Enjoyment of the strange and unusual is a common human interest, particularly when it comes to our fellow man. Everyone has a story of a unique encounter that they shared with a random stranger, or an interesting experience that they had in an unexpected place. One woman, though, is taking her enjoyment of odd and different homes to the next level through a surprising platform.
A Fascinating Corner of the Internet
Jessica More, a 34-year old communications manager based out of Pennsylvania, has found internet fame by sharing odd and unique finds on Zillow, the house listing website based out of Seattle. She owns the “Zillowtastrophes” account on both Instagram and Tiktok, and has gathered an enormous following for her finds.
The account shares odd and unique listings that she finds on the website, as well as listings that are shared with her by her subscribers. It’s a quirky corner of the internet, one that started during an unlikely time, for an even more unlikely reason.
It All Started When Jessica Was Stuck at Home
It started back in 2020, when many people were sequestered at home. Jessica was looking for ways to spruce up her home while she was unable to leave her house, and turned to Zillow to try and get some ideas for new decor options.
Tiktok exploded in popularity during that time for the ease at which you could connect with other people who were interested in the same things you were.
Tiktok Shows the Way
One niche trend that happened on Tiktok during that time was people sharing unique things that they found on the internet. Different hobbies and activities, videos that subsequently went viral, and different niche interests skyrocketed to popularity during that time.
Jessica recalls it as a time where everyone was trying to connect with other people, and fill the gap in their lives with new and interesting things. If you were able to find something crazy, you hit the jackpot, and the algorithm would launch you to fifteen minutes of internet fame.
Jessica Saw a Niche, and Decided to Make It Hers
It was during this time that Jessica was browsing different Zillow listings to get ideas for her own home, and she started to share some of the unusual and bizarre listings that she found there. Zillow hosts house listings from all over the country, and some of what ends up on the platform is truly out there.
As someone who worked professionally in social media, Jessica recognized Tiktok for the rising opportunity that it was. She first used the platform and other social medias to share her Zillow findings with her friends and family, but then ultimately started the Zillowtastrophes accounts to share with the world.
Slow Growth…Nah
At first, the Tiktok account was more of an experiment. Jessica certainly didn’t expect for it to become as big as it did. Once it started to gain some traction with the userbase of Tiktok, though, there was no stopping the platform from expanding exponentially.
Several viral videos and regular posting led to Jessica gaining her first 100,000 followers on Tiktok in the first year. For instance, one post reached 1.7 million views after Jessica featured an Oklahoma listing that she revealed to have a “doll jail” in it.
A Doll’s House
The post in question detailed a house that appeared normal, if retro and a little dated in its color choice. The normalcy lasts until you head into the backyard. There, an underground building with a door that opens up into the ground is revealed.
Once the door opens, the Zillow listing reveals that the underground room is, in fact, a room where dozens of dolls are housed. They’re stood up in rows on shelves, and kept in different cabinets where they can be admired, and the entire effect is, as stated in the video, unsettling.
Different Topics Bring in Different Audiences
The Oklahoma doll house is just one example of videos that Jessica has done that have garnered hundreds of thousands to millions of views. A recent video that garnered over 2 million views shows the JonBenet Ramsey house for sale, where she discusses the tragic history associated with the building.
The different topics that Jessica discusses in her videos have drawn tens of thousands of followers. The Tiktok account has nearly 733,000 followers, and the Instagram account, while much smaller, still has 63,000 followers. The algorithms reward interaction, and Jessica’s account provides it in spades.
Connecting With Others, In Unique Ways
It isn’t just comments on the posts and likes and shares that have brought Jessica up to the heights of internet fame, either. While the account started small, with just her sharing her finds from Zillow, it has expanded to incorporate listings that her viewers have sent her too.
Viewers have shared different listings with Jessica over the years, encouraging her to look at specific rooms for their unique features. It’s a very symbiotic relationship that Jessica has cultivated with her audience over the year, and is has revealed something telling about the different social medias.
The Generational Breakdown Is Stark
Jessica has noticed over the years a difference in the way that different generations interact on social media, particularly on different platforms. She’s noticed that Millenials tend to stick to the Instagram account, where the Tiktok account is more cultivated towards Gen Z.
There’s a marked difference in the way these different generations interact with her posts, which surprised Jessica. In the beginning of her account, she was sharing some criticisms for the different ways that these houses were built. She expected her audience to join her in the critique, and she was pleasantly surprised.
The Younger Generation Want Us To Be Kinder
Particularly on Tiktok, Jessica found that the younger generation was more of a generous, accepting type. She noticed that they had a policy of “don’t yuck someone else’s yum.” This essentially means that it isn’t polite to boldly criticize something, just because it may not be your particular taste.
In fact, the Gen Z audience encouraged Jessica to start appreciating some of the unique features that she was initially posting about. Comments reprimanding her for being overly harsh were taken in the spirit they were intended, and over time, Jessica noticed a shift in her own perspective regarding these homes.
A Change in Perspective, Driven by her Audience
In an interview, Jessica stated that after running the account for so many months, she had started to really appreciate these homes for what they were. Many of them are odd and different, yes – looking at you, house in Arizona with metal sheeting all over the inside – but that’s what makes them unique.
She also recognized that, oftentimes, these houses that she was noticing on Zillow for being odd likely had a lot of money invested in them. House renovation isn’t cheap, and while sometimes Jessica is commenting on houses that are old or dated, oftentimes the features are fully intentional.
A Pirate’s Life For Me
One house that springs to mind is a listing out of Las Vegas that Jessica recently did a video. The house in question is a single-story house painted bright red on the inside, which would be features that would make it stand out in the desert landscape all on its own. It’s what’s on the inside that really pops, though.
Inside the home, the house is decorated entirely in pirate decor. The walls have been painted navy and covered in what appears to be shiplap board, and the art on the walls is nautical themed. There’s even an enormous map on one wall. Clearly, the decor was intentional on the part of the owners, even if it isn’t universally liked.
What Social Media Was Meant to be About
The Zillowtastrophes account reminds us that, while we may not agree with everything that our fellow man does, it’s easy to find things that we like in just about everything. Even an account as niche as Jessica’s has gone on to draw hundreds of thousands of subscribers, proving that our interests as humans really aren’t as diverse as we think.
While the core of Jessica’s account remains the same, reviewing houses with unique features – including a house with a full-sized ball pit in the basement – the intention seems to have shifted. Instead of trying to create division within people by sharing negative opinions on these odd homes, it’s moved much closer to her community, and ultimately finding harmony with her viewers.
