In what can only be described as an Olympic-level stretch of the truth, a home listed as “minutes away from beach” turned out to be at least 58 minutes from the nearest grain of sand.
This came to light when potential buyers Jennifer and Mark Lawson scheduled a showing this past Saturday at a home in Pasadena, California, in pursuit of a more coastal lifestyle.
“We were visiting Los Angeles and planning on moving here,” said Jennifer. “We had some showings scheduled over the weekend and came across an Instagram ad for a home ‘minutes away from the beach.’ We aren’t from here and aren’t familiar with all the areas, and since we were staying in Santa Monica, we just put the address into our phone and started driving. My husband was sure we were going the opposite way from the water, but I was convinced it was just some crazy route. When we got to the house, we realized we had been misled. It was 20 degrees warmer, and there wasn’t a body of water in sight.”
According to Jennifer, the real estate agent who listed the property, Chad Morrison, defended the listing description, explaining:
“It’s all about perspective. If you think about it, an hour is just a collection of minutes. Everything is minutes away from anywhere else. So, technically, it is true.”
Jennifer also said the Instagram ad claimed the property had “water views.” But when they went to the rooftop, the only thing they saw was the top of a gas station and a vape shop.
“He still claimed you could see the water when it was less foggy. He even pulled out a telescope and tried to argue that you could see the ocean if there was a tidal wave.”
“Next time, we’re actually going to look at the map,” Mark admitted. “That should have been a red flag.”
*Yes, this is satire.*
