When Sehr Mahmood, a realtor with Royal LePage, went in search of a Lamborghini to buy, she performed due diligence, on her smartphone.
“I went to the showroom, and I said, ‘I want to deal with this lady,’ ” she says, referring to Heather Ballentine Aucoin, a luxury car salesperson with a lively Instagram account with more than 45,000 followers and an accompanying website, whose knowledge impressed Mahmood. “So I pulled up her photo on my phone,” she says, and was introduced to Heather, who she bought the Lamborghini from, in navy blue, the next day.
Like Mahmood, consumers tend to ingest their research in bursts on their devices no matter what they’re shopping for. Behind all that information are content creators of every sort – including brand employees like Heather but also legions of arm’s length ambassadors – shilling messages and product on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
While Mahmood’s car purchase put her on the receiving end, she’s also seeing the reach of influencers in her realty practice, particularly since the pandemic. “People were stuck at home, and content creation was accelerated,” says Mahmood.
As a result, she says, forward-thinking condo developers are working social-media-savvy amenities into their plans with content-creating residents in mind.
When buyers move into Southport in Swansea in the spring of 2026, for instance, they can put their pandemic-kickstarted career into gear in the green-screen studio.
The sophisticated space, with interior design by Tomas Pearce, will be equipped with lighting, a green screen, a tripod and acoustical sound-proofing material, an idea that was cooked up during COVID for the stay-at-home crowd, says Tamar Zagdanski, marketing and sales manager at State Building Group, the developer behind the project.
“This is the first time we’re doing something like this,” she says. “We tried to respond to what homeowners wanted; so many people are becoming bloggers and podcasters and photographers. They can [unleash] their creativity right from home. They don’t have to rent a studio.”
While she can’t say the green room has been the sole draw for any of the unit sales, she believes the overall amenities program, which includes a knockout fifth-floor rooftop with pool and cabanas, has been attractive, says Zagdanski.
Metroview Developments’ Y9825 — four buildings fronting Yonge Street between Highway 7 and Major Mackenzie Drive in Richmond Hill — is also angling for creative condo buyers. The building, with amenities by Truong Ly Design, is equipped with a multipurpose media studio. It’s designed for audio, visual and digital recordings, and includes a podcast room.
Meanwhile, Verge, an Etobicoke-based condo by RioCan Living coming to the Queensway and Islington in 2025, has a TikTok studio. The fully equipped, video-ready content space will feature pull-down backdrops and green screens, as well as an audio-recording studio for podcasts and other presentations. In addition, Verge will offer creative work-from-home spaces, including soundproof phone booths.
Another development where the green room is likely to be a hot ticket is Natasha The Residences, the Lanterra Developments condo at 263 Adelaide St. W.