Original article published by The Wall Street Journal
Written by Candace Taylor
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In Los Angeles, single-family homes priced under $2 million are selling quickly, agents said, but condos and pricier homes take longer to sell. Julie Stevens, 54, founder of a line of low-calorie cocktails called BeTini, listed her six-bedroom house in Santa Monica for $5.8 million in August 2020. The house had been sitting on the market for months, with multiple price cuts, when she hired a new agent, Rochelle Atlas Maize of Nourmand & Associates. While touring the house, Ms. Maize was inspired when she saw a projector screen in the basement with lighting to go with it. She hatched a plan to stage the house with TikTok and Instagram influencers in mind, then let them film at the house free to generate publicity. Dubbed "Hype House West," the house got multiple offers and is now in escrow for $5.175 million, just under its most recent asking price of $5.299 million. The buyer saw the house on social media, Ms. Maize said.
