Are Pokémons Your Listing's Selling Point?

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2016

Is your listing near a Pokémon gym or Poké Stop? That may be your selling hook.

Pokémon Go, a new augmented reality game, has millennials glued to their smartphone screens as they walk around communities searching for fictional species called Pokémons. Using the Pokémon Go mobile app, users digitally collect Pokémons in different places across the country using GPS on their mobile devices. The game, available for Android and iPhone users, has exploded in popularity since it launched July 6. More than 10 million people have installed the app on their Android devices alone.

In other weird news: Glow-in-the-Dark Cement: A Game Changer?

Some real estate professionals are looking for ways to capitalize on the game's popularity — even trying to use it to draw attention to their listings. One listing in British Columbia advertised a single-family home that was "conveniently located between two Pokémon gyms and has 8 Poké Stops within walking distance."

In Redmond, Wash., a three-bedroom listing also highlights the home's proximity to Pokémons as an amenity. "Pokémon Go gym <5m walk, 3 Poké Stops within 7m walk," the ad reads. What's more, the Tralee Village Apartments in Dublin, Calif., is using Poké Stops to try to lure potential tenants: "So many Poké Stops and Pokémons, such lil' time! Spacious 1 x 1 nearby!"

Some real estate professionals reportedly are using it to attract buyers to open houses, too, with slogans in Facebook ads such as "Looking for Pokémon? Try here…"

So how can you find out if your listing or business is a Poké Stop? Check your status as a Pokémon Gym or Poké Stop by viewing the Ingress Intel Map (you'll need to log in with your Google account). Search addresses and look for a green or blue dot over it. (A better way to check is to install Pokémon Go on your phone.)

Source: “People Are Already Using Pokemon Go as a Real Estate Selling Point,” Atlas Obscura (July 12, 2016); “This Is Not a Game. (OK, it is. But Businesses Are Capitalizing on Pokemon Go’s Popularity),” Wink News (July 12, 2016) and “How to Remove Your Business Location From Pokemon Go,” TechRepublic.com (July 12, 2016)