Local

Seen these Green Pigs? Here's why the stunt has Seattleites outraged

As hundreds of Green Pigs dotted Seattle parks and sidewalks this week, many took to social media to post the sightings and asked, “What’s the deal?"

The deal: Another real estate company is coming to town to soak up Seattle’s hot housing marking. TRELORA, which is the word "realtor" with the letters scrambled,  is headquartered in Denver and wanted to creatively announce irs expansion.

TRELORA chose the bright green, hog-shaped signs because the company wants to "make pigs fly" by transforming traditional real estate. The company offers a flat-fee platform in an effort to revolutionize
the real estate industry.

Scroll down to continue reading.

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

“With historic inventory lows and year-over-year price gains, traditional real estate agents have reaped the benefits, basking in their 6 percent commission and leaving consumers high and dry,” TRELORA founder and CEO Joshua Hunt said in a statement to KIRO 7.

“With King County home prices averaging $635,000 in 2017, TRELORA is poised to put tens of thousands of dollars back into the pockets of Seattleites.”

%

INLINE

%

But not everyone is enthused. As Seattleites shared photos of the pigs on social media, some expressed outrage over the company’s lack of consideration for local parks.

One Redditor wrote, “If you were a member of the street team that pulled this stunt I don’t blame you. You're just trying to make a living. But to the ad agency and real estate company… you should know that that you have read our region wrong. This is not the sort of thing we respond well towards. We take our parks very seriously and are so proud of them, that to see them used for free advertising is insulting.”

The pigs made their way outside of Seattle city limits to Sea-Tac Airports and surrounding cities. The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce posted on its Facebook page, "Support our local real estate agents!! These signs are placed on private property and public right of way without permits or permission. I say gather them all up and get them out of town!"

The company has acknowledged the upset, and emailed KIRO 7 News that it would donate to the parks department.

%

INLINE

%

"We’ve always had every intention of removing the pigs, and will have TRELORA crews dispersed throughout the city this week for cleanup. We chose Seattle for this very reason - it's a passionate city that cares about its residents, its image, and its community. It's why we're so excited to be coming to neighborhoods across the city, and to drive change that will make Seattle an even greater place to live," Hunt said.

"One of the first actions we took when expanding to Seattle was to partner with the Pike Place Market Foundation, donating $10,000 to support social services and community housing in our new backyard. And it's why we've also committed $2,500 to the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. Seattle is an amazing city to live. We're here to make it more affordable to do just that.”

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP