Article by: Ayesha
Lesbian couples U and REYAN. The two, known as YouTubers of the YouTube channel "Elvian TV", which has more than 100,000 subscribers, joined their colleagues on the real estate brokerage service "KATATI
Lesbian couples U and REYAN. The two, known as YouTubers of the YouTube channel "Elvian TV", which has more than 100,000 subscribers, joined their colleagues on the real estate brokerage service "KATATI (LGBTQ Friendly Real Estate)" in February 2021. (Livmo) was launched.
There are various hurdles for same-sex couples such as gays and lesbians to live together. At the real estate agent's window, they don't think it's a couple and introduce you to share house properties, or even if you go out of sexuality, you don't understand the management company or owner. The purpose of "KATATI" is to eliminate the stress of looking for such LGBTQ parties' property.
The staff is U, who is in charge of PR, SNS marketing, and sales, REYAN, who is in accounting and sales, as well as Maria, a human resources and sales person, and pooh. ( There are a total of five people, including Pu, and they are all LGBTQ parties (all work under their nicknames because they emphasize friendliness).
In the first part, I asked four people about the real estate situation surrounding LGBTQ, but in the second part, we will listen to the thoughts and growth strategies put into "KATATI" centered on U and REYAN.
──How did you launch "KATATI"?
U: I've been working in the real estate industry for 6 years since I was a new graduate, but I was in charge of finding a room for a same-sex couple for the first time a few years ago. At that time, the number of properties that I could propose was less than a couple of men and women, and I felt itchy. Although discrimination and prejudice against LGBTQ has been decreasing in recent years, I thought that promoting understanding of management companies and owners is a major issue.
The thought that "I wish it would be a society where you can choose more lives" at that time has led to "KATATI". It was finally in February 2021 that it would be a society where everyone could live in their favorite room and choose the way they want to live.
REYAN: Actually, Livmo, the main body of KATATI, has been developing real estate brokerage services for same-sex couples for a long time, but I was worried that it was not recognized by the parties involved.
The challenge in looking for a property for same-sex couples like what U talked about is that it can't be solved without transforming the entire real estate industry. That's why I wanted many people to know instead of working on small things.
So in October 2018, the two of us opened a YouTube channel "Elvian TV" and started by letting them know our existence. It was a channel that mainly distributes the real daily life of our couples, and I was thinking that it would become a community of LGBTQ people centered on lesbians.
About two years have passed since then, and thanks to you, the number of YouTube subscribers has exceeded 100,000. It has grown into a channel that can be viewed by a wide range of people, mainly in their 20s and 50s. With this result as a boost, it has been decided to start "KATATI" in earnest in the company.
──How does "KATATI" approach the challenges of looking for same-sex couples?
REYAN: We are developing services that allow us to propose rooms tailored to various lifestyles, with the three pillars of "anywhere", "be yourself" and "connect".
"Anywhere" means that you can consult anywhere you like, such as a cafe or online without having a store (reservation required). This is also the concept of Livmo. Normally, you need to go to a real estate agent in the city you want to live in and look for a property, but we can search for a room without deciding on an area. Currently, the handling of properties is only available in Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, but we plan to expand it nationwide in the future.
And "be yourself" is an environment where you can search for a room regardless of sexuality, family register, or gender. All the KATATI staff are LGBTQ or alai, so the hurdles of coming out are also lowered, so you can consult with peace of mind
The last one is the "community". We don't want to end the connection between KATATI and our customers just by looking for a room. I think it's very nice to have a lot of things like people connecting, enriching relationships, and so on.
Especially when it comes to LGBTQ people, I feel that many people are looking for a community. So, I would like to provide a place where people who come to Tokyo from rural areas can gather so that they will not be alone or feel lonely after looking for a room. There has never been a real estate agent who can not only live there but also make friends after living there, find lovers, and provide such a place, so we have made it the concept of a real estate agent who "connects" without "living".
However, it has not yet been realized due to the influence of Corona. Actually, I was assuming that we would hold parties and tour Shinjuku 2-chome. Under these circumstances, we are looking for what we can do online.
──Livmo is also developing a share house business. Is there a share house concept at "KATATI"?
REYAN: YES. There is a concept of a share house called "Kachi House". If it's a share house, you can make friends from the beginning, so you can stay in an environment where you are not alone, and I hope it will be like a safety zone.
However, if there is a rumor that LGBTQ is gathered in one property, there is a possibility that discrimination and prejudice will be directed, so I would like to proceed carefully.
──You are also focusing on "transmission" through the YouTube channel "Katachi ▽ House".
U: Actually, there are already several real estate brokerage services targeting LGBTQ like us, but there are current situations that are not widespread. After all, if you don't use the diffusion tool tailored to the current world, it won't reach various people, such as young people who will come to Tokyo from now on. That's why I think it's important to send using YouTube and SNS.
In addition, real estate brokers like us are very few because the only point of contact with customers is the timing of "restooking a room". In order to recall at that timing, it is important to have contact with "potential customers" on a regular basis.
REYAN: So, apart from "Elvian TV" which we are doing as a couple, we launched a channel "Katachi ▽ House" operated by four staff members of "KATATI". We aim to create a channel that allows viewers to think, "I want to be friends with these people" and "I want to consult." However, there are places where the axis of the content has not been decided yet... (laughs).
U: After operating it for about half a year, even if I did the topic of looking for a room mainly, I felt that the size of the target was small in the end.
First of all, let's start with "LGBTQ people who live like themselves are gathering and doing YouTube" and enjoy the content saying, "It looks fun, you're lively like yourself." Finally, "Oh, these people are real estate agents!" And I imagine the shape of a real estate agent coming later.
Currently, it is updated once a week, and the number of registrants is 5,200. The goal is to exceed 10,000 by the end of the year.
REYAN: ALSO, BY BEING INfluencers, I hope that it will be an opportunity not only LGBTQ but also the real estate industry to know that there are many LGBTQ parties in the world. I will.
No matter which real estate agent you go to in Japan, I hope to create an environment where it is easy to open sexuality and respond smoothly.
U: I hope there will be more windows like "KATATI".
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