Another casualty of the housing slump? That bowl of M&Ms

Sometimes the residential real estate business makes you chuckle. And in today’s housing market, that’s good; We can all use a snicker once in a while.

This story in the Los Angeles Times highlights a bit of the sillier side of the real estate business: the food served at what are known as agents’ caravans.

A caravan, in case you don’t know, is what those in the home-selling business call that one day a week when real estate agents spend the day touring each other’s home listings. In the old days, during the housing boom of 2001 through 2006, agents usually offered each other a light snack at these listings. As the Los Angeles Times story says, a bowl of M&Ms wasn’t unusual.

Today, that’s changed. In fact, in Malibu, the open house guide comes with symbols: A knife and fork represent agent open houses that are serving food. A wine glass means the open house comes stocked only with beverages.

The story highlights agents who have provided omelets, cooked to order by a private chef, at their open house. Other agents have served mocha frappes or their own homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Alas, M&Ms, you just don’t cut it anymore.