Web Posted: 09/03/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Rosemary Barnes
San Antonio Express-News Business Writer

House hunting can be an intimidating experience, even for the most veteran homebuyers.

So, imagine how daunting the process can be for gay couples dealing with real estate agents who are oblivious to their clients' lifestyle needs.

The most dreaded question a gay or lesbian couple could possibly hear from their agent is: "Which one's going to get the master bedroom?"

That one insensitive, highly personal query could transform most gay house hunters into confirmed apartment dwellers for life.

For decades, gay couples have had to grapple over limited choices when looking for a home to share. They could be upfront about their homosexuality, conceal the nature of their relationship or simply deal with a real estate agent insensitive to their needs.

But a fairly new, rapidly growing niche market in the real estate industry is giving gay couples a more sensible, humane option in finding a house.

Savvy real estate agents across the nation have created gay-oriented real estate Web sites. More sites seem to pop up on a daily basis.

Googleing the words "gay real estate," calls up a sampling of these gay-friendly sites, including www.NHGayRealtor.com, www.GayNHRealEstate.com, www.gayrealtynet.com, www.rainbowrelo.com, www.homelounge.com, www.lesbianhomes.com and www.gayrealestateagents.com.

They're just a few of many real estate sites that cater to special populations of buyers and sellers who have turned to the Web to find exactly what they are looking for.

Other sites appeal to Hispanics, senior citizens, and specialty buyers looking for houses in gated neighborhoods, adjacent to golf courses and in airport communities, complete with hangars and runways for their private jets.

The online databases of gay and gay-friendly real estate agents and brokers in cities around the globe address an issue that's been ignored in the real estate industry for too many years. They provide gay couples with agents who understand the reality of their lives.

Jeff Hammerberg, president of Gay Real Estate, Inc., established GayRealEstate.com in August of 2004 because he detected a "quiet homophobia" around the Littleton, Colorado-based real estate office where he worked at the time.

"I'd see a gay couple walk in the office and get assigned to the agent who was doing floor duty that day," said Hammerberg, who is gay. "It didn't matter if the agent knew anything about the gay lifestyle or if he approved of it. I just knew there had to be a better way to link gay clients with the right agents."

There's a good reason these Web sites are so popular. They make a lot of money, which generates more niche sites for consumers to search through for that perfect home.

GayRealEstate.com closed twice the number of real estate deals in 2004 than in 2003, with more than $30 million in sales. Hammerberg said he expects to close $75 million in 2005.

Before online agents and new clients meet for the first time, the all-important comfort level already has been established.

"Gay and lesbian couples want an agent who is at ease with how they live," said Nancy Russell, an openly gay real estate agent and owner of Rainbow Real Estate in San Antonio. "They want an agent who knows about their situation in life and doesn't get upset when they discuss what they want in a master bedroom and ask about gay churches in the area."

By advertising herself as a gay-friendly agent in San Antonio's Gay & Lesbian Yellow Pages and at several online sites, Russell has built a successful business with multi-million dollar annual sales since launching her company in 1996.

Gay-friendly real estate sites establish the necessary "comfort level" for successful business arrangements to blossom between buyers and sellers.

Finding gay or gay-friendly real estate agents in San Antonio hasn't been an easy task in years past because of the city's overall conservative view.

Word of mouth used to be the only way to go.

But new residents in the community often found themselves left out of the loop.

The multitude of online sites lets everyone in on that good word of mouth.

Timothy DeWein, an agent with San Antonio's The Legacy Group, said he discovered the need to be gay-friendly shortly after moving to San Antonio in 1998.

"When a gay couple contacts a real estate agent, they don't and shouldn't have to expect to answer questions about their sexual orientation," DeWein said. "I've heard stories about homophobic real estate agents who are not always professional. But that has nothing to do with the business of buying a house."