A brokerage hired members of a hip-hop group to rap about the virtues of a newly listed 14,000-square-foot property in California’s Newport Beach.
If ever at a loss for how to market a $45 million home, one option is to hire popular rappers to do it for you.
At least, that was the off-the-wall idea that Coldwell Banker’s The Smith Group came up with. The high-end brokerage hired members of the Cali Swag District hip-hop group to rap about the virtues of a newly-listed 14,000-square-foot property in California’s Newport Beach.
With a $44.99 million asking price, this 1813 E. Bay Avenue listing is one of the most expensive in Orange County. Real estate developer Craig Atkins first purchased the waterfront property in 2014 and just put it on the market on Monday.
Courtesy of The Smith Group
But the home’s private bay footage and trendy Tesla battery solar system aren’t the only thing generating buzz — the brokerage and listing agent Tim Smith poured more than $50,000 into a promotional video that spoofs Cali Swag District’s 2010 hit song song “Teach Me How To Dougie.”
“We’ve had this Duffy idea and lyrics for over a year, and were just waiting for the right listing to use it with, like a singer waiting for the right venue to sing a song,” Smith told Realtor.com.
Courtesy of The Smith Group
As part of the video, rappers Smoove da General and Yung stop to ask for directions after getting lost in Newport Beach. After chatting with a group of locals (played by dancers and models), the rappers ask them if they’ll teach them how to ‘duffy.’ (A duffy is a type of electric boat commonly seen in Newport Beach.)
A boat party ensues and, ultimately, leads to the private dock of the waterfront house, where Smith himself starts rapping about the property’s virtues.
Courtesy of The Smith Group
“14,000 on three lots, five bedrooms with a loft, game room and a gym, and two bars for your gin,” Smith raps in the video as the crowd of rappers and dancers say ‘ohhhh.’ “And three pools for the swim, check the mattress, soak it in.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZglqkCRNt8
The video has already started getting the desired attention on social media. While many commenters called it “Amaziiiing” and “absolutely hilarious,” others wrote that it was a bad attempt “by productions that ape nearly decade old viral videos.”
Courtesy of The Smith Group
But whatever the response, Smith’s original idea of getting people talking about the house is clearly working. While rarely spending 0ver $50,000, agents regularly make creative and unusual videos to accompany their listings — one wrote a country song for a $2 million Hamptons property while another silently posed in a T.Rex costume in the property video.
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