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Kris Lindahl

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Kris Lindahl (b. 1982/1983)[1] is an American realtor from Minnesota known for his billboards featuring photos of himself with his arms outstretched. HIs advertising has been met with fandom, annoyance, and anger, and has generated memes, copycats, and parodies.

Early life

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Kris Lindahl was born to Karwyn and John Lindahl.[1] He has three younger brothers, Jamie, Kory and Nick.[2]

Lindahl attended Fridley High School.[1] While earning an education degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, he sold spring-break vacation packages to fellow students in order to earn free trips.[1]

Career

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After graduating college and attending a seminar on short sales, he entered the real estate market in 2009 and was very profitable during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis.[1][3] He sold 147 homes in 2013, and 175 in 2014, the most in Minnesota as an individual agent.[3] He originally worked for RE/MAX.[1]

Lindahl's business model since 2017 is commission-free cash offers on houses, using the advertising phrase "Guaranteed Cash Offer".[citation needed] Lindahl split off from RE/MAX and founded his own agency in 2018.[3] By 2021, Kris Lindahl Real Estate was the largest team-owned real estate brokerage in Minnesota.[citation needed]

Advertising

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In 2017, Lindahl began unconventional advertising campaign featuring his name and photo larger than the name of his agency, starting with 100 billboards and bus ads.[1][4] He used various poses before settling on his arms stretched outwards across the whole billboard.[1] By 2020, his hallmark pose with the text "Guaranteed Cash Offer" was on hundreds of billboards across the state,[1] and it was estimated that Lindahl was spending $2 million annually on billboards.[3]

A Kris Lindahl aerial advertising billboard flying behind the Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis

The Minnesota public's reaction to the billboards has included anger, mockery, and annoyance, while also gathering a fandom.[4][5][1] The pose has been imitated in Halloween costumes and made into memes.[4]

In 2019, a 24-year-old Minneapolis man, Derek Camitsch, created a GoFundMe with the objective of creating a parody billboard with a photo of himself captioned "Look how long my arms are". He raised $1,010, and the billboard was placed at East Hennepin Ave and SE 9th Street in Minneapolis. In response, Lindahl donated $1,250 to a local charity for the unhoused.[6]

Lindahl filed for a trademark on the "Lindahl stretch" arms-out pose in 2022.[7][8] In August 2022, shortly after filing for the trademark, he sued a Canadian realtor associated with RE/MAX who allegedly created advertisements in imitation of the pose. The realtor had attended a speech on marketing by Lindahl, and a prerequisite for attending the speech was not using any of Lindahl's concepts or intellectual property.[9][10] A judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice in March 2023, but Lindahl expressed an intention to re-file.[11]

In 2023, Lindahl purchased dozens of billboards throughout Houston during the 2023 American League Division Series between the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros, some calling out Houston celebrity Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, stating "Hey Mattress Mack. You've never seen Twins like this! Love, Kris Lindahl".[12] McIngvale responded by purchasing billboards in Minnesota stating "My Wife Is A Real Twin, Go Astros! -Mattress Mack".[13]

Activision partnered with Lindahl in 2024 to create a parody billboard campaign promoting Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The billboards throughout the Twin Cities showed the Call of Duty character the Replacer in place of Lindahl, and "Guaranteed Black Ops" instead of "Guaranteed Cash Offer".[4][14]

Personal life

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In March 1998, Lindahl's father, John, was run over and killed by his fiancée.[1][15] When tested later, she had a 0.22 blood-alcohol content. She pled guilty to criminal vehicular operation in November 1998, and received a six year prison sentence.[16]

He has a daughter, Victoria, with his ex-wife. His ex-wife helped make a billboard of his daughter for Fathers Day.[1]

In 2025, he released an autobiography, Arms Out.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Riemenschneider, Chris (January 7, 2020). "Meet Kris Lindahl, the nice-guy Realtor behind the 600 annoying billboards". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  2. ^ LeBoutillier, Nate (September 20, 2020). "What's Up With That Guy?". TODAY Magazine. Minnesota State University. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Wood, Drew (February 27, 2020). "How Many Times Have You Seen Kris Lindahl Today?". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d Krauss, Louis (October 30, 2024). "Minnesota real estate agent Kris Lindahl's inescapable signs get a 'Call of Duty' makeover". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  5. ^ Keller, Aaron (October 28, 2019). "Wrapping Our Arms Around Kris Lindahl's Divisive Ad Strategy". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  6. ^ Kotz, Pete (March 25, 2019). "Billboard mocking Kris Lindahl gets assist from... Kris Lindahl". City Pages. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  7. ^ Longworth, Nick (June 29, 2022). "Kris Lindahl files trademark over infamous 'chest up, smiling' pose". FOX 9. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  8. ^ Buchta, Jim (June 29, 2022). "Twin Cities real estate broker Kris Lindahl wants to trademark that big stretch". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  9. ^ Longworth, Nick (August 15, 2022). "Famous or frivolous? Kris Lindahl sues RE/MAX realtor over 'arms outstretched' pose". FOX 9. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  10. ^ Nelson, Joe (August 16, 2022). "Kris Lindahl suing realtor, accusing him of copying 'arms outstretched' pose". Bring Me The News. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  11. ^ Raguse, Lou (March 14, 2023). "Kris Lindahl 'Arms Outstretched' copyright lawsuit dismissed by federal judge". KARE11. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  12. ^ Freeman, Annita (October 10, 2023). "Mattress Mack places billboards in Minnesota responding to realtor Kris Lindahl". FOX 26 Houston. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  13. ^ Uren, Adam (October 10, 2023). "Astros superfan Mattress Mack responds to Kris Lindahl with billboard in downtown Minneapolis". Bring Me The News. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  14. ^ Derosier, Alex (October 30, 2024). "What's with those Kris Lindahl billboards around the Twin Cities … without Kris Lindahl?". Twin Cities. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  15. ^ Walsh, James (April 1, 1998). "Woman charged with running over, killing fiance". Star Tribune. pp. B7w. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  16. ^ "Woman pleads guilty in fiance's death". St. Cloud Times. Associated Press. November 19, 1998. p. 3. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  17. ^ Moini, Nina; Roth, Ellie (July 30, 2025). "Out to Lunch: The Kris Lindahl beyond the billboards". MPR News. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
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