In what is said to be an unusual move in real estate marketing, the broker for a brightly designed residential condo in Portland included the seller — who was also the unit’s designer — in the campaign video.
Maitri Mody, an interior designer and content creator based in New York, uses bold color, texture and form that aims to blend visual storytelling with functional design, particularly in small-space living.
“When I first walked into the space, I knew this wasn’t a property that should be marketed traditionally,” said Lauren Jones of F.O. Bailey Real Estate. “The architecture was incredible, but what made the home unforgettable was Maitri’s work. The design felt like an extension of her — expressive, intentional and colorful.”
Unit 9, on the second floor at 273 Congress St. in Portland’s East End neighborhood, received multiple offers within three days of hitting the market.
The studio unit sold to Elizabeth Driscoll by Maitri Mody for $510,000. Jones represented both buyer and seller.
‘Anything but neutral’
Typically, said Jones, listing brokers advise their clients to stage their properties in natural colors.
“This was anything but neutral,” she said.
She continued, “Because of that, we built a more creative campaign and featured the seller in the video — something that’s almost never done in real estate — because here, the story of the home and the person behind it were inseparable.”
Images include views of the unit from a restaurant across the street and from the deck looking out. Mody was included in part of the interior tour.
‘Buyers lingered’
Drawn to the loft’s arched windows and large deck, Mody purchased it a year ago, when it had been struggling to gain traction and sat on the market for 100 days, said Jones. The building itself dates back to the mid-1800s.
An open house drew more than 20 attendees, “but what stood out was not the traffic — it was the behavior,” said Jones. “Buyers lingered.”
The response exceeded expectations. One from Boston was ready to buy before visiting the unit, she said.
Jones said the sale reflects a trend among today’s buyers: while location and finishes still matter, homes that evoke emotion and tell a story often create the strongest response.
“We built the campaign around the story behind the home and its design,” said Jones.
