PEORIA, Ill. — A Peoria TikToker, Angie Ostaszewski, has been promoting and showing affordable homes in the area since late last year on her page, @angieslistings.
All of Ostaszewski’s videos start with the same line,”Hi my name in Angie and I’m not a real estate agent, but I live in a super affordable place and I want you to live here too.”
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) was in Peoria Friday to tour Ostaszewski’s new home that she purchased and discuss how the TikTok page came to be.
“The idea came from the fact that I’ve never lived in the same city as my siblings as a grown-up,” said Ostaszewski.
After relocating her brother and sister to the Peoria area, she started the page to attract more people to Peoria.
“It’s unbelievable that from September to today that 23 people have moved here — and 23,000 people subscribe to watch my 59 second videos,” said Ostaszewski.
One of those people who moved to Peoria after seeing her videos is Mariela Munguia, who moved to Peoria from the state of Washington.
When Munguia first saw Ostaszewski’s videos, she couldn’t believe the affordability of homes in the area.
“That’s when I started looking for a job here,” said Munguia. “We made a decision in mid-November to move, and we got here at the end of December.
“So far, I really like [Peoria], but I think it’s also a reflection of the communities you build and you’re helping to build.”
A meet-and-greet is being planned for June 11 for the community of people that have moved as a result of seeing Ostaszewski’s videos.
Bustos applauded her efforts and said she’s making a difference in the community.
“Anybody who can be enthusiastic about our Congressional District — I wanted to learn what this was all about,” said Bustos. “Sometimes you don’t know how much we should appreciate what we have until you have people coming from somewhere else.
“If there’s something we really have going for us, it’s housing affordability. Right now it’s just 23 people — but if you think about the fact that she has 23,000 people following her — the potential’s really good.”
Many people who have moved to Peoria from the TikToks mentioned the ease of getting around as a big positive in the city, as well as a variety of options for dining.
According to Ostaszewski, they also want Peorians to be more positive about the city they live in.
“For some, it’s discouraging to hear people that have lived here a long time say they don’t like it,” she said. “They’re really getting plugged in, and they’re excited — they want to be with others that have that energy.”
Ostaszewski has amassed nearly 600,000 likes across her videos on TikTok.
