A realtor went viral saying he planned to paint over a huge hand-painted mural to make a house more 'marketable,' sparking outcry from viewers

• Ohio-based realtor Sam Cooper posted a TikTok of a mural he planned to have covered.
• It received over 7.1 million views and 53,000 comments as many implored him not to paint over it.

A realtor said he was planning to paint over an elaborate, hand-painted mural in a property — until the internet changed his mind.

On February 16, Ohio-based realtor Sam Cooper shared a TikTok that showed the exterior of a large detached house as he approached the front entrance. Cooper could be heard behind the camera addressing the viewers. He said he'd sold thousands of homes in his lifetime, and wanted to share this particular one as there was "something about it you've probably never seen before."

In the video, which received 7.1 million views, Cooper pushed open the front door to reveal an entryway that featured a large, detailed mural that spanned the walls and double-height ceiling. The colorful design included cherubs looking down from above, a waterfall, and realistic figures lounging in the scenery.

On-screen captions appeared throughout the video which said the hand-painted mural was going to be removed in order to make the home "more marketable." In the clip, Cooper could be heard saying, "We're gonna change this. We've got a contractor inside right now who's going to re-paint all of this."

The upload received over 53,000 comments, as many responded with shock at the news the artwork would be changed. "Why would you repaint that????? It's beautiful??" read one comment which was liked over 60,000 times. "That would be the selling point for me!" read another with over 33,900 likes.

"I hope I get brought back for the 'we didn't paint over it' video," one viewer wrote, receiving over 42,700 likes.

A day later, Cooper posted a follow-up video of himself standing in front of the camera, addressing the viewers once more. "Alright guys, you commented, we listened," he said and confirmed the mural was "staying in the house." In the clip, which was viewed over 981,000 times, Cooper said he had no idea the original video was going to take off but he was "glad it did" and thanked the comments for their advice and input.

Viewers were delighted by the U-turn. "Man had me STRESSING. Thank you for saving it though, I hope the new owner appreciates it," read a comment with over 15,600 likes. "Yay!!! It would be a horrible shame to cover that masterpiece up!" read another with over 1,500 likes.

In the same video, Cooper said they would instead offer a "paint allowance" on the home. He elaborated on this term in a further upload shared on February 17, and described it as a credit towards repairs or replacements if a buyer loved the property but wanted to make adjustments themselves, such as removing the mural.

According to a TikTok shared to the same account on February 19, the property is set to be placed on the market on February 20.

Cooper has over 18,900 followers on TikTok where he shares videos of properties available in Ohio at the time of upload, and a YouTube channel where he posts similar content. According to his website, Cooper is the team lead of 18 full-time realtors in Central Ohio.

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