Meet Missoula's own “Realtor on a Bike,” Craig Mischke. He's one-half of a Lambros Real Estate team. The other half is his wife, Sheila Mischke.
He's been a real estate agent for nearly a year, but about four months ago, with the arrival of spring, the idea to start this Realtor on a Bike gig came to him.
“I'm very active on my bike,” he said, standing with his bike outside a residence for sale in the Linda Vista neighborhood. He had just bicycled to the house from his home near the Hip Strip - a distance of about five miles via traffic-heavy Brooks Street - in about 20 minutes.
He's willing to bike all the way from East Missoula to the Wye, he said. It's a convenient way to get around, and not a bad way to advertise; his bike is adorned with his business Web address and a perfectly fitted “Realtor on a Bike” sign.
“People notice it,” Mischke said. “It is an attraction.”
He's also more than willing to tour houses on his bicycle if potential buyers request it. So far, no one has.
“I'm not really expecting anything from anybody,” he said with a smile. “But it would be nice if more people rode a bike.”
For those who prefer not to view houses by bicycle, Mischke drives an old Dodge Dakota truck that gets “terrible gas mileage,” he said, shaking his head.
Just how terrible?
About 14 miles to the gallon, he said. Ouch. Mischke estimates he was shelling out $250 a month in fuel before he started biking everywhere he could as often as he could. His wife, who's been working as a real estate agent for eight years, drives a little car that gets much better mileage, he said.
And just this year, Mischke finally bought himself a nice new bicycle. It cost about $700 fully equipped.
“The beauty of that is I paid it off in three months,” Mischke said. “I paid it off with the money I would have spent on gas.”
Apart from the savings, Mischke likes riding a bicycle because it keeps him active and he likes being healthy. In past years he's worked as a contractor, mostly framing houses. That occupation gave him exercise he just doesn't get as a Realtor.
“Real estate is kind of sedentary; you sit at home, you sit in your office, you sit in your car and you gain weight,” he explained.
Nevertheless, it's a necessary lifestyle for most Realtors. The nature of the business requires that agents pile entire families into their vehicles at a moment's notice and drive to houses that may be located many miles from each other.
Buyers usually want to see as many houses as possible in as short a time as possible, Mischke said.
“It's kind of an after-work, before-dinner thing,” he said.
But believe it or not, Mischke isn't the only Realtor on a Bike in the world. There's another doing business in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Jim Aaron earned his Realtor's license in May, and has been working for Century 21 Hometown Realty within the bike-friendly California community. A founding member of the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition, Aaron has even given a presentation on the benefits of cycling to his local Multiple Listing Service chapter and invited them to consider cycling.
“You see more from a bike than you do from a car,” Aaron said. “Yet in the real estate world, I'd have to say pretty much 90 percent of the agents are hooked on the car-driving world.”
Many use their cars to make even short little trips, he said. Some worry they'll dirty their nice clothes if they ride a bicycle.
America is just a car-centric nation, he said. However, there are pockets of bicycling enthusiasts located across the nation, and many businesses would do well to consider the advantages of two-wheeled transportation.
The Realtor on a Bike concept certainly has marketing potential, perhaps with biking magazines and such publications. San Luis Obispo itself counts a number of active bike clubs, miles of open roads and lots of clean air.
Still, Aaron keeps a car in which to ferry potential buyers around. No one has requested a bicycle tour of the town's houses for sale - yet.
There probably isn't a Realtor in Missoula who hasn't considered doing the same thing, Mischke said. The Garden City is, after all, a very bike-friendly town.
However, Mischke would like to see a lot more people riding - especially those who live in town. He recognizes that it can be difficult getting to certain places by bike, especially when you live on the outskirts of town, but it's far from impossible.
Mischke carries a map and is quite familiar with Missoula's bike trails. There are several segments of the city's trail system that could use extensions and connections, and Mischke is part of a group of cyclists trying to persuade the city to expand the network of bike paths.
However, he had no problem riding out to the $225,000 three-bedroom, two-bath home he's advertising, a half-acre of property that includes a manicured yard complete with a “Madison Bridge-style” gazebo.
And it's only 20 minutes from the Hip Strip by bicycle.
Looking for a Realtor?
To contact the Mischkes, visit their Web site at www.buymissoula.com or call their office at 532-9321.
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