Anne Hammock Florida Times-Union
Published 5:00AM ET Sept. 6 2022 | Updated 11:33am Sept. 8 2022
Here in Northeast Florida, it tends to be the splashy beachside villas or historic riverfront mansions that get all the glory. And while those properties undoubtedly have a lot of bells and whistles, sometimes it’s the unassuming little places that capture the public’s fancy.
Cue “The Brady Bunch” theme — we’re going back to 1972.
On the market for just over a month, the beige ranch house has attracted the attention of a social media account called Zillow Gone Wild. With channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the account was created by an Oklahoma man in 2020, to capitalize on the pastime of looking at real estate just for fun.
The account quickly went viral on all channels (possibly aided by an audience with extra time on their hands due to the pandemic).
The degree of “wildness” varies, depending on the quirk factor of the properties. There’s the house shaped like a guitar in a small Georgia town; a sharply angular contemporary home in Connecticut; and the California tree house with — literally — a huge sprawling oak growing through the middle of it. Plus, the usual assortment of over-the-top estates and castles.
For 8736 Noroad, posted under the heading “Time Capsule Alert,” photos show a simple yet well-maintained home that features classic hallmarks of the 1970s: Early American furniture, floral wallpaper, wood paneling and wall-to-wall carpet.
“This home is like walking into another era,” said Todd Juliano, director of marketing for DJ & Lindsey Real Estate, which has listed the home for $210,000. “There’s so much that’s been untouched, it’s got a ton of history.”
Many commenters indeed gave a shout-out to “The Brady Bunch,” as well as “The Golden Girls,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “That ‘70s Show.” While there’s some degree of snark from those less sentimental about the era, several others appear to be charmed by the one-owner home.
One commenter on social media called it “an adorable step back in time,” while many others invoked childhood memories.
“This house makes me feel ‘good.’ It looks how I remember my aunt and uncle’s house looking when we were kids …” read another post.
According to Juliano, the home was built by an elderly couple who lived out the rest of their days there. While the husband passed some years ago, his widow died more recently and the home went to their children. Rather than invest resources in upgrading the home, they secured items with sentimental value before putting it on the market for an “as is” sale.
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With concrete block construction, the home is structurally sound and occupies a large lot, with “room for a swimming pool,” as one social media user commented. Though the interior may need a fair amount of work to update it to current tastes, Juliano pointed out that though the previous owners left their décor scheme untouched, they obviously took pride in caring for the place.
That’s something that wasn’t lost on social media, either, as one commenter marveled at its cleanliness and noted, “You can tell it was loved.”
Juliano believes the home holds promise for investors looking for potential rental properties. The home’s retro appeal was also noticed by other members of the DJ & Lindsey staff.
“When Luis [Rodriguez] first got the listing, everyone was saying, ‘Wow!’ and ‘You have to see this,” Juliano said. “This is literally getting a peek at what life was like during that time.”