RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — As you drive around the Triangle, you might start noticing pink houses in different neighborhoods. And you may wonder, ‘What’s the deal with those?’
“It gives a little bit of spunk to the neighborhood for sure,” said Michelle Vega, an investor and real estate agent in the Triangle who owns more than 65 houses.
So far, two of them are pink… with a glamorous twist.
One of them is near downtown Durham, which she rents out on Airbnb.
“[The guests] love taking Instagram selfies, doing TikToks in this house, and it’s just like a fun girl’s party house,” Vega said.
When you go inside, you can step right into the world of Barbie, where everything is pink.
The house – bright pink inside and out – is one of Vega’s two Barbie-themed Airbnb houses in the Triangle.
The other is near downtown Raleigh.
Vega says this one is brand new and will be ready for guests within the next week or so.
Vega says she glamorized the houses to make more money on her properties, as interest rates rise in the housing market. She says it was a better investment opportunity based on current market conditions.
“I think that Raleigh-Durham needed a splash of pink, and after the movie came out it was a perfect idea to just give these Airbnbs in the area a little theme,” she explained.
Like Barbie, Vega is driven by her determination for success – after switching careers from the corporate world to real estate, eight years ago.
“It was very difficult for me to move up the corporate ladder, even though that’s what I really wanted to do, because I was really young, I was Latina, I was different,” she said.
Vega plans to bring the glitz and glam to other cities in central North Carolina, expanding her portfolio there as well.
“I would love one in Chapel Hill and in growing areas,” she said. “Burlington performs really well for Airbnb. Anywhere where there’s a major university or lots of jobs.”
Vega says her team is also working on other themed houses, including a UFO theme and a sixties theme. To find out what other themed houses she’s working on, check out her Instagram.
