Why You Need to Check Out Zillow Gone Wild’s Social Account
Zillow Gone Wild is an internet phenomenon. Because if there's one thing we all love, it's wacky real estate.
All of us love scrolling through Zillow, whether we’re seriously considering buying a home or not. After all, sometimes you find some real hidden gems. And sometimes, you find houses that make you wonder, “What were they thinking?!”
One man on social media created a whole following based on the latter — Samir Mezrahi, the founder of the social media account Zillow Gone Wild. The viral account’s 1.7 million Instagram followers eagerly anticipate the latest wacky house found on Zillow.
From a home dedicated to Disney adults to a mansion with a full-service ice cream parlor, the account introduced a number of truly out-there houses, interspersed with some stunners that will make you wish you had a million bucks laying around for a down payment.
How Did Zillow Gone Wild start?
Mezrahi started the account in December 2020, when the pandemic shift to working from home led people to Zillow in search of new houses across the country.
That wasn’t all, though. According to Mezrahi, “A lot of people [myself included] also just use Zillow as their ‘bored on their phone’ app and [I] thought they’d all be interested in seeing some of the ‘wilder’ homes on the account.” He prefers to think of the account as a “celebration of wild homes” instead of making fun of them.
What started off as a pastime for some has also led to real-life changes. Mezrahi says the account led to the sale of some of the homes it featured. In 2021, Oakland, California resident Emily O’Brien bought a “Brutalist” Illinois house from the ’70s, full of color and curves on the inside, after seeing it on the account. Mezrahi also enjoys seeing homes go to “pending” soon after posts.
Our Favorite Zillow Gone Wild Houses
Mezrahi loves midcentury moderns, and of course, he has favorites! One is this eclectic, colorful historic home in Somerville, Massachussets. Mezrahi says “very colorful” doesn’t always work for the Zillow Gone Wild audience, but this one was “put together in a fun way.”
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As for our favorite? Probably this home in Vernal, Utah, built into the side of a mountain. We’re not quite sure how you’d get to it. Rappelling, maybe?
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If you’re looking to buy one of these houses (or just a house in general), Mezrahi recommends keeping an eye on your local listings, since good picks are quick to go. If you want to live in a fun-looking house but not commit to it, you can always rent some wacky Airbnbs.
