3 ways millennial home buyers want you to communicate
Millennial home buyers communicate differently than prior generations, and it can affect how you do business with them. Fortunately, how they communicate isn’t entirely alien. There are 3 overarching ways to successfully communicate with millennial home buyers.
- Develop your skills at building relationships and negotiating.
- Have good texting etiquette, because millennial home buyers like to text.
- Use live streaming and video along with traditional pictures and written reviews.
Develop your skills at building relationships and negotiating
Millennials tend to have a desire for community. That desire plays a role in how they choose a real estate agent. They want to work with someone who’s not only an expert but also sociable, someone they’d feel comfortable hanging out with outside of business. (This doesn’t mean you must become best friends with every client. It does mean you’ll need sharp interpersonal skills to make them see you as at least an acquaintance.)
To best connect with your millennial home buyers, ask probing questions about them. Millennial Buyers do a ton of their own research before they work with you. As such, they’re less interested in having an agent who will tell them what to do or act as the only authority in the process. Millennials want their agents to act as partners who are working with them.
Build trust by showing them your knowledge of the areas they want to live in, but don’t make your expertise the sole focus. Millennials, perhaps more than any other generation, crave authenticity. If they feel like you’re pushing too hard to sell them something they don’t want or condescending, they’ll grow cold quickly.
Finally, millennials know it’s a Seller’s market. They value agents who can negotiate on their behalf and help them hit their affordability goals. In fact, 73% of millennial home buyers consider strong negotiation skills extremely important when considering agents. A home warranty is one way to fulfill their need for affordability and desire for the best terms possible.
Have good texting etiquette, because millennial home buyers like to text
Millennial home buyers prefer texting to phone calls. This means that you’ll need to brush up on your texting etiquette. This includes proofreading your texts before you send them out, especially if your phone uses autocorrect. (Remember that autocorrect generally bases its changes on words and phrases you use often.) For an even deeper dive into proper texting etiquette, check out our article, “Texting Etiquette for Real Estate Agents.”
Another thing to consider when texting is the fact that millennial home buyers expect agents to be readily available. Whether it’s midnight or 5 a.m., some millennial home buyers will expect you to answer promptly. As you learn more about your clients, ask them what their expectations are in communication. You can give them an idea for when you’re available and then ask whether that works for them.
Use live streaming and video along with traditional pictures and written reviews
Live streaming an open house or showing is a strong way to stoke a millennial home buyer’s interest in the home. It can give them a sneak peek at the house before they visit it in person (or serve as a proxy visit during COVID-19 lockdowns). This can complement their tendencies to do as much online research as possible before committing to anything.
Another smart way to communicate with millennial home buyers is by getting video testimonials from satisfied clients. Though this can be challenging—since many people are camera shy—it can also pay off. Though millennials rely on online reviews more than any other generation, they can sometimes be wary of written reviews. Written reviews are easier to fake than video reviews. Having just 1 or 2 video testimonials that supplement your written reviews can establish your authenticity with millennial home buyers.
However, it’s important that you use video and live streaming in tandem with traditional photos and written reviews, not instead of. While millennials certainly use video and technology more than past generations, they still want to read things. An NAR report found that only 23% of millennial home buyers considered video helpful. As you use video, continue to provide high-quality pictures and comprehensive floor plans. Whenever possible, encourage satisfied customers to leave you positive reviews on Google.
As you communicate with millennial home buyers, remember that affordability and authenticity are extremely important to them. Building lasting relationships with them by focusing on those factors can lead to more referrals for you down the line.
2-10 HBW offers comprehensive systems and appliances home warranties to help protect your clients from unexpected repair and replacement costs. Contact us to learn more.
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