Real estate agent pokes fun at Twin Cities suburbs. Closings ensue.

After two years of inconsistent revenue, Twin Cities real estate agent Bryan Clapper decided to promote himself on social media armed with only his wits, video production skills and snarky personality.

In January, he posted a now viral pitch that Canada annex Minnesota (“We’re the only state whose motto is in French!”). This spring, he launched his uber-popular “Get to Know” series poking lighthearted fun of various Twin Cities suburbs.

The suburban series offers practical real estate information (B-roll of the community’s housing stock and amenities), fun facts (Google street view was legally barred in North Oaks — who knew?) and pithy insights (Apple Valley really is home to an outsize number of fried-chicken joints).

And in a field known for blandly plastering its agents’ faces on billboards and bus benches, Clapper’s jokes set him apart.

On Maple Grove: “Houses range from 20-year-old beige boxes to brand-new gray boxes with garages bigger than the house you grew up in.”

On Roseville: “The safe choice. Like buying a Toyota or telling people your favorite music is whatever’s playing on the Current.”

On Edina: “Far enough from downtown for folks here to have two country clubs, but still close enough that they can say they’re from Minneapolis when it makes them sound cooler.”

Clapper attributes the love for his videos to locals’ simultaneous penchant for humility — and pride in exceptionalism. “I mean, we’re Minnesotans,” he says. “We don’t like to talk about ourselves, but we love it whenever people talk about us.”

We chatted with Clapper about snob stereotypes, business growth, and merch promoting the underrated suburb he describes as “the male best friend in a romantic comedy.” This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What happened after the Canada video garnered millions of views?

A couple people reached out who were interested in working with me, so I said, OK, this is clearly what I need to start doing. So I took the filters off, and said, I’m just gonna completely be myself. And I am a sarcastic, foul-mouthed person.

So your videos can weed out potential clients whose personalities don’t jibe.

Were you afraid roasting the suburbs would turn people off?

We are taught in real estate that you always have to be upbeat and positive. I’m not necessarily being negative about any of the communities; I’m just playing on the stereotypes that we all already believe about them. I’m not necessarily saying that Edina is full of snobs; I’m saying that it has the reputation of having some snobby people. There probably are just as many snobs in neighboring communities as there are in Edina, but that stereotype makes it fun. And I think a lot of people in Edina are in on the joke.

And the joke isn’t always making fun of the cities themselves.

In the Maple Grove video, the joke is about giving up the fun years of your life, becoming a parent and moving out to the suburbs, having a 9-to-5 and all that stuff. The jokes in the Stillwater are not about Stillwater. They’re about Wisconsin.

So no mayors have clapped back yet. Have any city leaders responded?

Will you do more community videos?

I have a plan now to do a minimum of 50, as long as I can keep them funny. I want to do Rochester, Duluth and a few of the neighborhoods in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Why did you make “Trash Panda Rapids” mugs?

Growing up in Shoreview, I had this preconceived notion of Coon Rapids based on what people were saying about it. But it’s an awesome community. I’ve sold houses there to a bunch of different people. People are really proud of Coon Rapids, but they also probably agree that the name is a little weird.

The merch is to facilitate taking a lighthearted look at yourself. But I don’t want people to mistake the merch for me trying to make money from this or wanting to be a famous influencer.

I tripled my expected income this year. I had as many closings in July as I had in almost all of last year. So that’s been great from a business standpoint. But I would also say from a mental health standpoint, the fact that my business has become more consistent has made it way more enjoyable for me.

Do you have other videos in the works?

I’ve got a couple other ideas to share actual helpful information for real estate, but in a funny way. I’ve already made those boring videos, like, “Here’s what a gravity furnace looks like.” I gotta find a way to make them funny.