Spicing Up the Neighborhood
By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | September 25, 2007
Lots of addresses fill up the “most viewed homes per day” table that Zillow data analysts compile. It’s anyone’s guess as to why these homes attract clicks. Maybe it’s the home of a celebrity. Maybe it’s a fabulous home for sale. Or, maybe it’s a home that was turned into a brothel. No, really.
Last week, this home in New Rochelle turned up on the “most viewed” list. New Roch
elle is located in New York state’s Westchester County, and is one of the more upscale counties in the U.S., with a Zindex of $638K. Turns out that the fact the home was being used for prostitution was just part of an incredible story:
- The New Rochelle police routinely monitor Internet sites and saw an ad on Craigslist for “Grand Opening Special! Hot models, soft sensual touch…New Rochelle has Westchester’s first and only member’s only club for men and women…We offer role play, fetishes, light body rubs, body rejuvenation and dominatrix.”
- When the police showed up, they busted a couple who are allegedly mortgage brokers. They were into house flipping (among other things, evidently) and were underwater with a few houses, including this one.
- The house is across the street from the Thomas Paine Museum (American Revolutionary who authored “Common Sense“)
- The house was on the market for $750K, then lowered to $600K and still wouldn’t sell. It was then rented to families who came and left, fell into neglect and then was turned into a brothel two weeks ago when heavy window-shades were installed and 5-7 cars would be seen parked in front each night.
Rare event in Westchester County? Evidently not. This is the second sex bust in Westchester this year: In March, a dominatrix was leasing a Bedford estate from a rabbinical school next door and faces prostitution charges.
(Photo courtesy New York Post)
- Stumble it!
- Categories: Home Mortgage, Real Estate, Real Estate Oddities, Top Viewed Homes
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Mortgage Insider » Blog Archive » A thousand real estate voices - OCRegister.com on October 1, 2007 7:32 am
[...] three blog posts well worth reading (I did not rank them, so, in a sense, all three are No. 1): Spicing Up the Neighborhood What really gets Web hits on Zillow.com? A house that’s a brothel, writes Diane Tuman on the [...]
Carnival of Real Estate #61 - Zillow Blog - Real Estate News and Analysis on October 1, 2007 9:42 am
[...] Spicing Up the Neighborhood [...]
Trulia Blog » Carnival of Real Estate on October 1, 2007 10:45 am
[...] ‘Spicing Up the Neighborhood’ by Diane Tuman of Zillow Blog [...]
Blown Mortgage - Winner at Carnival of Real Estate on October 1, 2007 11:26 pm
[...] for recognizing Blown Mortgage and the work we do here. Here are the other two winners as well: Spicing Up the Neighborhood What really gets Web hits on Zillow.com? A house that’s a brothel, writes Diane Tuman on the [...]
Blown Mortgage - Winner at Carnival of Real Estate on October 1, 2007 11:26 pm
[...] for recognizing Blown Mortgage and the work we do here. Here are the other two winners as well: Spicing Up the Neighborhood What really gets Web hits on Zillow.com? A house that’s a brothel, writes Diane Tuman on the [...]
money blog » Blown Mortgage - Winner at Carnival of Real Estate on October 2, 2007 7:00 pm
[...] for recognizing Blown Mortgage and the work we do here. Here are the other two winners as well: Spicing Up the Neighborhood What really gets Web hits on Zillow.com? A house that’s a brothel, writes Diane Tuman on the [...]
DamionKutaeff on March 23, 2008 5:37 am
Hello everybody, my name is Damion, and I’m glad to join your conmunity,
and wish to assit as far as possible.
Carnival of Real Estate on June 2, 2008 5:00 pm
[...] ‘Spicing Up the Neighborhood’ by Diane Tuman of Zillow Blog [...]