Peek time: How influencers are tapping real estate to make their next pile of money

Mumbai: On 14 November 2022, 28-year-old gaming creator Tanmay Singh, popularly known as ScoutOP, posted a video revealing his “dream house” in Daman. He built this house—close to the Jampore and Devka beaches—over three years, spending over ₹5 crore of his creator income. While Singh boasts 5.08 million subscribers on YouTube, his ‘house tour’ video generated over twice that number, crossing 11 million views.

Recently, Shivamsingh Rajput, a comedy content creator with over 1.43 million subscribers on YouTube, bought a house in Surat, Gujarat, on the west bank of the Tapi river, and posted a video tour of it on 23 June. The video has so far garnered 1.5 million views. The creator told Mint that he earns around ₹2 crore a year and that he used most of that money on the house and also took out a loan. The property cost him around ₹2.5 crore.

“I have ensured that I have the best lighting setup. I can shoot content at any spot in my house at any time of the day without any assistance with just the click of a button,” he explained.

That’s a big change for Rajput. “Earlier, when I was just an emerging creator, I would have to spend half an hour arranging a makeshift setup for that picture-perfect look on camera. I would set up my phone on stacked corrugated food boxes and tape the ring light (used for controlled lighting) on the wall,” recalled Rajput, who began his journey on TikTok in 2019, during his first year pursuing a BCom degree. He moved to YouTube after the Chinese app was banned in India in June 2020.

Singh and Rajput are not the only creators whose ‘house tours’ have gained traction on the internet. Many others, including Abhishek Malhan, an entertainment creator also known as Fukra Insaan, and Ranveer Allahbadia, a podcaster, have posted tours of their houses online, garnering a high level of engagement and views.

According to data furnished by influencer marketing SaaS platform Qoruz, over 40,500 Indian influencers and creators have posted content related to their houses in the past year, producing an average of over 138,000 views each.

“Just as sneakers were a wave, I feel house tours are the next big self-expression trend in this industry. It is going to be a mass-adopted thing, where creators are going to be much more intentional about the way they build their rooms and by that measure, build their houses,” said Hitarth Dadhia, partner and chief executive officer of NoFiltr Group, an influencer marketing company.

Creators get ad revenue from their house-tour videos on YouTube, earning $200-300 per million views, Pranav Panpalia, founder of OpraahFx, a creator talent management agency, told Mint. He added that they also get attention from brands that offer collaboration and sponsorships based on these videos.

“But the ultimate aim for posting content is building engagement and community, not just revenue. It is also to mark an achievement for creators from a humble background, who have accomplished this life goal (owning a home) at such a young age,” Panpalia remarked.

View from within

But what exactly is so special about content creators’ houses, and how is it any different from your or my house?

Apart from being huge and having amenities such as a swimming pool, home theatre, lift, garage, jacuzzi, and top-notch interiors, influencers who have invested ₹5-25 crore overall into real estate and interiors have ensured every nook and corner of their house is content-ready.

There is loads and loads of space for content creation and for their teams to assist them in the process. There is always a wall dedicated to their playbooks, awards (trophies sent by YouTube on crossing subscriber milestones), and sometimes pictures “to remind them of their journey and their purpose”. Most importantly, the aesthetics of their houses are a reflection of their personalities, which charm viewers.

Thus, from lighting to aesthetic interiors to soundproofing to expensive equipment, every single aspect of these fancy homes enables their content creator journey. Having their own space has also eliminated the need for them to shoot outdoors or rent studios, which charge approximately ₹2,000 per hour.

Tanmay Singh’s three-storied apartment, for instance, has the top floor dedicated to content creation and gaming. The floors below accommodate him, his gaming and content team, while his family is on the lowest floor.

On the second floor, which he calls the gaming floor, the first thing you see is a balcony designed to look like a garden to complement the scenic view. He comes here during breaks from shoots or streams to relax. There is also a sitting area with a huge television and an open home theatre for casual gaming and discussions. Then, there is a room called the ‘editor’s den’, where videos are shot and edited. Finally comes the showstopper, the gaming room, which is lit up by mood and RGB lights and “gives off a dark vibe”, he said.

As the house is on the outskirts of Daman, he faces trouble with the internet and has, therefore, installed four internet networks throughout his property to enable content. “Having an in-house content shooting facility is very convenient. Now, I don’t have to travel to Mumbai to rent a studio each time I need to shoot something specific, and all my outputs turn out professional,” Singh said.

He added that his team also lives with him, with all four sleeping in a bunk-bed setup to strengthen their bond. “Additionally, there are two guest rooms to accommodate my associates who fly in and stay with us during bigger projects that are shot over longer periods,” said Singh.

A big investment

Prerna Malhan and Harsh Gupta, a Delhi-based couple who vlog their travels and daily lifestyle to entertain the 9.24 million subscribers on their YouTube channel @WanderersHub, had planned to set up an indoor studio to create content. However, in 2021, after buying a duplex flat in the northwest part of the city and turning it into a content studio, they started living there due to the ease and convenience of carrying out their regular activities. Stressing that the most important aspect of the house is the interiors, they noted that the cost of interior designing per 100 yards is around ₹20-30 lakh.

Their biggest challenge was that their space faced the street, which would hamper them from shooting during the day because of the external noise. They surfed through various professional soundproofing options but found them too expensive. “Getting soundproofing done professionally by experts who generally cater to theatres and auditoriums wasn’t feasible for us,” said Gupta.

Ultimately, they got a customized 30mm door made of acoustic and wooden material designed to absorb sound waves, dampening the vibrations and preventing noise from passing through. They ensured vacuum sealing, which prevented air leaks and any outside noise from entering their apartment. They also used 12mm toughened glass panels to ensure that ample sunlight entered the house but not sound.

Like the other influencers, Malhan and Gupta also focused on their interiors, which resonated with a travel-friendly ‘European’ feel. “We used a lot of light colours, including white, to get a Norwegian vibe, and also paid special attention to our modular kitchen because we shoot food-related content sometimes,” said Malhan.

Gupta added that after the house was completed, his inlaws, the Malhan family and popular YouTubers also took inspiration for their grand house, which they claim to have spent ₹25 crore on.

A furniture shop based in Delhi’s Kirti Nagar market called Nyka Homes furnished their house. The owner, Aditya Sharma, told Mint that it was easier to deal with Wanderers hub as they had everything planned meticulously (and didn’t push him much to reduce prices like most customers.)

Creators also have to spend huge sums on equipment to record their content. While there is an extensive list of computer setup components that gaming creators require, a general professional set-up, including lights, stands, mics, and cameras, can cost at least ₹3 lakh, said Vihaan Khan, an equipment supplier in Delhi’s Nehru Place.

With this equipment, there arises a need to design ample storage space. “Creators require a lot of area. When planning their house, I have to prioritise smart usage of space. I also try to include a lot of interactive elements in the creator’s houses that I design,” said Vatsal Viradia of Studio Vast, a Surat-based interior designer company that has designed many YouTubers’ homes.

Neetu Bisht and Lakhan Arjun Rawat, who are together known as Lakhneet, have posted one of the most-watched house tour videos in the past six months, garnering 3.1 million views and 120,000 likes. The couple are known for their vlogs and lifestyle content, which often includes humorous skits, challenges and travel experiences as well. They got their new home in January. “We have ensured ample and safe storage for our equipment because it is heavy and costly,” Rawat said.

They have spent 70% of their three-year income of ₹3 crore on designing the interiors and installing equipment. The property’s overall value is ₹7 crore.

Getting the interiors right

When it comes to interior design, creators who choose to seek professional help from interior designers spend a considerable amount of time planning the layout according to their needs, personalities, and “vibe”.

“I sit with the creators for at least a couple of days to ensure I am able to plan their space according to their vibe. Many gaming creators enjoy anime, sneakers, and gaming, so having elements from that in the interiors also resonates with their audience, the vast majority being young viewers,” said Shashwat Joshi, an interior designer whose company, Ikigai, has designed many gaming YouTubers’ houses.

Aditya Bhalla, a sneaker-related creator, has an entire wall dedicated to 200 sneakers. “I rearrange the sneakers and boxes frequently after a few weeks so I can keep the viewers curious and connected,” he said.

Bhalla started his journey as a creator in 2017 to express his interest in sneakers, a niche that not many pick. Brands started following soon after and offering deals, which prompted him to have a dedicated studio space for creation. “Earlier, I had to sometimes rent hotel rooms for ‘get ready with me’ videos and rent studios, which took much time, effort, and money. I’d rather have all that at home, where it is easier, and you can do it on your own time,” said Bhalla.

Creator collectives are in

Another interesting trend is that creator collectives, instead of individual creators, are pitching in to collaborate and invest in real estate for co-creation as a group. These are like co-working spaces, where creators live together and even collaborate sometimes. For instance, S8ul Gaming, a gaming company cofounded by Animesh Agarwal, aka 8bit Thug, manages around 50 gaming creators and has a ‘gaming boot camp’ in Navi Mumbai.

The studio has three floors and various amenities. The creators live together and sleep in bunk beds. There are small studios customized to their tastes and needs. Each studio has the creator’s name and an indicative light outside that they can switch on while they are creating content so others know they are not to be disturbed.

While showing us his setup, based on an anime theme, with sea waves painted on the wall in the background, gaming creator Aman Jain, aka Soul Aman, told Mint that there are aspects that become a part of a creator’s identity. “For instance, I like to call myself ‘world ka best player’, and since my audience has picked that catchphrase, they spam this in comments each time I stream. Since it has become a part of my identity now, I have it written on the wall behind me so that it is always visible to viewers.”

When all is said and done, influencers certainly know how to make a thing pay for itself. Having invested the vast earnings their content generates to get a home of their own, they are paying for it with the earnings from their house videos and also setting themselves up for the future.