SOURCE: theclose.com
Get ready to be blown away by these fun real estate facts! 🤯
San Francisco Is a City Built on Ships
During the California Gold Rush, hopeful prospectors sailed to California from all around the world. Once they arrived, many sailors, including captains, abandoned their ships, hoping to strike it rich in the goldfields.
Because real estate in San Francisco was at a premium (even back then!), the ships were repurposed as jails, houses, or hotels. Some rotted and sank in the harbor or burned in the fire of 1851. Enterprising speculators just continued building, right on top of the sunken ships.
Eagles May Symbolize Freedom From Monthly Payments
There are many ways that homeowners used to celebrate the full payment of their mortgage. But one of the more popular (and deeply American) ways was to put a cast iron eagle on the outside of a home. This announced to the world that the house was owned free and clear and that the owner was free from mortgage payments!
McDonald’s Is a Company Built on Real Estate, Not Burgers
McDonald’s Corporation makes a substantial amount of money in real estate. In fact, in most business circles, it’s considered more a real estate company than a fast food business. The company retains ownership of the land each location sits on and charges its franchise owners rent along with the standard royalties and franchise fees each month. It’s a business model developed by Ray Kroc, the franchise founder, that has helped keep them at the top of the food chain for decades.
BONUS: Did you know that the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, has over 160 stories and stands at 828 meters tall? Or that the most expensive house ever sold was a $238 million mansion in London?
What’s the most interesting real estate fact you’ve ever heard?