Marketing Your Home to Millennials
- 2017-03-02
- By Debbie Ford
- Posted in Downsizing, Home Selling Tips, Senior News
This year’s housing market is expected to be flooded with first-time homebuyers under the age of 35. The millennial generation, Americans aged 24-35, have been slow to enter the housing market, preferring instead to rent. As the economy continues to improve, this age group is poised to enter the home buying market in droves from 2017 to 2018.
Millennials are expected to make up 61 percent of all homebuyers this year. If you’re thinking of selling in the near future, how can you make sure you capture the attention of this sizeable market?
1. Market Your Home Online
While this almost goes without saying, marketing your home online is a crucial tool in capturing a potential buyer’s attention. This is particularly true when it comes to the millennial generation. They absorb almost all of their information on their smartphones and tablets.
Not only must your home be listed online, but be sure that your pictures and descriptions are optimized for online viewing. Professional photos that show your home in the best possible light are absolutely necessary. Without them, your potential buyer will move on without so much as ever stepping foot over the threshold. Keep in mind that you are not only competing with other homes in the neighborhood but also the image the buyer has concocted from watching home improvement and real estate reality television shows.
2. Highlight Your Home’s Spaciousness
Millennials are often looking for homes that are spacious, private, and safe. This age group is beginning to transition from renting, settle down, and start a new chapter of their life. Before marketing your home, do everything possible to maximize its space and emphasize its privacy. Carefully stage your furniture to maximize space and place unnecessary pieces in storage.
Remove all clutter and make your home as streamlined as possible. This group will be envisioning themselves entertaining friends and family as they view your home.
3. Highlight Your Neighborhood’s Amenities
Going beyond the location, make certain your marketing efforts include your neighborhood’s amenities. Access to outdoor recreation, bike trails, neighborhood eateries, and public transportation are all positive attributes in the minds of millennials.
They tend to value a neighborhood’s walkability score so be sure to mention anything that increases this score. Sites like walkscore.com allow you to plug your address in and get individualized feedback.
4. Find a Way to Sweeten the Deal
Most first-time homebuyers are concerned with the financial gravity of buying a home. They have been working to save a down payment and may not have a lot of extra money for appliances or remodeling. Consider throwing in a few extras to sweeten the deal and attract first-time homebuyers such as leaving existing appliances, providing a flooring allowance, or highlighting recent upgrades to the home’s mechanical systems. Including certain appliances in the sale can be a great option for those looking to downsize and rid themselves of items they no longer need.
Millennials, like most homebuyers, will also be looking for homes with updated kitchens and baths. These updates are among the most costly and first-time homebuyers often lack the funds to complete a major overhaul. As a seller, you may not want to make this substantial investment either, but new fixtures and paint are fairly inexpensive and can go a long way toward creating an updated look.
5. Create Room for a Home Office
An estimated 13 million Americans currently work from home as technology has made us all more mobile. From telecommuting to teleconferences on Skype, many of your potential buyers will be working from home at least occasionally. Marketing an extra bedroom or a flex space as a home office and staging it appropriately will help a potential buyer envision how this home will fit their life. Be ready to answer questions regarding cell and Internet strength and service providers as these things matter a great deal to the millennial homebuyer.
While this advice is targeted at the millennial homebuyer, it holds true for many other potential homebuyers. Current homeowners who are looking to upgrade or downsize will value space, privacy, and updated kitchen and baths as much as a new millennial buyer. However, with a population of approximately 83 million, millennials are a demographic that can not be ignored. Whether you market your home with them in mind or not, they are likely to be viewing your ad online and attending your open houses.
Whether your a senior who is ready to downsize or a millennial who is looking for your first home, contact us at 817-330-9235. We’d love to help you find the place that’s perfect for you!
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I just wanted to say thank you for all that you did in helping to liquidate my mother's estate. You made it bearable and pain-free. You are kind, courteous, friendly, professional & very knowledgeable.
[The Sullivans] were always available and knowledgeable. My phone calls were always returned in a timely manner. All of our needs were covered. We felt comfortable and secure throughout the entire procedure. You were great and I consider you as friends!
Thank you so much for your able assistance over the past couple of months. We would not have been able to move so quickly without your help. As it has turned out, we got just the apartment we wanted at just the right time. You subcontractors were all able to do what we needed done and pleasant to work with. We would be glad to recommend them to anyone who asks. I have to mention the movers in particular. They moved our stuff in a monsoon, and took such good care of it that we had no damage; nothing even got wet. Except them. I was very anxious about the whole process and am glad to have it finished. However, I would have been a basket case without you. It wasn't just that you knew what you were doing, it was that I could ask you anything and you could answer calmly and knowledgeably. That was so reassuring, affirming that the process was moving forward according to plan and that all would be well.
I appreciate all y'all did for us in managing the sale of my parents' home. Blessings to both of you and your team. I am grateful!
From our first meeting with Ingrid I was impressed with her positive attitude about everything. It was all so overwhelming from the "get go" and I needed the strength she provided. I was amazed at all the contacts that were available just for the asking. I thought I would have to find all of these contacts on my own. This in itself gave me tremendous peace of mind. Your service is a "10" with all your contacts a phone call away. Each person who contacted us was very professional...Can't say enough about people who got the job done!
Ingrid, I wanted to thank you and John for helping my mom smoothly transition to Arlington Plaza. Mom is happier than I have ever seen her and is just blossoming in her new digs. Blessings to you and John for the services you provide to our seniors. Fantastic job!
How AWESOME you two are! I will never be able to thank you enough for the marvelous way you took care of me during my move. You went above and beyond anything I ever expected. You accommodated me in every way…Really, you outdid yourself and I will forever by grateful. Without question I will recommend you to all my friends. Thank you again for everything. I’ll never forget you.
We attended a downsizing event [and] we were impressed with the Sullivan Team immediately… We think you did everything right with all of the roadblocks put in the way regarding [our property]. You were available anytime we reached out and you kept us informed at about each and every step. You are professional and direct and shoot from the hip – but with compassion when needed. Thank you again! Hope the best for you for the years ahead.
I can’t say too many good things about Ingrid! She helped me sell a home, remotely, as I moved a dear relative to an assisted living facility in my state. She helped find movers, cleaners, and any other provider I needed. She and her husband also spent time staging our home and dealing with all types of picky details that were beyond me from a thousand miles away. She also convinced my buyer to switch banks to make the transaction smoother (before the underwriting started), and found a second title company at the last minute to accommodate a non-traditional sale that seemed to confuse the initial company we worked with. We got ten showings in the 1st two days, resulting in six offers by the 3rd day! Ingrid is the best! I have bought and sold many properties in my lifetime and she has been the strongest agent I have ever engaged!
Ingrid & John – You two have been such a blessing to myself and others who have had to make a big change in their lives.
Ingrid Sullivan’s experience and guidance was so valuable in guiding my father through all the steps of pre-sale house preparation and the selling process. She helped things go so much smoother by anticipating the possible issues during the sale and even when unexpected surprises occurred. The financial outcome was great!
I feel as if I have not had the opportunity to thank you for all the work you did for me and my family. I depended on you and your expertise to make this deal happen and you did not let me down. You fought every battle that arose, and there were many, and you made things happen. Thank you; you are a true professional and I am so glad you were on my side…I am so glad I got to meet you and work with you and I will be forever grateful for that relationship. I know you will help many families who are lucky enough to learn about you.
Update August 2016: I hope you are doing well. I have thought a lot about you lately for a couple of reasons. It has been one year since I left Arlington for Chicago…doesn’t seem possible. After a very difficult transition, I finally realized that I made the right decision and know I belong here…I enjoyed working with you. You were very helpful when I was going through the worst time of my life. Being in Chicago [with my daughter’s family] has changed my life for the better.
John was very determined to find me a buyer. He also got me a better deal than I thought we could get. Thanks!! Very pleased.
You are approachable and easy to communicate with. The process [of selling my mother’s home] was simple and easy.
You are dependable and keep your promises – and you stay in contact! You always gave us confidence in your decisions – we never doubted your integrity. You were determined to see that we are satisfied with all aspects of our purchase – and we are!
John and Ingrid were wonderful. Working with other specialized teams, they arranged to up-date my home, sell my treasures that I could not take with me and listed the property quickly. They personally supervised the progress of every aspect of my move. As a result I had an offer on my home of 39 years the first day listed. I would recommend their team highly.
Ingrid and her husband, John, were wonderful to work with. The guidance they gave me in selling my home was excellent. I had my house on the market for just two days – 36 showings and 7 offers within two days. I highly recommend Ingrid. You won’t be sorry.
We highly recommend Ingrid and John Sullivan of Keller Williams. They lead a superb team of contractors, stagers and photographers that got our home sold at our price in four days (after 15+ showings). Bottom line: Go ahead and downsize and/or start packing…THEN call the Sullivans. Expect things to happen quickly.
Ingrid, thank you for being all that you were as our Realtor. We appreciate all the time and devotion you gave us. Your expertise made everything work well and knowing you were always there for us helped make our transition easier.
Making this change in my life was daunting and difficult, but John and Ingrid tried very hard to make it as easy as possible. They kept me informed and up to date on everything! I felt great relief when they came on board and I feel I’ve made new friends.
You are very thorough and you know other good, reliable & honest people to help you. Good follow-up on everything. Thank you so much.
I send you both a prayer of thanks every time the thought crosses my mind (often) of how not having my mother’s house hanging over my head has lightened my load and thus, my life. Be assured–you are the ones I will recommend to anyone i know who is buying or selling a home. Thank you!
Ingrid provided exemplary customer service from the first meeting. She came fully prepared with all the comparable properties and information for me on the process of selling. She immediately instilled confidence and trust. On the third day she brought me 5 offers, one way above asking price because the buyer really wanted the house. She guided me through each step and has a superb network of people to assist on any task or repair. She went above and beyond many times, especially advising my son who was selling a house in another state and needed her thoughts on how to improve its visibility. She is the best at her job and you will love working with her. There is not a high enough level to describe her professionalism and dedication.
Mom and I want to thank you for selling our house. We know that it wasn’t an easy task – we had problems we didn’t even know about. But thanks to your expertise we got it done. You have a great team of people that also helped us out. Please send our thanks.
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