A Biking Real Estate Agent

About a month ago I wrote a story about wanting to use my bicycle more for real estate. We have many regular readers who are bike enthusiasts, who were all very supportive of my effort … thank you for that.

Showing a HouseI’m happy to report that I’ve made good progress on my goal. Most importantly, I’ve eliminated some of the physical and mental barriers that I felt were keeping me from truly embracing the bike. The most important turned out to be finding a more convenient place to store my ride so that it’s easy to just get started. A close second was figuring out a way to secure my pant legs so that they would be less likely to get greasy. Beyond that, most of my concerns were mental issues.

Since the initial post I’ve ridden many places, and to different types of appointments. Most have been short jaunts where biking is just as fast as driving, but there have been a few longer ones too. I still believe biking is better for trips that don’t involve client interaction, but I’m beginning to come around on that front too. Especially since, as a couple commenters pointed out, biking gets easier as you get in better shape.

I’m hoping to keep riding as long as possible this season because it is a nice way to travel. I’ve been impressed that distances seem shorter on the bike than they do in the car sometimes – perhaps I’m enjoying the trip more? And when my destination does not have easy parking in front, riding is really nice because I can usually lock up outside the front door and save a meaningful amount of parking and walking time.

Thanks again for the encouragement, and enjoy the mild weather!

4 thoughts on “A Biking Real Estate Agent

  1. I think you are looking to be nominated for The Official Real Estate Agent of the Beat Bike Blog 🙂

    Good to hear this is working out for you.

  2. Great it is working out! I remember when buying my first home my real estate agent showed up to ALL showings (this was in December) on a bicycle.

    My own bicycling has been pretty much a failure. I rode to work for a few weeks, which included negotiating the horrific Asylum/Woodland intersection, before I got a flat tire. Fixed the flat, shortly got another, parked the bike in the basement where it has sat unused for at least a year. Sad

  3. There are a variety of chainring guards that can save you from forgetting to secure a pant cuff, though you’ve probably found that isn’t too hard once you get used to it. The clothes-saver that I consider more important is fenders. Even a dry street can surprise you with a murky puddle or two on occasion. They actually keep the bike’s components cleaner as well. Bike Snob NYC said it best:
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wb8bAl1P-N0/SgmTc1F8lsI/AAAAAAAAHf4/wlVSJZYb3yk/s400/fender+psa1.JPG

  4. It’s a lot of fun to ride around rather than drive.

    I am definitely concerned about flat tires, as I have never actually gotten stranded with one before. Fortunately I have full mountain bike tires even though I have no intention of riding off road. The shoulders around here are rough and dirty, so that seems like the appropriate tire. More work on my end, and I can’t go as fast, but less chance of problems (knock on wood).

    I have had one unfortunate encounter with a puddle, so I can see how important the fenders are – great tip! Maybe it’s time to start customizing my ride…

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