N.Y. Developers Hire Influencers to Sell Homes During Pandemic
Young buyers reluctant to visit open houses first want to be wooed with an aspirational, Instagram vision of their new apartment.
With work from home making tiny apartments hard to sell and a luxury market drowning in condos, New York City real estate agents have been resorting to Instagram influencers to lure both young, first-time buyers and wealthier prospects amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sealing the deal with newbie homeowners is requiring even more effort these days—a smile and some hustle are no longer enough. Charles Mazalatis, founder of Maz Group NY, said that when the coronavirus arrived, and New York State shut down showings, people were reluctant to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on an apartment they couldn’t go see in person.