The real estate industry has always been considered “local,” but a RE/MAX listing on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, Minnesota caught the eye of some east coast college students and has the promise of making an impression at film festivals across the nation.
The house, listed by luxury real estate broker Wade Hanson of RE/MAX Results and of “The Apprentice” season 2010 fame, is a Mediterranean style mansion with more than 11,000 finished square feet, 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, and an indoor pool. Hanson says whether it was its unique look or stellar size, it caught the attention of film students at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. “I took a call one day from these college students looking for a Twin Cities home that conveys great wealth and an ultra-high society lifestyle. I’m not exactly sure how they ran across the property but I’m not surprised they were intrigued by it; it’s magnificent.”
Hanson was intrigued as well for the opportunity to have a listing appear in a movie—but it didn’t go without some hard work. The students contacted Hanson in June for a mid-July film date. In the course of a month Hanson had to confirm the seller’s interest and approval, coordinate contracts and insurance policies, set up site visits and furniture staging, plus manage regular buyer inquiries. “It was a mixture of excitement and apprehension,” says Hanson. “I think it has created a very unique selling feature for the home—I mean how many people can say their home was in a movie? But I was concerned for the safety and integrity of the home during filming for my seller’s sake. In the end, however, everyone was very respectful and we were thrilled to be involved.”
Scenes for the film were shot in a 12-hour time frame at the house and landmarks throughout the Twin Cities on July 22. The movie, titled Debutants, is about a young high-society woman from Minnesota who falls from her upper economic status during a second great depression and has to learn to rely on others. The film will be entered in film festivals and competitions around the country including Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and the famed Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
For more information on the house and movie shoot, contact Wade Hanson with RE/MAX Results at 651-274-8584 or wade@wadehanson.com.
