Real Estate Agents that cater to the Gay community are tapping into a very loyal and above average-wealthy niche.
I recently posted about the spending power of the gay community. As luck would have it I have found even more compelling information about this powerful group.
- Readers of gay newspapers in 10 major media markets have an average individual income of $47,083.00. That is almost more than twice the average of the general population.
- 94% of readers surveyed said they are likely to buy products or services advertised in gay publications.
In 2002, gays and lesbians spent $55 billion on travel; they travel three times more often than heterosexuals, says Robert Wilson, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.
They're less likely to have children, which means they possess more discretionary income. They place greater emphasis on luxury and they're willing to pay for it. And, when a business shows support for gays and lesbians, they support the business by displaying strong brand loyalty, he notes.
Many Hotels like the MGM in Las Vegas are becoming gay friendly and in fact, some are advertising in gay publications.
Home Builders are ven getting in on the action as RainbowVision
Santa Fe (RVSF) will be the first resort/retirement community
specifically targeted to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
(GLBT) community, a growing segment of the population, according to Jay
Geisinger, COO of RainbowVision Properties Inc.
"You will see a lot more [of these projects] from us
because the demand is unbelievable. And it is not just domestic--we are
getting calls from all over the world," he said. "It is something that
the GLBT community has looked forward to for many years."
In Realtytimes.com Blanche Evans discussed the Across America Real Estate Network (AAREN), which is run by Mark Kasper, (gay). The site specializes in placing gay and lesbian clients with supportive agents -- gay and straight. His advice to agents is to be aware of gay clients' concerns. Being gay isn't a prerequisite, Kasper says, but you do need to be supportive as an agent.
A "supportive" agent is more than just comfortable dealing with
openly gay clients; it's an agent well-versed in the issues important
to his clientele. For example, what may be a "safe" neighborhood for a
heterosexual customer may be unsafe for a homosexual customer.
Kasper further cautions that urban art communities won't appeal to every homosexual client. A substantial portion of gay homebuyers are interested in suburban communities; that market is approximately 75 percent female and 25 percent male.
Another thing to remember that I have found in my research is that gays tend to favor extreme loyalty to advertisers in gay publications.
A follow up:
Gay Real Estate, Inc. Announces Their 2004 Closings Double Previous 2003 Record
Wednesday February 16, 2:22 pm ET
DENVER, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Gay Real Estate, Inc. (www.GayRealEstate.com), a premier national real estate company serving the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community, and the largest online database of gay and gay-friendly Realtors(R) in the world, today announced that they have closed twice the number of real estate deals in 2004 than they did in 2003, effectively doubling last year's record numbers.
(Logo: http://www.Send2Press.com/mediadrome/logo-gayreal_72dpi.jpg)
"Our 8 years of record growth are a testament to the service we provide to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community," said Jeff Hammerberg, President of Gay Real Estate, Inc. "We closed over thirty million dollars in real estate sales and purchases, coast-to-coast in 2004. We expect to close seventy-five million in 2005, and are on track to close a deal a day by 2006."
Gay Real Estate, Inc. continues to add new resources and support for buyers and sellers. These include a Free Relocation Kit to any City in America, instant e-mail on newly listed properties (available for all US cities), a worldwide database of gay, lesbian and gay friendly real estate agents and instant access to mortgage professionals at http://www.GayMortgageLoans.com .
Other buyer and seller resources currently in development at Gay Real Estate, Inc. include gayforrent.com, a service designed to assist the LGBT rental community in finding gay and gay-friendly rental properties, by offering free access to gay-friendly rental agencies, properties and communities coast to coast.
"Our mission at GayRealEstate.com is very clear," said Hammerberg. "We want to ensure that members of the gay and lesbian community have a resource to guide them to quality agents who will represent them without bias in the purchase and/or sale of residential and commercial real estate. Our numbers demonstrate that we're not only meeting that goal, but surpassing it."
For more information please visit
Posted by: gay real estate | February 16, 2005 at 09:52 PM