This Sandlot-Inspired Listing Video Hit 80K Views. Here’s the 5-Step Formula Behind It

Eric Gubler opened a new Instagram reel with these words blazoned at the top: 

“What if the SANDLOT was filmed in 2026?”

The scene: Gubler and his son on the baseball diamond. After his son misses the first pitch, the Utah Realtor takes a knee in front of him for a quick pep talk: “Hey, Bud, remember, just keep your eye on the ball and pick your target before you swing.” 

Raising his bat as a pointer, his son tells him, “I pick that house right there.” 

Sure enough, the next pitch meets the bat and goes soaring out of the park and into that home’s front yard. 

While they’re there, his son notices the “For Sale” sign, so they take a look around. 

That’s the listing video, packed with nostalgia and coming-of-age vibes, courtesy of one of the most popular summer films ever made. 

Judging by the 200+ comments (and over 80K views), Gubler’s reel struck a chord. 

 

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A post shared by Eric Gubler (@egubler)

Let’s unpack why it works and how you can use the same formula on your next listing video. 

Why It Worked

Eric Gubler made a short film that happened to include a listing, and that creative choice is exactly why this reel performed the way it did. Gubler led with a feeling, and the property showed up naturally in the middle of it.

A few things made this land the way it did:

• The nostalgia hook does the stopping work immediately. The Sandlot is a specific emotional memory for a huge chunk of the millennial audience: summer, childhood, the feeling that time stretches on forever. 
• The opening doesn’t feel like a real estate video. Gubler’s opening text overlay signals right away this isn’t a standard listing video.
• The listing details come through the kid’s reactions. Gubler never describes the home. The son does it for him: “Whoa, this is a nice house!” and “Dad, can we stay here forever?” The sweeping camera footage does the rest. 
• The audio brings it all together. From the Sandlot theme to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” the background audio keeps us watching the story as we soak up the views and vibes from Gruber’s listing. 

Not to mention the details that tie directly to the film, including: 

• The baseball diamond setup
• The father-son coaching moment
• Gruber’s son saying, “You’re killing me, Smalls!” (direct quote from the movie)
• “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” playing in the background (used in the film’s iconic home run scene)
• The kid raiding the pantry like he already lives there

The 5-Step Formula Behind This Reel

Not every agent has a kid or a baseball diamond next door, not to mention a $3.4M listing sitting behind the outfield fence. But the principle behind Gubler’s reel is 100% transferable.

Here are the 5 steps you can take to recreate a listing video like this:

1. Lead with a feeling, let the property follow. Allow the listing to be discovered in the reel, as a character in the story.  
2. Find the cultural reference your audience already owns. Identify a shared memory and build the story around it.
3. Involve someone real. Include a friend, family member, or client in the story.
4. Use audio to tie the story, the cultural reference, and the property tour together. 
5. Close the loop. End the story in a way that connects back to where it started.

Listing content that generates real engagement treats the property as the backdrop for a story rather than the subject of a presentation. Gubler’s reel shows how it’s done. 

So, what do you think? Is this a BAMMYs 2026 contender?