Jason Abrams Gives BFT the Hard Sell

January 22, 2013, 6:34 pm

In professional sports, players changing teams and moving to different cities is more the rule than the exception. When player movement makes the headlines, the focus is usually on the financials of the players’ contracts and less so on matters outside the sport. Real estate agent Jason Abrams joined the BFT on Tuesday to talk about his HGTV show “Scoring the Deal,” which focuses on his agency helping professional athletes buy, sell and rent homes.

In talking about the show and why people would be interested, Abrams highlighted the voyeurism the show provides by allowing viewers to see a side of athletes many wouldn’t see otherwise. Abrams also mentioned that he believed some viewers would be surprised to see which athletes were more “down-to-earth” than expected. Still, Abrams assures the homes themselves won’t play second-fiddle.

“You also get to see – what I think to be – some of the most amazing properties in the world,” said Abrams.

When asked about the difficulty of selling expensive property after athletes move, Abrams respectfully acknowledged that there are challenges that come with an athlete buying the most expensive house in a market like Portland and then trying to sell it again a couple of years later. He went on to explain that his agency doesn’t sell home players in their first year in the professional leagues, no matter how highly drafted. Instead, they make their first-year clients rent homes so as to save money early on.

“We tell everybody: You’re really not playing sports to collect houses,” explained Abrams. “You’re playing sports to collect [championship] rings and collect money.”

As to why professional athletes would need an agency like his, Abrams highlighted the continuity of not being tied to one team or one market (his real estate agency has three main locations and does business coast-to-coast), as well as the fact that his agency is more ready to consider the needs of an athlete for amenities like the size of the house’s showers. Also, Abrams emphasized his agency’s readiness to work within the shortened time frame in which athletes have to find a new house.

“You may have only 48 hours,” said Abrams. “The average person looks at homes in this country for seven weeks. With me, you get two days – and I always get it done.”

At one point Abrams was asked about the more common amenities found in the homes of athletes, to which he answered with urinals and “exotic dancing poles.”

“I would venture to guess that as far as real estate agents go, I’ve sold more homes with exotic dancing poles than anyone else in the country,” said Abrams.

As the interview began to come to a close, Abrams asked about how common it was for athletes to buy homes previously owned by other athletes who have left the area. Abrams acknowledged that it does happen, but that it’s rare and not something his agency pushes.

“Scoring the Deal” airs on Tuesday nights on HGTV.

To listen to the entire interview, click below:

Phone Tracking

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