Real Estate Agents Cater To Bicycle Commuters

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

Despite the bad housing market, people are still buying homes. And with gas prices still high, many are looking for homes in bike-friendly neighborhoods. So our last word in business today is pedaling properties. That's pedaling like a bike, not peddling like try to sell, quick.

A small but growing number of real estate agents are catering to this niche market. They're donning helmets and Spandex and hopping on two wheels to show off houses in bike-friendly neighborhoods - the kind with good bike lanes, and bike stores. One broker in Boulder, Colorado says his sales are up 40 percent in the last year, since he bought a fleet of bikes for his agents and for his clients.

But not all realtors are so eager to ditch their suits and cars. One told the Wall Street Journal that if he showed up to an appointment all sweaty with helmet hair, his clients might not be impressed. Which is not really a problem. You just have to buy a house that's close to a drugstore with a big shelf of deodorant.

Covering every detail of the business world, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And I'm Renee Montagne. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.