WASHINGTON — He is the real estate agent and content creator educating and entertaining his many social media followers with his unique look at properties and places across the dmv and beyond. WUSA9 spoke with Joe Himali, the man behind the popular @bestaddress handle at the Meridian International Center in Northwest, D.C.
His creative way of showcasing properties has earned him more than 200,000 followers on social media. Himali points out little-known, intriguing facts with a warm smile and a familiar catch phrase that just happens to be his name.
We caught up with Himali at Meridian house, a historic mansion originally owned by an American diplomat and designed by the same architect who designed the Jefferson Memorial, John Russell Pope. I wanted to find out what Himali finds interesting and how this all got started.
“My teenaged daughter basically bet me I wouldn’t go on social media, because she thought she would embarrass me by saying that,” Himali said. He knew he had to follow through to teach his daughter to not set limits on herself.
“I wanted her to do the same things so she wouldn’t be scared to do the things she wants to do,” he said.
The videos took off and the rest is, as they say, history. A real estate agent for 25 years, Himali has sold everything from a parking spot to a multi-million-dollar building. He says he wasn't looking to be a social media influencer, he just wanted to share his passion for architecture, history and design.
"It was more of like, 'I'm a real estate agent, these things are the things I like.' I'm a little geeky and historic and awkward, and because of that, people have been attracted to it, oddly."
Himali takes followers inside architectural treasures like Meridian House to shine a spotlight on what makes them special. Features that range its luxurious entrance with entertainment spaces upstairs. There are quirky touches, too. The original owner of home added cracks to the floor to make it look older.
What started as a friendly bet for the D.C. native has caught the attention of a global audience. Now Himali has been asked to do videos for areas outside of the DMV as well. But it's his love of the place we call home that keeps us informed, inspired and logged on.
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