When the housing market is hurting, humor may be the only medicine.
Flipper Nation, a new online video series, is gaining popularity for its satirical storyline of two real estate housing flippers out to make a quick buck as the bubble is threatening to burst.
Bob Gustafson and Alec McNayr combined their own experiences of investing in Los Angeles real estate to tell the story of two housing flippers — Richie Tatum and David Kimball — who are convinced the name of the game is to make more money.
“We make fun of those people jumping in trying to get rich quick — the two investors, the contractor, the landscaper, the Realtor and mortgage broker. We play off those personas,” said Gustafson, who became partners with McNayr after studying at Groundlings in Los Angeles, an improv theater company.
“We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback,” McNayr said. “The comments say it hits a little too close to home.”
Over 75 different blogs from Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York have linked to Flipper Nation.
Flipper Nation has received subscriptions to their video podcast from as far as Belgium and Singapore.
Gustafson and McNayr say they will pitch a television show to cable networks. The duo is also planning a storyline about New York City’s real estate market.
“This is a project we think is ready for an audience right now,” Gustafson said. “There is plenty of discussion to take the show on the road. We can find comedy in any market.”
The third episode will be posted on the Flipper Nation Web site, www.flippernation.com, on Jan. 9.