Today I ran across the infographic shown below (Top Amenities Home Shoppers Want In Their Next Community)from John Burns Real Estate Consulting that lists the top 25 amenities home shoppers are looking for in their next community. The graphic compares the wants of three different generations (Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y).
- Start a conversation with the prospective home buyer about their wants and needs. When working with a prospective homebuyer, don’t assume you know what they want based on this graphic or even your gut instinct. Ask your client to really think about what’s important to them in their next community. They may not have thought too deeply about their needs before you ask.
Print out this graphic and use it as a conversation starter with your homebuyer:
- Do they agree with the list for their generation?
- What items would they move up or down the list?
- What’s not on the list that should be?
The more you know about your home buyer’s priorities when shopping for a home, the better you’ll be able to select the right homes to show your client. Selecting homes that more closely align with their needs and wants will tighten the sales cycle. Practices like these can increase your referral business too.
- Start a conversation with the home seller about the benefits of their home. Your client is selling their home. For whatever reason it may be — job relocation, family expansion, budgetary issues, or getting out of a home they just don’t like — your client should be able to tell you at least three things that are great about the neighborhood.
Show this graphic to your sellers to help spur a conversation related to what items they think should be showcased and highlighted in the home listing or when talking to prospective buyers. Also identify the detractors of the home as well. This will help you and your client think objectively about the home and help you start the conversation regarding the right price for the listing.
- Craft better advertising messages to sell your listings. The graphic provides information regarding generational preferences. Use this information as an inspirational guide to crafting your home’s description.
Do you use social media as your main communication vehicle? Review your analytics information to see what generation your fans/followers/etc belong to and use this graphic as a guide to choose what amenity information your audience will likely care most about.
Conversely, are you mainly a newspaper print advertiser? Ask your sales rep for a snapshot of their reader’s demos and match your message accordingly. (Without misleading them, of course. Don’t advertise that a house is close to grocery stores when it’s really not!)
In what other way would you use this information?