iStock; realtor.com
A vanilla home in the suburbs outside Philadelphia with a sexy secret in its basement whipped up a storm earlier this year when it went up for sale.
The listing photos prominently featured a lavish BDSM “sex dungeon” outfitted with top-of-the-line implements for a kinky night (or day!) in.
When the listing agent, Melissa Leonard, snagged this one-of-a-kind property, she decided to simply lean in, without hiding the basement from prying eyes. She felt that the space, and all of its accoutrements, was too much to spring on unsuspecting buyers without warning. Her decision to present the house without sparing a single detail helped to make the home a viral sensation.
“I felt like this is the house—and I should just sell the house the way it is,” she told us back in February.
Here’s a video of Leonard giving a tour and explaining the out-of-the-ordinary “private sexual oasis.”
The upper levels of the house are high end and straight-laced, a traditional suburban home. But once you descend into the basement, there’s a totally different vibe. Let’s refresh your memory:
Gary G. Schempp, Jr.
Gary G. Schempp, Jr.
Gary G. Schempp, Jr.
Gary G. Schempp, Jr.
The basement bed and other toys were built by Jan Maartensen, who has an Etsy store selling “bondage and fetish furniture.”
The listing received an extra boost after real estate sites pulled the basement photos because they were too risqué, forcing lookie-loos to seek them out to see what all the fuss was about.
In just a few days, the sex dungeon house became a national story. We reached out to Leonard again to ask what became of the home after the listing vanished this summer.
After the listing became infamous, its owners decided to take the house off the market and turn it into a full-time BDSM rental. Before it landed on the market, the basement (which has a separate entrance and bathroom) had already been rented out on Airbnb as a sexy destination.
Now, the whole house, which has plenty of upscale amenities, is available to rent by the day for consenting adults under the company name, Maison XS, advertised on Facebook and Instagram.
“Yes, the status is … as it has always been, available upon request,” the home’s owner, Vince Marie, told us. “All weekends, however, are booked solid for the next six months.”
Marie does, however, take issue with the term “dungeon.”
“It’s not a [expletive] dungeon. I don’t even like ‘oasis,’” he told the Philly Voice. “It’s an adult playground. It’s whatever the [expletive] you want it to be.”
In this case, it would seem that going viral didn’t actually help sell the home, but instead served as a proof of concept for the sexy party venue.
Leonard, for her part, said that the press coverage only helped bring her more business. Now, she has a reputation around town as a master marketer, with a great story.
“It comes up at parties,” Leonard says. “I’m glad I did it, and I don’t regret anything.”
———
Watch: That Infamous Basement … and the Luxury Home That Houses It
The post Whatever Happened to the ‘Sex Dungeon’ House in Pennsylvania? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
source https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/what-ever-happened-to-the-sex-dungeon-house-in-pennsylvania/
No comments:
Post a Comment