This spring, instead of shuttling to listings in limousines, a couple of brokers who sell some of the priciest properties in Manhattan are riding around town on bicycles.
For agents Robby Browne and Sarah Bond, bike riding is cheap, convenient and a good way to get some exercise.
Browne, a senior vice president at the Corcoran Group who set a then-Manhattan price record in 2003 when he brokered a $42 million deal at the Time Warner Center, cycles to appointments, usually on days he’s not seeing clients.
“There are other brokers here who ride to work, and we share this secret smile like we know something that no one else knows,” said Browne, who said he rides “the cheapest 23-inch 10-speed” and has been a bicyclist during his entire 21 years as a broker.
Browne said bicycling on the job has helped him secure clients.
“I once debated whether to bike or not to a $3.5 million apartment on Park Avenue,” he said. “When I got there, they thought it was so incredible and immediately felt comfortable. I helped them buy the property and sell it later.”
Bond, also a senior vice president at Corcoran, has a $9.25 million townhouse on East 80th Street in contract. She’s been biking to and from listings during her 15 years as a broker.
“If I felt comfortable, I would arrive on my bike,” Bond said. “You go and meet people, but you don’t inflict your bike riding on them. When I’m with a client, we’ll take a cab.”
Bond, who rides a secondhand, 40-year-old Huffy. added, “I don’t understand why the whole world doesn’t bike everywhere.”