The 'Veggie Reeltor,' a Broker for Vegetarians in the Bay Area
In looking for a real estate broker, I'd want to know his experience, his commission, his accreditation. But his vegetarian tendencies? As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, broker Daniel Berman, working from Palo Alto, California, sells himself as a "vegetarian reeltor." (And no, that's not a typo; due to trademark concerns with the National Association of Realtors, he's using the term "reeltor" in lieu of the normal spelling.)
Believing that a customer and a broker should share fundamental values, he actively seeks out a veggie clientele. "Why should the real estate profession be the exclusive domain of meat-eating right-wing conservatives?" he asks. (Is it really?) He also offers to take a lower commission, if some portion of the savings are donated to a vegetarian or animal-rights group.
As a native Palo Altan, I feel as if I've discovered new artillery in characterizing my hometown. ("What's Palo Alto like?" "Well, there's a real estate broker for vegetarians...")
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12 Comments:
"Why should the real estate profession be the exclusive domain of meat-eating right-wing conservatives?"
Really, it is?
shoneyjoe at 10:35AM on 08/03/09
While I'm not a realtor, I am a meat eating left wing progressive, so I find his whole premise to be pretty stupid, and mildly offensive too.
simon at 10:42AM on 08/03/09
Yeah, I'm left wing and eat meat. My brother is a right wing vegetarian (raw foodie even). This is just offensively dumb.
gingercookiewithlime at 11:01AM on 08/03/09
I'm a vegetarian, and I think the way he is promoting himself is silly. BUT I can see the advantage of having someone who really knows veggie friendly neighborhoods as my realtor, if that was something I was very concerned about.
gidgejane at 11:02AM on 08/03/09
Will he decline business if the person is a meat eater, pescatarian? Will we need to add legislation on discrimination against food orientation? :P
Cassaendra at 11:06AM on 08/03/09
This kind of crap is why I left the Bay Area. Good lord!
missvenuz at 11:15AM on 08/03/09
For vegetarians out there, do you have a hard time finding housing in suitable neighborhoods??
I don't really understand the appeal or the connection. Also, why can't he use the term "realtor". Is he not certified or something?? I don't know anything about the real estate profession, so this whole thing is rather perplexing.
engmcmuffin at 11:19AM on 08/03/09
I don't really see how being omnivorous would preclude you from being able to find places in which a vegetarian client would want to live. In my experiences most vegetarian restaurants and hangouts are very obviously friendly to that crowd either by signage or reputation so I can't imagine it would be hard to know where the vegetarians roam. Maybe I'm wrong? Are there secret vegetarian only hideouts that us meat eating types aren't allowed to know about?
plots at 12:13PM on 08/03/09
I'm also a native Palo Altan, and I don't really see how this is emblematic of the hometown I used to know and love--but it has changed immeasurably since I last lived there in 1992. Maybe this qualifies as the the type of service available to the newcomers to the area, who have lots of money and need new ways to spend it. Or maybe it just qualifies as someone trying to find a market niche to fill in a tough market for real estate agents, where there is still a lot of housing stock that is being held off the market until prices go back up. I have seen agents in the East Bay marketing themselves as the dog-friendly agent, though I guess if you're going to stereotype a neighborhood, you would wonder why this vegetarian agent is not working the market in Berkeley.
coffeeandapieceofpie at 1:20PM on 08/03/09
well it looks like the vegetarian reel-tor is getting just what he wants- attention.
porkydickens at 1:42PM on 08/03/09
This is stupid. I very much doubt that there's anti-veggie discrimination in the housing market.
piccola at 8:56PM on 08/03/09
I don't see this as being any different from real estate agents who trumpet that they're "Christian Realtors" in their ads, and there are lots of them. Some people just like to do business with people who are like them. I think it's a bit silly, but whatever helps them get that sale, I guess.
arcanium at 9:56PM on 08/03/09