'Sexy' Homes Spice Up North Carolina Market

A Charlotte, N.C. real estate firm says business is booming, thanks to their sexy new marketing plan that involves hiring models to pose in listings photos of luxury homes.

During the boom years of 2006 and 2007, Peters and Associates Real Estate was the No.1 seller of high-end homes in the Charlotte region. Then the market crashed and real estate sales dried up for most of 2008 and 2009. Peters and Associates owners Nick and Miriam Peters then decided to spice up their marketing and have been having tremendous success ever since.

The couple creates an image by spending thousands of dollars on clothing and cars; and they photograph their listings with sexy, attractive people.

Peters caters to high-profile and high-net-worth individuals, such as professional athletes, coaches, entertainers, executives and other VIPs. These clients are looking for a lifestyle and amenities much different from the average homebuyer.

The buying experience for Peters clients begins with being picked up at the airport in an exotic car and then whisked to a luxurious spa for a relaxing day of pampering, or to a private club for a round of golf. Once they are totally refreshed, they are ready to tour homes.

How effective is the campaign? Peters did a controlled online test, with one listing showing the typical real estate pictures. Visitors to that listing stayed an average of 40 to 60 seconds. Visitors to the listing with "lifestyle photos" stayed an average of 4 to 6 minutes.

Statistics suggest that the more time a potential buyer spends looking at a listing, the more likely they are to request a showing. Peters' listings used to get three to four clicks a week, and now they get 10 to 20 a day.

Browse through photos of millions of home listings or search foreclosure listings

Of course, sales are the ultimate test. The firm has seen a 300 percent increase in home sales over the last year.

Barbara Green is the Design Diva and owner of Sensibly Chic Interior Design. Follow her on Twitter @thedesigndiva.

Looking to spark interest in your home sale? Here are some AOL Real Estate selling guides that can help:

More on AOL Real Estate:
See more homes for sale in Charlotte.
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Get property tax help from our experts.

Reader Comments (20)

by ellie - September 9th 2010 @ 2:08PM

A real estate ad in my community years ago caused a sensation. The ad was headlined: FAMILY KILLED then the rest of the ad in small print said: while rushing to an open house they wanted to buy. When they arrived, it had already been sold'.................

Reply | Report

by HDW - September 9th 2010 @ 3:02PM

HAHAHA!!!! Thats funny! Hello?! You are in the bible belt! Perhaps these realtors from N. Carolina should come visit Las Vegas & see what real "sexy" advertising is all about! This is funny! Thanks for the laugh!

by Danielle - September 9th 2010 @ 3:42PM

Actually, the Bible Belt does include the southern part of the east coast. But you are right in that it does include the midwest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt

| Report

by HDW - September 9th 2010 @ 3:45PM

Kristi, I lived in N. Carolina. I know how many churches there are & people do consider it to be a part of the bible belt. No atlas needed here. I moved from N. Carolina because there were so many women with too much facial hair! Wax ladies!

by Robin Hauck - September 9th 2010 @ 6:43PM

I'm so glad you're a woman. I bet you're beautiful. But we're talking about using good-looking women in advertisements to sell homes? Just look at the article photo of the blond by the indoor pool. I WANT TO BUY THAT HOUSE!

PS What do you have against tornados? They're just big outdoor vacuum cleaners designed by God! Works everytime, especially on the trailers.

by glockelvis - September 9th 2010 @ 3:29PM

I'm guessing the ads in vegas have 6'3 coked up transvestites

by Charlene Liles - September 9th 2010 @ 4:00PM

These people give professional realtors a bad name. Give me a break. No one is buying a house because there are pictures of sexy models. I'm' sure, however, they are getting a lot of takers for their "services".

by SADIE WHITE - September 12th 2010 @ 9:43AM

I am a home stager (since 1999) and a realtor (2003)and statistics show that it is the staging not the people in it...people in the photos detract from the potential buyer envisioning themselves in the home.

by David S. - September 9th 2010 @ 4:54PM

Um, most people looking to buy homes are couples. I guess they are marketing these "models" to single guys looking to buy a home? And that bed is in a "luxury home?" When, in 1975?

by Robin - September 9th 2010 @ 5:04PM

KRISTI Thanks for giving the Geography Lesson to HDW. He probably can't breath without instructions. But I'm in Texas, which is a little boring at times. So how do we get some of those skanky T & A displaying women to come down here from Vegas and liven up our real estate business?

by HDW - September 9th 2010 @ 5:18PM

Robin, Try clicking on the link that Danielle posted showing Kristi she was wrong. These "skanky" women in Vegas are not interested in beer bellied tobacco chewing carnies (trailer trash) waiting for a tornado to come along and straigten their lives out! You are right, I do need instructions on breathing, I am laughing so hard just typing this!

P.S. I am a woman

by Sam Hall - September 9th 2010 @ 5:24PM

Say wut? A texan cain't find hisself no skanky women? Jes load yore pickup with Lone Star & Pearl, drive real slow thew thet part o' town (Yew know where Ah mane), and yew'll hev all yew kin handle. Course, mat hev tew pay some of 'em.

by Limoman - September 9th 2010 @ 5:27PM

Being in the Limo Business, These RE Agents will do ANYTHING to close a Deal..Provide Sex to to Booze and beyond.. What do you expect from the People who HELPED collaspe the Market in the First place? They have No Morals..Just like the Brokers and the Bankers..

by kaysings - September 9th 2010 @ 5:38PM

Sex sells, people! With the real estate market in the state it's in, I don't blame this realtor in the least for trying this. AND I'm betting that a great many of the critics here who dissed this are jealous that they didn't think of it first.

by garyrjas - September 9th 2010 @ 5:39PM

MMMMMmmmmmm gggggooooooddddddd.........

by HaveHammer - September 9th 2010 @ 5:46PM

HEY!!! I'M A CONTRACTOR WHO LOVES BOTH BEAUTIFUL LONG LEGGED BLONDES AND HOUSES!!! SO I THINK THE ADS ARE GREAT!!! TeeHee JW

by WTF! - September 9th 2010 @ 6:04PM

WTF! That's my wife in the first picture. I wondered where she went after we sold our house to that quarter back. Honey, please call, I got the inheritance - finally.

Snookens

by Babydoll - September 9th 2010 @ 6:13PM

Hi Snookens how are you doing? Did you get the whole amount from Uncle Jimmy? Call me, 888-867-5309 Randy is going back to camp soon to work out with the team. You know I always loved you, um, what's your first name again.

Babydoll

by TheFLoridian - September 9th 2010 @ 6:12PM

While good people are loosing their homes because of the fall of this economy, bankers and realtors are as crooked as ever. Bankers are making more money by forcing people to foreclose rather than re-fi or loan mods cause the Feds (our taxes)are paying out ridiculous prices to them via guarantees. Bankers require Realtors to get involved with short sales that rarely happen. When the short sales do occur, that money goes to the Realtors and Bankers....NOT BACK TO THE FEDS- NOT BACK INTO A FUND OF SORTS. It might seem funny and cute to be a creative sales person, but not at the expense of America's home owners. People...do some research while you're online. Times are worse than ever and no one seems to think it is getting better anytime soon.

by TRealtor - September 10th 2010 @ 12:04AM

Wow. You are so dense. I am a realtor in South Florida and we are not crooked. We are honest people trying to make a living. Was not our fault when people wanted to buy a property and the banks loaned them the money and the appraisals came in at the prices they came in at. We facilitated a transaction. Meanwhile, good, honest people that are Realtors are losing their own homes and teetering on financial ruin. Stop blaming REALTORS. Interesting how everyone loved us when they were making 30-50% profit on pre construction homes they flipped at the table.

20 Comments / 1 Pages