boston Globe and dozens of other media outlets.
The photos, however, which were originally posted earlier this month, prompted some real estate pros to complain to the local MLS that the photos were too scary or offensive. In the photos, the Myers character peeks through the home’s windows and around corners, and the top of his head can be seen behind a shower curtain. The MLS eventually requested that Bolduc remove the “Halloween”-inspired photos due to the complaints. Bolduc complied, but the photos continue to circulate in the media.
Over the years, many real estate professionals have tied listing photos to the Halloween holiday to drum up buyer interest. For example, one listing featured Freddy Krueger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and another included skeletons to promote the home’s “great bones.” MLSs have reported fielding listing photo complaints in recent years as more real estate pros aim to use unusual tactics to attract more attention.
Still, Bolduc says he has no regrets about his listing photos. “We just thought they were festive, with Halloween approaching, and a good way to draw attention to the property,” Bolduc says. “It was all done in good fun.” Nearly a month after the photos first went live, Bolduc is still fielding calls from the media and others who found the Halloween-inspired photos amusing. Plus, the home’s $375,000 price tag must have been a killer deal—because the property is already under contract, he says.