Being a real estate agent can be exciting, but it can come with its share of challenges, as well. This can be particularly true when it comes to working with new groups of home buyers, in particular, millennials. This group of home buyers is growing, and they tend to have different needs and expectations than home buyers in the past. By taking time to understand them and their unique needs, you can help increase your sales to millennial home buyers.
Be Aware of Their Financial Situations
While many people in different generations carry some kind of debt, more than any other group millennials are struggling with large amounts of debt from things like student loans and credit cards. Understandably, this can make the home buying process more difficult for them, especially when it comes to finding suitable homes in their price range, as well as getting financed in the first place. If you’re working with millennials, being sensitive to their particular financial situation can be beneficial. Part of this not only involves being aware of the kinds of debt they are dealing with, but also being knowledgeable about mortgage refinance rates and other kinds of financing that will work for them.
Understand the Technology They Use
One thing that many millennials make use of is technology. Not only do they use it frequently in their day to day lives, but they also use it when it comes to seeking out the right house. In many cases this will mean that they make use of home buying apps that feature listings. They will also likely have spent some time online doing their own research about houses and the housing market. The more that you can keep up with new apps and technology related to real estate, the more you can have a clear idea of how they are looking at things, and what kind of information they are accessing to select homes and form opinions on them.
Know That They Can Sometimes Be Hard To Please
Because many millennials will likely have done plenty of their own research online about homes and the housing market before they even contact you, you will need to be prepared for a client that has already educated themselves and has already defined their opinions and expectations in some areas. This can potentially be a great asset, and in fact make your job easier.
The more that the home buyer knows about what they are getting into, the easier it can make the process for you. However, it can also make your job more challenging in other ways as well. When you have home buyers that have already done some work to educate themselves, it may be difficult to explain some things to them if your information differs from their research or challenges their understanding of the market. By being prepared for both the positive and occasionally negative aspects of working with millennial home buyers, you can be better able to manage the situation.
Learn What Appeals To Them
Another important part of working with millennials is understanding what appeals to them. Increasingly, millennials tend to seek out homes that have had updates to the kitchen and bathroom, and that have open concepts. Millennials are also much more likely to opt for a pre-owned home, rather than a brand new one, and they are also much more likely to be concerned about where their home is located, and how close it is to their work or children’s school. New trends like energy efficient homes are also a growing trend for millennial home buyers, not only because they can help them save money, but also because they are more eco-conscious.
The Takeaway
Working as a real estate agent can be a lot of fun, but it can be challenging as well, especially when those you are working with have a specific set of requirements or needs. That doesn’t mean though, that you need to feel stressed. By taking some time to research trends and what millennial home buyers want, you can increase your odds of making sales.
