Full disclosure: I am Gen Y. Full disclosure: My mom is not.
My mom and I happen to both be searching for homes to purchase right now, and we are going about it in very different ways. After hearing about her home search, and comparing it to my own, I began to think about how difficult it can be for an agent when switching back and forth from a “seasoned” buyer, to a “novice” buyer, and how agents need to be diversified in order to excel in this business.
This is a difficulty that did not exist 10 years ago.
Previously, all buyers were generally the same. They used a realtor they had used in the past, or one that had come highly recommended from a family member or close friend. They decided on an area to purchase in after many drive-bys and from pictures found in the weekly real estate section of the local newspaper. Let’s call these buyers, “seasoned” buyers.
Today, buyers come from all over, and use realtors they find online. Houses are pre-scouted online, neighborhoods are “walked” by using Google Maps, and classifieds are found through the local craigslist page. Let’s call these buyers, “novice” buyers.
My mom falls under the category of “seasoned” buyer. She found the neighborhood she wanted to live in by driving with her agent in a progressively wider radius from my niece’s new school. Her agent pointed out areas he thought were best, and she finally found the neighborhood she wanted. She was lucky enough to find a new development, where she was able to build the house she wanted, and discovered the development through ads in her local newspaper.
I fall under the category of “novice” buyer. I do all my research online, and then only contact my agent when I find a place that is interesting, so I can view it in person, and she can write up my offer if necessary.
As an agent, you have to be prepared for both types of buyers (and all those in between!). You need to be able to diversify from driving someone around all day, making sure you’re showing them everything they would want to see, to meeting someone at one property at a time that they have found for themselves.
What do you think? Do you find yourself balancing between several types of buyers? Or are they all starting to become similar?
(House hunting in Canada with my mom and niece. Well, obviously not, but fun none the less.)
By the way, my name is Pauline Perenack, and I’m the Marketing Manager here at RES.NET. Maybe you have probably seen me around the internet, or met me at conferences, so I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce RES.NET to you as well. Feel free to find me on LinkedIn, or on our Facebook page, or contact me at any time through ActiveRain if you have any questions!
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