Why is the Easter bunny hopping around this house listed on Zillow?

By Madeleine Patrick via SWNS

House hunters got a fright to spot a human-sized Easter Bunny lurking throughout a home's property listing snaps - that turned out to be the over-zealous ESTATE AGENT.

Real estate agent Marissa DelVecchio opted to dress up in the rabbit outfit and pose throughout the cozy family home in Rochester, New York, for the Zillow photos.

However, buyers had mixed reactions when stumbling across the Easter bunny lounging on the bed, the sofa, opening the fridge and even in the bath - with some calling the light-hearted snaps 'the thing of nightmares'.

Hilarious images show the realtor completely encased in a white bunny suit, equipped with pink ears, buck teeth and a shiny blue waistcoat.

Whilst some viewers thought that Marissa's creative sales technique was 'cute', others were disturbed by the stunt - calling it 'killer bunny creepy'.

Marissa claims that the Easter-themed photo shoot was supposed to be 'light-hearted and fun', and was surprised by the unexpected reaction.

The RE/MAX Realty estate agent has donned plenty of costumes to sell properties over the years, including a gorilla and a turkey - and is even dressing as the Easter Bunny for an open house this weekend.

Marissa said: "Sometimes things can get stressful, and we know that the market is competitive for buyers right now.

"If our clients like it, we sometimes bring some light-heartedness and fun to what is sometimes a stressful and anxious process for people.

"[In this case] the sellers were all for it, and they were laughing at me as I was taking the photos.

"We were all getting a kick out of it, and coming up with some creative ideas as to where I could be placed in the house.

"We've had a good amount of showings on the property which has been great - I'm not sure whether it's because of this or not.

"It's cool to see how the internet has taken it and run with it.

"It seems to be very controversial as to whether it's a funny thing or a murderous bunny, which kind of surprised me.

"I was kind of shocked by some of the comments, but they also made me laugh.

"This is actually not the first time that we've done something like this.

"Around Thanksgiving time I dressed up as a turkey for some listings, I've been a flamingo for some open houses, and I've been a gorilla around Halloween.

"One of my co-workers has asked me to dress up as the bunny for an open house she has this weekend, so that'll be a funny thing coming up as it's the weekend before Easter."

The listing was shared widely on Reddit and Facebook, where it racked up more than 300 likes, shares and comments.

Plenty of property hunters were quick to share their reactions, with some calling Marissa's Easter Bunny costume 'the thing of nightmares'.

One commented: "Nope. That's the thing of nightmares right there!"

A second said: "I don't get why some of the pictures are cute and some are killer bunny creepy."

A third added: "No, I would not like to buy a house haunted by a ghost rabbit. Thanks though."

A fourth added: "That was pretty stressful, flipping through all the photos, wondering when the bunny was going to pop up again."

On the other hand, others had much more positive reactions to the seasonal rabbit's guest appearance.

One said: "That's such a cute idea. Good luck with the sale!"

A second said: "Sweet baby Jesus this is amazing."