A Sept. 10 report documented Gen Z real estate agents swapping conventional listing walkthroughs for comedy sketches, pop-culture parodies, and other short-form formats. The property tour is starting to look less like a polished sales video and more like something built for the feed.
Among the agents featured is 24-year-old Compass agent Merek Greene, who turned a July San Diego listing into a Love Island parody. He cast the property as a new “bombshell” entering the villa, then steered viewers toward booking a private showing. Greene told the publication that regular posting has generated referrals and helped keep him visible to prospective clients.
He is hardly the only agent experimenting with the format. Northern Virginia associate broker Lisa DuBois has turned listings into recurring hide-and-seek videos on TikTok, working closets, crawl spaces, Murphy beds, and other features into the game. NAR reported in April that her first hide-and-seek video eventually reached about 14 million views.
When the house becomes part of the joke
The strongest examples do not bolt a joke onto an otherwise ordinary listing video. The property itself becomes part of the premise.
That idea is showing up beyond TikTok, too. In August, Realtor.com reported on a $3.95 million Long Island listing that became the set for comedian Max Cohen’s two-part spoof of an ’80s romantic comedy. The home’s time-capsule interiors were not background dressing; they were the reason the concept worked.
For agents, that is a more useful model than chasing whatever format happens to be trending. A quirky floor plan, unusual amenity, period design, or hidden room can give a video its hook without turning the property into an afterthought.
Agents are still relatively scarce on TikTok compared with the younger audience using it. Only 16% of REALTORS® use the platform professionally, while 63% of US adults under 30 use TikTok. The Close reported last week on the wider shift toward searchable real estate video as consumers increasingly discover agents and properties through social platforms.
That creates room for listing content that does more than announce a home is for sale. Another static “just listed” graphic can disappear into a feed in seconds. A memorable premise gives the property one more chance to stick.
There is a line, though. If the joke becomes the only thing anyone remembers, the agent may have made a good video without making a particularly useful listing ad.
The format also does not escape the usual advertising rules just because it looks like entertainment. TikTok requires creators promoting a brand, product, or service to turn on its commercial-content disclosure setting.
Listing content remains subject to applicable brokerage, MLS, state advertising, and fair housing rules. HUD’s digital advertising guidance addresses Fair Housing Act risks in housing-related advertising delivered through digital platforms.
Do viral listing skits actually drive business?
That is still the harder question. Greene credits consistent posting with referrals, and individual agents have reported huge audiences for unconventional listing content. But there is not yet strong comparative evidence showing that a comedy skit will outperform a conventional property tour — or that a million views will produce more qualified buyers.
For agents trying the format, the useful numbers come after the view count: direct messages, profile visits, showing requests, inquiries, and leads that can actually be traced back to the post. A smaller video that reaches the right local audience may do more work than a viral one that travels far beyond the market.
That makes skits one tool inside a broader listing marketing plan, not a replacement for one. When the concept fits the house, the joke can give a listing a longer life in the feed. When it does not, you may just have a very funny video of somebody else’s home.