THREE bedrooms, two bathrooms and a PokeStop. Pokemon Go is already hitting real estate listings — and some agents think even house prices may benefit.
“Just across the road is a huge park with sporting facilities — and we’ve even spotted some rare Pokemon!” reads the ad for 222 Charles Street in Townsville’s Cranbrook.
A rental listing for a two-bedroom apartment at 61/51 Playfield Street in Brisbane’s Chermside boasts an “easy five-minute walk to the busway”, a “15-minute drive to the airport”, and “close by to Marchant Park — Pokemon Go Central”.
And on renter social website Flatmates.com.au, Perth 24-year-old John’s profile describes himself as “a country boy who is loving the city … looking to move closer to the hustle and bustle”.
“Also, all that are around my place is water Pokemon and I’m looking for my spirit animal/Pokemon Snorlax,” he writes, adding, “Update. Got me a Snorlax, poetic I had to walk 10km to hatch it, its name is ‘Nuggies’.”
The ridiculous popularity of the augmented-reality smartphone app has led to everything from cliff falls and car crashes to wild mob scenes, police warnings, stabbings and armed hold-ups.
Some property owners, upset at scores of Poke-zombies hanging around, have asked to have their real-world locations removed from the fictional Poke-verse.
But some people — businesses and now property owners — lucky enough to find themselves sitting on top of a PokeStop or Gym are looking to cash in.
“My apartment building is a modded Pokemon stop and I have bagels, who’s coming over,” New York resident Helen Rosner tweeted on Monday.
“How long until apartments within the radius of Pokemon stops command higher rental prices than those without?”
Travel website Atlas Obscura earlier this week reported house and rental listings with Pokemon references popping up all over Craigslist.
“We live above a PokeStop, so if you are an aspiring Pokemon Go Master: Unlimited Razz Berries. Go crazy,” wrote two New Yorkers.
“There is a Lapras around sometimes,” wrote another ad for a Boston house, while one in Washington, under amenities, wrote: “Pokemon Go gym less than a five mile walk, three PokeStops within a seven mile walk”.
And one house in British Columbia was described as “conveniently located between two Pokemon Gyms and has eight PokeStops within walking distance”.
Rob Levy from Re/Max in Townsville is the agent for 222 Charles Street. He said the virtual locations in Pokemon Go would “absolutely” have an effect on a house’s rental or sales price.
“Especially among the under-35 first home buyers market, yes,” he said. “Townsville is a small town but a lot of people are selling. There are almost 4000 houses on the market.
“When you have 300 identical houses to choose from, why wouldn’t you choose one near a PokeStop?”
