It takes money to make money, but these days real estate agents are having to dig deeper into their pockets to lure clients to their listings.
Heidi Huebner and Beth Brown of Coldwell Banker Shaver Lake Real Estate hired a strech Hummer limo to take 40 clients to see 13 luxury homes in the Shaver Lake area. The would-be buyers munched on tasty treats, enjoyed a special lunch and spent the day viewing houses ranging in price from $700,000 to $3.8 million.

Huebner, a real estate agent for two years, said she and Brown found sponsors to help defray the cost, but still shelled out some of their own money to help pay for the tour. But the cost was worth it, she said, to expose the attributes of Shaver Lake to others.

Huebner said the tour showed people that Shaver Lake has more than just cabins, as this photo confirms. "It was a fun day to get out in the mountains and see what Shaver had to offer," she said, adding that they hope to do a similar

promotion next fall. Next time, they may arrange boat rides on the lake.

No houses were sold during the event and Huebner said she didn't really expect to. "It puts our names out to quite a few people," she said. "You have to get your name out and show product."