[560] Economist finds beauty is more than skin deep on ‘MTSU On the Record’

MURFREESBORO — The correlation between physical appeal and real estate sales will be explored on the next edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Sean Salter, an associate professor of finance at MTSU, will air from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, May 5, and from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 11, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and www.wmot.org).

With Franklin Mixon of Columbus State University and the late Ernest King of the University of Southern Mississippi, Salter asked 402 people to look at photographs of real estate agents taken from the agents’ websites.

The agents were rated for their physical attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10. Then the researchers tracked the agents’ success rate with properties listed between June 2000 and November 2007.

They found that the agents who were considered more attractive had properties with higher listing prices and higher sales prices. However, Salter said this conclusion does not necessarily mean good-looking people always make better real estate agents.

“While more attractive agents might get more dollars per listing or more dollars per sale, they actually took fewer listings and (made) fewer sales than their less attractive counterparts,” Salter said.

To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to the “Audio Clips” archives at http://www.mtsunews.com.

For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.