MON, 8 FEBRUARY, 2010

April 1st, 2009
REALTY BITES
Chicago's LivingRoom Realty Takes Sustainable Living Personally

Words and Photo: Mark Ziemke

Nestled in a modest and minimal Chicago storefront with two desks, a vintage diner booth, four speakers mounted to the wall and a beautiful mural against a pop-blue backdrop, you'll find the sustainably minded LivingRoom Realty. The past year has not been kind to the real estate market, but according to co-owners Annie Coleman and Abraham McClurg, they have been busy since they opened their doors about a year ago—possibly the worst time to jump into real estate. But they found the perfect niche that embraced their values and their culture and it's the reason they've been able to weather this storm.

Coleman and McClurg met a few years ago through common friends and both seemed to be searching for something more, so they made plans to grab coffee and see where it went. “We ended up talking for like six hours, and we were totally on the same track with what we wanted to do with the business, and it just wasn’t happening with anyone else we’ve found,” McClurg explains. “But Annie didn’t want to go out on her own and I didn’t have any experience, so it just wasn’t time, so then we just said, ‘Let’s keep in touch,’ and didn’t hear from each other for about a year.” Knowing that there was someone else out there with the same desire to change the city one house at a time did come as a comfort. “We realized that we had a lot of beliefs and reasons we wanted to be in real estate,” Coleman adds, “and there really wasn’t an agency out there that really excited either one of us with what their mission was.” It just wasn’t time—yet.

After meeting up again about a year later for another six-hour coffeethon, they decided to go for it, and according to McClurg, they met up several times that week and by Friday, they had incorporated the business and registered for their broker training. And where to set up shop? “Since I own this building,” Coleman says, “one of the impetuses was that this space came up for rent. I said, ‘Perfect situation—he lives a block away. I live in the building. The storefront is available. We can have a space.’ So it just kind of worked out.” And the best part was, they barely knew each other. But what they did know was that they shared the same vision, and that was good enough for them.

“One of the things is we’re both artists, and in the artistic community, or as we like to say, cultural creatives, which are musicians, artists, activists, cooks, writers,” Coleman explains with a hint of whimsy, “and that community cares about some of the things that we care about. Like, they don’t care about the fact that we don’t drive a Lexus SUV.” McClurg adds with a laugh, “That would be a detriment to our business model if we drove a super fancy car. This community seems to be especially skeptical of business people, like traditional suit-and-tie business people.” In Chicago, there are definitely enough cultural creatives to fuel their market, and with referrals, community involvement and really just keeping a sound mind about the here and now, it’s kept LivingRoom from folding in this housing crisis.

“We just wanted to set up our agency to be something that was very relaxed in some ways and very service-oriented,” Coleman said about how they differentiate themselves from the slew of other agencies in the city. “We want to create long-term relationships and also support our community and do things that are part of the community, so we do talks, use our space to host art events, and we’re a CSA drop-off for a farm share, which is Community Supported Agriculture, during the season, and also market and brand ourselves in a way that is more authentic to who we are. And none of the agencies we saw was really thinking like that.” They’ve also teamed up with the right players in the city, such as the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance and Green Grocer Chicago, whose owner, Cassie Green, personally drops off baskets chock full of fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and crackers, green cleaning products and wine when the agency has a closing. It’s a nice touch and shows how much Coleman and McClurg practice what they preach.

They find much joy and satisfaction within this niche market. They go against the grain, and for them, it’s not about getting as many listings as possible to make as much money as possible. They figured out that there is room for this kind of agency in the city, and it represents who they are and who their clients are, and for them, it just makes sense. “A lot of that is what makes the job interesting for us,” explains McClurg, “and the properties are more unique, and they’re just more fun to be involved with. I don’t want to have to look at a cookie-cutter condo or town home and have to say, ‘OK, look at one of these 10 that all, more or less, look the same.’ It’s just not as interesting to go to work every day if that’s the case.” Their target market is looking for more than a place to eat and sleep. They could be looking for a performance space, rehearsal space or a place with a large kitchen because that’s how these people make a living. And for LivingRoom, finding the perfect space is the challenge, but with that comes the ultimate reward.

Unfortunately for Chicago, this market isn’t very big when compared to the thriving green housing movement on the West Coast, where cities such as Seattle, Portland and San Francisco are charging ahead with reckless abandon. “I was just in Seattle,” McClurg says of a recent trip out to the Pacific Northwest, “and I was looking at the real estate section in the classifieds, and on every page I would see at least 12 listings that say 'Green Property.'” Seattle has entire neighborhoods that are Energy Star-certified, and they also have a Built Green certification. In Chicago, according to McClurg, “maybe 5 percent are certified, but the rest are listed as ‘eco-amenities’ or ‘bamboo floors’ or ‘no-VOC paints,’ but that’s not marketing it as a green property.” It’s not exactly greenwashing, but it’s close.

Chicago seems like it's gaining a lot of momentum, but the city still has a long way to go. “There are definitely interested people out there, but there just isn’t the product,” Coleman adds.

The question is, How can Chicago bring out the demand and get buyers and builders to harness the concept of sustainable living and energy savings? “As far as having the money aspect involved, one of the things we have going for us is that...it’s cold here and that heat bills are high,” Coleman speculates. “And that is going to help, especially if heating gas goes up again. We do have the cold going for us, unfortunately.” Unfortunate indeed.

As for Chicago’s future in creating a healthier and less wasteful city, it really starts with awareness, and everyone from the listing agent to the loan officer should be pushing this because in the end, it will inevitably help everyone—the planet included. “Right now it’s growing, and that’s the exciting thing,” says Coleman. “One of the things I’ve been trying to stress for any future improvements is that this is where things are going, and things are going to change and the rules are going to change. Construction is dead right now, and that’s a good thing because we have too much inventory as it is. But the next generation of home growth is going to be more energy-efficient. A lot of people right now are saying they want to live in this home for five years, whereas before people were thinking about getting in and getting out with a profit. It’s an attitude that thinks more long-term, so you think about things like the efficiency of your house. Before we would just see some cheapskate fixes, which just create a lot of waste.” For LivingRoom Realty and the city of Chicago, the future looks bright—bright green.

For more information on LivingRoom Realty, please visit: www.livingroomrealty.com

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