Bryan Clapper Has Thoughts on Minnesota Real Estate

Twin Cities real estate broker Bryan Clapper has built a following by doing what most realtors would never dare: making the local housing market, suburbs, and real estate culture actually funny.

In this episode of 87.9 KWHO Radio, Glenn Sheen sits down with Bryan to talk about how he got into real estate, why he started making videos about Minnesota communities, and what happens when a broker gives brutally funny takes on places like Brooklyn Park, Bloomington, Richfield, Eagan, Shoreview, and Little Canada.

There’s real estate advice in here somewhere. There are also ferrets, fair housing laws, Creed, Perkins muffins, and a surprising amount of emotional vulnerability.

Follow Bryan: @bryaninmsp

Listen to 87.9 KWHO Radio for more strange, funny, and oddly heartfelt conversations from the Midwest.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Brian, could I get your insight on maybe some some areas around the Twin Cities? Uh and can we get some hot takes? Uh uh just throw some places at you and you throw me back a word.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

Uh Brooklyn Park. Close to Brooklyn Center.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

That's the next one, Brooklyn Center. Close to Minneapolis. Uh St. Paul. It's definitely the best suburb of Minneapolis. Richfield. Uh it's convenient to the airport. Bloomington. Convenient to Richfield. Arden Hills. Close to Shoreview. Shoreview. It is the hometown of one of maybe the biggest celebrities in the Twin Cities. You're kidding me. Who? Bloyce Olson from WCCL.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

Oh. Yeah, I've heard of them. It's 87.9 K Who Radio, and you're hearing the voice of me, Glenn Sheen. That's Glenn with two N's and Sheen with two E's. I'm in the studio with Brian Clapper. Hello, Brian. Hey, thanks for having me. Thanks for being here. Welcome to the K Who Are You interview. And who are you, Brian? Go ahead and tell the listeners out there.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Well, I'm a local real estate broker. Cool. And I make videos about the local communities, and I guess that's gotten me somewhat known around here.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Around here, in case you're listening online, is the great great state of Minnesota. That's correct. Absolutely. And you said you were a real estate broker. Yep. Now correct me if I'm wrong, and I might be, and I think I am. And in fact, I'm not going to ask that question.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

How did you get into real estate? Nothing really special. I just kind of wanted to try it. And we always liked fixing up old houses and thought I'd try it and it worked out. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Yeah. Have you always had this sense of kind of like confidence or I'll try something? And if it doesn't work out, it's okay. Because some people feel like their lives are gonna end if something doesn't go well for them.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Yeah, pretty much. I I'm I'm pretty much willing to try anything once. What's that like? I'm surprised you also don't have the confidence of a white male.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

You know, I get told that a lot. I mean, put a couple of happy hour margs in me at Applebee's, and I yeah, I'll sing. No, I think if this would have gone poorly and I would have got fired, I think I would have given up uh radio altogether.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

And you th you think this is going well?

SPEAKER_02 2:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Okay, it's paying the bills.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Yeah, I I this this gig it's gonna it's pretty cozy. I I um it pay I mean half my f cell phone bill is at least monthly. Um the internet's a bit of a passing fad, right? Yeah, I it for a minute, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So might as well have fun while you're at it though, right? And uh I've greatly enjoyed uh the content you make. Thank you. I mean, most people would think real estate and they think boring, like why? But not you. So what what brought you to the place you are today?

SPEAKER_00 2:46

You know, I started making um more interesting videos about a year ago where I wanted to sort of delve into the uh sort of intricacies that make our communities more interesting. And I thought every every real estate broker out there is making content about you know what schools are good or um where to find the fanciest homes, but but nobody's making um videos about the important things like which suburbs look like penises. Yeah, I always wonder that.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

And I'm so tired of having to catch a flight in order to see from above which looks like what, you know? And because we're in the Midwest, if we were on the West Coast, there's a lot more, I guess, vaginal is the word. Sapphic. Sapphic, thank you. Yeah, I guess I'm getting a sign from my producer that was not the right word to use for me. That's okay. Um so Brian, I want to know. You said we liked fixing houses. Yeah, my wife and I. You have a wife? Uh-huh. Must be nice. Um yeah, I uh um I'm wife familiar with um I've I had one. You know, um her name, I'm I I've been told by my station manager not to keep bringing her up, but um how do you not talk about, you know. So you and your wife, uh who who I'm sure is lovely, um, uh you like to fix up houses? Yeah, we we we'd fixed up, you know, a couple of them and uh flipped them. Okay, flipped with that must be heavy. Yes, very much so. Something about trying to make your environment better makes your um mentality better. I've been doing a lot of soul searching myself lately since the divorce. The last time I'll bring it up, I swear. Um and uh right now I'm actually living um uh with a friend.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Uh and and and about anywhere female friend, new relationship?

SPEAKER_02 4:43

No, um, no. Um I'm not ready uh yet uh to engage in that. And also I've got zero matches on uh all of the apps, uh uh Tinder, Hinge, Grinder. No, I haven't tried grinder. Everyone keeps telling me I should. Because like I said, I'm living uh with a friend uh in a lovely house in Edina. Uh well he calls it Edina, it's in St. Louis Park. Sure. And um we uh uh have anywhere from 20 to 30 at a time uh ferrets living in the house. It's part of his nonprofit program. And um had a four-bedroom house. He said, Come on in, live here, you know, pay half the rent. And I I I you know deflated my air mattress, brought it right there. He said, You have the whole basement. So I feel safe in the basement, um, um um, especially because I've I've duct tape a lot of the vents because sometimes they would get in there. Yeah. I I think at a certain point you're no longer sharing your house with ferrets, they're sharing their house with you. I'm not trying to say that I don't love what I'm getting, but do you do you have any advice for somebody maybe looking for a a new space for themselves? Like it maybe like a guy who's just recently divorced who's tired of living with fucking ferrets. Sorry. Sorry, I swear.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

I mean, I you know, due to fair housing laws, I can't tell you a specific area that's great for recently divorced persons, but I can tell you one of the solutions that very it's very popular for men in your situation uh are extended stay motels.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Extended stay motels.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

There's one just off 694 in Brooklyn Park that I I I see a lot of recently divorced men at.

SPEAKER_02 6:17

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

They sound like cool guys. Yeah, absolutely. I'm sure they they party. Yeah, oh I mean, dude, I I party. I mean, that's the thing, is like I love my roommate. Uh I love all my roommates, all 40 of them, but um, yeah, like they know us at Applebee's. There's one off of uh uh highway 169 and between 100 and those Perkins. No, oh, there's one over there too, yeah. Okay. But that's only if Applebee's if the bees is closed, we're going to the perks, you know. Sounds good. Just getting those mammoth muffins. Uh because the coolest thing they don't tell you is eventually they have to throw them away. And if you wait long enough, they'll just give them to you right out of the trash. Well, that's I mean, that's good money-saving advice. Hey, then you know, I I try to be frugal. I try for sure. But um, sorry, you you had mentioned something due to fair housing laws. Fair housing rules, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

What are those exactly for the listeners and maybe for a whole bunch of federal regulations that say as a real estate professional you can't steer people to certain areas based on uh protected statuses, and that'd be familial status, race, uh, creed, religion, things like that.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

Wow. Just because they listen to Creed, they you can't tell them where they go.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Um, I can tell most Creed listeners where to go, but there was no housing there.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

After the show today, you're not gonna believe this. We have a solid rock block of Creed. Um, which is, I mean, I don't know about you, but uh even if you didn't plan on crying today, listeners, you just might. And that's okay. It's okay to cry. It's okay, it's okay to cry. Now, one other thing I'm wondering uh is uh Brian, what makes you the most excited about your career path? What what gets you excited about this job?

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Meeting new people. Okay, well, sure, that's the fun same with me. Yep. Oh, cool. Yeah, dude, we're so alike. That's awesome. Should I get glasses? You should. Everybody should. Really? Yep. How is it with all of your flaws? You have perfect eyesight.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

That, you know, that's something I wonder all the time. You know, uh uh someone I remember uh an optometrist once said, uh you could be a pilot. And I said, Well, I I choose uh Seinfeld show. And he said, What? I said, he said, you could be a pilot, like an Air Force pilot. And I said, Oh, I I thought you meant pilot of a TV show. Uh and he just stared at me and said, You can go. Uh so I've never gone back. So I'm assuming that was like when I was like eight or nine. I'm assuming I still have 2020 division. You're assuming Yeah. How many fingers am I holding up? Uh well, technically all five are up, but close enough. Okay, see, killing it. And that's that's from a man with glasses right there. Absolutely. So one thing uh here, uh again, no fair housing law. You're not trying to lead me down any path, but uh, what do you see a guy like me? You know, he's going into his um latest 30s, which is my 40s, um, and I feel a call to be more present uh and be somewhere kind of hip, um, but also not have to deal with any type of traffic, you know, um crime, uh loud noises, uh restaurants I don't understand or aren't familiar to me, um music that could be playing too loud anywhere, um movie theaters, but like the good ones, you know, like not not not the not the little ones, but they show like random movies.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Yeah, you know what I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Where's a space like that somewhere, maybe around the Twin Cities you would recommend? You want someplace around the Twin Cities that has no fun things whatsoever.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

Um I mean sure. Egan? Write it down. There you go. How long would you think a bus ride would be from this studio to Egan? I don't know if they have buses in Egan. That's a deal breaker. Oh okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

I'm a bus I'm a bus rider. You go to Bloomington. Well, Bloomington, eh? But but you're gonna have a hard time avoiding shopping malls.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

I don't mind the shopping malls. I feel safe when I go to a mall because I know the stores. You know, I hate going downtown to small towns and there's a name, like some guy's name, and there's the he this guy made his own shop. And yeah, bring me, bring me a Starbucks, dude. Like, I don't know you, I don't know how good your coffee is, you know. At least at Starbucks you know exactly what you're getting everywhere you go. Sure. They're not a sponsor for the show yet, but I'm pretty sure we're gonna get them. I I bet after that you will. Thank you. You know, thanks, man. I like I I I kept trying to I mentioned Disney like every other episode just to try to get a free trip going. This is exactly the kind of show Disney likes to sponsor. Thank you. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's it's it's whimsical, it's fun. I sing here and there, uh, and instead we gotta cease and desist. Go figure. I think that's the worst thing Disney's ever done. I I feel betrayed by Mickey, to be honest. And I think I'm gonna get in trouble for saying that. I know that. I know that. I know, I know. Okay, so Egan and Bloomington, I'm gonna look into them. And while I look into that, listeners, we're gonna go ahead and take a little ad break. Brian Clapper, thank you for being here. Are you cool sticking around? I guess so. Okay, that's uh that's just as much consent as we need. Thank you so much. We'll be back in just a little bit. You stay tuned to the radio. Don't you change the E dial just because there's ads, because we need the ads, as you well know, and just as Disney knows, we need this. Please, please, please, please, please, please don't change. Um, please don't change it during the ads. Oh man, dude, it's like leading a horse to water with these guys. You can't can't make them drink. Are you doing well? Are you feeling okay?

SPEAKER_00 11:46

I guess so.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

Okay, yeah. So do you like do you like own your own house?

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

What's that like?

SPEAKER_00 11:56

I mean, it's okay. Except that I have to fix all the problems that pop up.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Wait, I feel like I have to do that right now.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

You're your friend doesn't do that for you?

SPEAKER_01 12:04

No, no, no, no. I mean we're we're renting.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Oh, you're you're renting a house and you have 40 ferrets in it.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

Well, 40 at the max, yeah, I would say. But every time like something goes wrong, and and a lot of times it's you usually it's because ferrets are chewing on wires and they're pulling stuff out, you know, and plumbing is weird. And you've I don't know if you've ever woken up like 30 ferrets just running around all over you and the dark. Not recently, no. Man, I guess what uh in the basement. Um, there's no windows in there either, so I don't even know if the sun's up or not. And they had chewed the the electric, so I couldn't turn the lights on, so it was just so dark. And um I just covered in you know, I I won't lie, Glenn. That sounds like fucking torture. Yeah, right. Because uh I got called a bitch for crying about it. I was banging on the door, like screaming for for Lewis to let me out. And um yeah, man. Um I think I gotta move.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Oh, we're coming back uh from the break. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

All right, Khoo. 87.9. That was an ad for Joe's Jack Shack. Get cranked up at Joe's Jack Shack. That can't be real. Oh, I'm in the studio today with Brian Clapper. Brian is a real estate uh broker, you said. Yeah. Okay, cool. So uh is it easier to get a broker's license or a fixer's license? Because uh that one's bro, one breaks, right? One fixes. Uh that's a little joke. Uh that's a little joke for you. You can use that too. I know you uh you have a lot of comedy in your um I I will definitely not use that joke. Oh, oh, okay. Because because it was mine and I did it so well. No, because it's yours. Yeah. Sure. But um uh brokering, do you run your own company? Yes, dude. I mean, what's the name of your company? Maker real estate. Maker real estate. Maker. Do you have a slogan? No. Do you want one? Sure. Go ahead. Um uh maker real estate, maker or breaker. Can I take a different one? I don't like that one as much. Unless you want it.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

It's a first draft. We can always try harder and maybe a brainstorm, not a brain drizzle.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Exactly. Okay. Um maker real estate. Maker, your dreams come true. That's actually a really good one. Oh, really? Yeah, I mean that. Well, okay. That's I mean, I give you full permission. I guess we're doing a free ad for you, but hey, you you know, hey, why not? You know, we're gonna give you the K who bump. That's right. Uh Glenn Sheen himself tells you, listeners, to go ahead and get some real estate from Brian Clapper at Maker Real Estate. So with Maker Real Estate, with Brian Clapper, with your online presence, what's next for you?

SPEAKER_00 14:51

You know, I don't necessarily plan very far ahead. I just kind of do. And stuff happens.

SPEAKER_02 14:59

Like I said, man, your your soul is wise. There's a Buddha vibe from you. Have you have you been told that before? Only because of my belly, yeah. Yeah, I get that one a lot as well. Yeah. I get that. Uh I love um there's a couple different um Chinese buffets I love to go to all the time. And um, I always, you know, this is one guy who's always like, oh, Buddha's here, you know. And um, yeah. He just sits outside there, he doesn't even work there, but still feels official, you know?

unknown 15:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

So, Brian, we only have a couple minutes left in the interview. Uh, we have one thing we do at the end called the K Who Questionnaire. Okay. Uh, are you comfortable with me uh shooting some fun little questions at you and you just kind of shoot from the hip? Okay. Brian, mountains or beach? I don't know. I would rather ski on a mountain. Than on a beach? Yeah. You do you do you ski really? No. Me neither. Okay, I was gonna ask, because am I I just feel like I'm too top heavy and I have no insurance. So skiing's kind of dangerous. Okay, what's your favorite kind of muffin?

SPEAKER_00 15:59

They're all good. What kind of person has a favorite muffin?

SPEAKER_02 16:01

I mean, I do, and those are the mammoth muffins that I get out of the trash. What flavor? Oh, I'll take whatever they have. Uh, and it's usually the least popular ones. I'm always praying for the blueberries with the big old sugar crystals on top. Sure. Never. Often it's bran and raisin, which is good for me. It's fine. Uh okay. If you could time travel to the past or to the future, which direction would you go? I guess to the future. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

I mean, we're kind of already doing that, right? Just by living.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

At least like 10 minutes from now.

SPEAKER_02 16:32

You oh, just to be dumb with this? Yeah. Okay. The uh your account on uh Instagram is uh Brian Brian in MSP, Brian with a Y. Brian with a Y in MSP, and the Y goes where you think it goes. And then uh Brian in MSP, uh are you uh on uh the TikToks and the Yeah, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, threads. My friends out there, go ahead and do yourself a favor and please find this man online. He's such a joy and such a delight to watch. And I can tell you this as a for a fact, uh, a delight to have in the studio as well today. Brian Clapper, thank you so much for being here. Oh, thank you. It's been an absolute treat to have you here. Uh, and I can tell you this uh sometimes you're sitting in a dark place, maybe it's a basement with no windows, and you're covered in um, you know, rodents that you didn't know were gonna get into the vents, but you do have the solace of looking at your phone and seeing someone out in the world showing you better places to live. We've all been there. I think my experience is pretty universal. I really appreciate you saying that. Brian Clapper, thank you so much for being here. And hey, K whoo heads, don't turn that dial because you've got another solid rock block coming up right now with the band Creed. You know them, you love them, and if you don't love them, you know them. You know them so well. Please stick around and stay tuned.