Jay Granieri got into pickleball after it recently experienced a resurgence in popularity in the U.S. He also discovered that it was a perfect fit for his real estate business.
A combination of tennis and ping pong, the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., pickleball's social aspect makes it a great pastime that connects you to more people in your community, says SRS Granieri, a broker with One Sotheby's International Realty in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “What other sport brings all ages together? Pickleball bridges the age gap. You'll see millennials on the court and post-parent couples, and we all go to happy hour together. There's a great social connection outside of the sport.”
Since the pandemic, indoor and outdoor pickleball courts have been popping up in vacant malls and retail stores, breathing new life into abandoned commercial spaces. An estimated 36.5 million Americans played pickleball last year, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Once thought of as a sport for retirees, pickleball is now attracting younger people. The oldest age group for pickleball players is 18-34 years old, making up about 30% of the market, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Mr. Granieri once hosted 40 people he'd met on the pickleball court for a happy hour at his home, and as he expanded his circle of friends, he noticed a pattern: The daytime players were affluent retirees talking about investing in vacation homes, while the evening players were young professionals talking about buying their first home.
Granieri said he's been attracting real estate prospects through his pickleball connections — for example, he recently met an investor on the court and is now working with him on a land acquisition deal for a housing development — and one of his pickleball friends introduced him to a friend who had moved from out of state and was a semi-pro pickleball player who was attracted to the idea of working with an agent involved in the sport.
Granieri also plays with other real estate pros, and created a Facebook group with about 500 Sotheby's agents to share pickleball tips and news of upcoming events. Earlier this year, the Sotheby's International Real Estate conference in Las Vegas hosted a “Pickleball Connect event,” where agents could network and learn the game.
Pickleball also provides opportunities for community service: This fall, Granieri is taking part in Pickleball-palooza, a charity event aimed at raising funds for Florida Girls Giving Back, an organization that helps underserved families and youth in the area.
“It's the camaraderie of sports,” Granieri says of pickleball. “You get to know a lot of people, and they naturally want to work with you. I like to call it 'sweat work' rather than networking. You're dinking the ball and sometimes you're making deals.”