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Names and places have been changed, as this is a true story, and I would like to protect the privacy of those involved.After a few months in real estate, I was contacted by a sales person from the Gay Yellow Pages. I had seen such publications before, and they were mostly pathetic. Some thin booklet usually shoved in a desk drawer and forgotten. I met with the sales girl, despite my better judgment, and ended up purchasing a tiny little ad. I think it was 2 x 3". Keeping it simple, I just had my name and phone number, along with the state required mumbo jumbo, and a fateful phrase: Your LESBIAN Real Estate Consultant. I knew I was pissing in the wind, but what the hell. I spent the $263.
When a copy of the book was mailed to me months later, I was excited to see that it was every bit like a real Yellow Pages book! It was about the size of a phone book for a smallish city. Quickly flipping through the pages, I found the real estate section, where my heart sank. Full page ad, full page ad, full page ad, full page ad, and then… my ad, on a page full of other small text. Who was going to notice my small ad after all of these other large ads, and furthermore, who would bother to call me after seeing them? I obviously wasn't a successful agent if I couldn't afford a full page ad.
A few months passed. I forgot about the book.
Late one evening I received a voicemail from Mrs. Rosenberg who said that she found me in the yellow pages. She said that she noticed that my office wasn't far from her home in Silver Bend Country Club [at that time the hottest, no pun intended, real estate in Vegas] and that she would like for me to call her the next day. I was a little surprised that I would receive a call from a Mrs. from my gay yellow pages ad. I certainly couldn't afford the regular yellow pages, so I wasn't pictured there!!
The next day I called her and arranged a meeting. She told me that she planned to invest $1 million in vacant land and perhaps build a spec home. I didn't feel especially nervous about this, as I handled calls similar to this all of the time. People called me on a regular basis, asking about purchasing homes and such. Often I would show them around to no avail. It was simply part of the job: sometimes they bought, and sometimes they didn't. I did, however, feel nervous about actually sitting down and talking to this woman, who obviously had some wealth. I had no idea how much, at that time. Coming from a working class background, I knew I was tip toeing into slightly unchartered waters.
I pulled several vacant lots up that were around the $1 million mark in several different areas around the city, because Lee [as she liked to be called] told me on the phone that when she purchased her home at Silver Bend, she wasn't familiar with the city, and had only looked on that west side. I promised to show her around, and show her I did!! I have very few memories of our actual meeting at her home. It was my first time going through that guarded gate to the country club. Her home was beautifully [and tastefully] decorated with a warm, dark wood in a kind of rustic style, reminiscent of the Sundance catalog. She was proud to tell me that she had outfitted the entire house for "only" $13,000 at RC Wiley. I do recall the moment when she pointedly asked me what I would do if I had a million dollars to invest. I told her I would purchase a high rise condo. My reasoning? It's purchased at "today's" prices and takes two years to build. In the meantime, you may be earning equity if the market continues upward.
Off we went, exploring many different neighborhoods, and ending with the Queensberry high rise condo development. It was a full day, and we decided to continue our exploration the following day, beginning with another condo development. Bright and early the next day we started off at a small development, Grand Villas, where Lee signed a contract for a condo just over $500,000. Not even an hour later, we visited one of the trendy new hotelminiums, where she signed another contract for about $575,000. (Hotelminiums are high rise condo towers which are completely furnished and may be managed by a major hotel which often shares the same property. It can be a good investment for someone who wants a vacation condo that is always available to them, but can be rented out when they're not visiting.)
Well, at that point we were done, right? She said she was going to spend $1 million, and she spent more than that. After getting into the car, we turned towards home. A few minutes later, Lee said, "I'm still thinking about the Queensberry unit." I held my breath for a moment, then said, "Would you like to look at it again?" "Yes," she responded. OMG. I tried not to flip the car over while turning it around. We went back to the sales office only to find that the agent was busy. Have some brunch on us, she told us. You've had brunch, right? It's a little bit of nothing. Some eggs, some cold pancakes, some pasta salad. Who needs it?? Apparently, I hadn't really had brunch before. Our drinks were served to us, and we went to a room off the side, where I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. An entire dessert table! Shrimp cocktail, prime rib, sushi, pasta salad, eggs, fruit, I can't even name everything that was in that room. We ate and ate.
Finally, we went back over to the sales office and toured the model once more. "How much for the penthouse units?" asked Lee, never one to mince words. An hour later we exited the sales office, another contract in my hand, this time for $1.1 million. I have no recollection of the drive home.In the few years since Lee purchased her units, I have grown to know her much better. Why did she hire me, off of that tiny little ad? Because I was the only one to say that I was a lesbian. Yes, it's that simple. Each and every one of those full page ads made no mention of that real estate agent being a gay or lesbian, and because Lee's daughter is gay, she wanted to be assured that she was dealing with a gay person and not a gay friendly person.
Three Months Later…
I received a phone call from Lee, simply saying, "Call me." I was sure I had done something wrong. With high rise condos, the payment schedule is complicated, and keeping track of three payment schedules was even more so. I was afraid I would make a mistake and forget to tell her advisor to make a payment. Instead, "I've decided to sell my home in Silver Bend," she said. "I'll pay you 5%. Draw up the papers." That home sold quickly at $1.2 million just a few months later, a nice investment for her. I've always had fond thoughts of my little Yellow Pages ad. Since then, my ad has grown to a full page, but always with the phrase "Your Lesbian Real Estate Consultant." Sometimes it pays to be yourself.
