Real estate is one of those careers you can carry on for decades, and there are lots of baby boomers working as agents. They’re used to methodologies of a few decades ago, when personal service was your calling card and the telephone the tool of the trade. In the good ol’ days, we’d drive our customers round and round and choose properties for them. They relied on us to have that secret stash of listings, saved for our eyes only (we thought).
Though boomers are still in the real estate market selling and buying, agents are now dealing with a whole new trope: the millennials (born 1982-2002) and they comprise a good segment of the buying public. These twenty and thirty somethings now have careers, a few dollars left over after paying off college debt, and they’re looking to buy.
So, real estate agents, how do you tailor your approach to serve this sector?
Firstly, these babes were brought up on computers and smartphones. They demand instant information and can use their thumbs at lightning speeds to send text messages throughout the day. (We’re still clicking key by key with our index fingers). Your listings have to be online, at the ready, up to date and spectacular, as does all the accompanying info.
When it comes to advertising, remember that M’s don’t read the newspaper much, they don’t care a wink about banner ads, and there are so many entries on social media these days, it’s getting to the point where they just don’t have time. These young savvy folks will know if you haven’t updated your listings. Or done your homework.
They’d like you to get personal with them, get to know them, and really figure out what they’d like in a home. Doing some research and reminding these customers of the fun and exciting things they will find and enjoy in their new neighborhood, and other similar clients you have recently served, that’s happy news to these buyers.
Do the advance work to preview listings, so you can choose those with the most potential for actual viewing. They will appreciate not wasting their precious time. A familiarity session to evaluate those preferences can best be conducted online. They do want your help in going through the process, as they’re new to this routine, but they think fast and work fast. Get their docs saved on a zip drive, send docs to sign online.
Get some great virtual tours onto their devices, and don’t waste time dragging them around to inappropriate places. Incorporate drone photography to show the lay of the land.
Millennials, just like older folks, are always impressed by expertise, personality and empathy. You just have to step it up and work a little faster to get them to choose your brand. Use your smarts, your experience and all the tools of the modern age, to engage, educate and assist. Get with it, and you’ll be blessed with a whole new world of potential customers.
