Home Staging Secret:- Marketing to Gen X and Y is NOT about speaking ebonics! It's just like staging itself; it's about recognizing the "preferred settings" in their lifestyle and making home buying fit into that particular paradigm. Here are 7 tips to help you hip up... or zizz it, as my 16 year old cousin in London says! (and for the rest of this article Gen x and y will be lumped together into one generation... because I'm old enough now that I can do that!)
1. WEBmaxed
This is a generation that does EVERYTHING online. They grew up on it, understand it, and begin every chapter, every challenge that way. make sure the listing is findable. Findable in lots of places and findable without the realtor. Each hit should link to the listing realtor and the listing should be clearly identified with the lister. So, realtors: make each listing findable wihout you, but easy to get in touch with you once the buyers are looking at the page.
2. On Demand
Anyone see the article on yahoo about people cramming 30 hours worth into a 24 hour day? This generation is all about immediate accessibiltiy. To capture them, you need to have your house ready for showing whenever...before work, after, before school, on lunch, weekends, Mondays, all of it! I recently had a young investment banker client who didn't get home until 10:00 p.m. every night and worked weekends. We compromised with 9:00p.m. appointments. They were brutal, but the only thing that fit his schedule. If I wanted his business....
3. Buy It Now
Young people want instant gratification. Duh!
"Quick and efficient sales are important to young people who have enormous demands on their time and little patience" says Karen Gravelle of DigitalCustom. "to make a decision, they need to have an efficient presentation of options, understand the pricing factors and be able to complete the sale as as quickly as they would like."
Many realtors will have monthly payments factored out, with 3 different %s down and have that sheet available at the showing. I recommend going one step further. Include all the costs, and then annualize the payments. e.g. This home will cost you $24,000 a year - $500 a month in utilities and $1,500 in mortgage payment. Also included should be:-
...all presented at the time they walk into the house, so that the whole thing is turn-key.
4. Color It Mine
A simple design, a clean clear message of what is being offered, amplified with color and whimsy. Look at catalogues like West Elm and you'll see neutral colors on all the big stuff and some serious "punch" coming from vibrant accessories. (in groups of 1,3 or 5). Have the brochure lady photoshop the pictures of the rooms in 2 other colorways. If the room is beige with chocolate brown and red, show it white with cobalt blue and pale maple or cream with apple green and mahogany. Think Web 2.0 and allow the buyers to instantly see how they could customize this very look for themselves.
5. Destination
If Starbucks, Borders, Barnes and Noble and Neiman Marcus can teach us anything it is that in the retail world, the more successul stores are the destination ones. So make the home a destination. Have a coffe pot ready to go, snacks in the fridge, speakers and presentations held at the Sunday Open House...performances even. Retailers and event marketers can teach us a lot about experiential marketing. After all, we want a buyer to really experience the house, not just wander through it like an art gallery.
6. Analaytics/Metrics
I notice the younger realtors I work with have formulas for things. Makes sense - there's so much information easily available these days, it makes sense to speak in metrics. "This house is 87% bigger than the others on the block, it has a 95 Hot Buy ranking from the top 20 realtors in our area, its Value is in the number of bedrooms to baths and the depth of the back yard." Yes, buying a house is an emotional decision, but these kids know that and want to have some metrics to back it up, so that they don't feel ripped off.
7. Meet the Parents
When I was a realtor, the #1 enemy was the best friend. She/he was the Professional Objector, more than a total PITA, she was the Deal Buster! (I used to take a buddy of mine out with one client so that my buddy could distract and deal with my client's "helpful friend.") It would be logical therefore to think the parents would be the same killjoys. They tend not to be. And... they will often chip in.
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Juliet Johnson home stages luxury real estate in suburban New Jersey.
I merchandise high-end homes in NJ w/ staging & re-design to add the right perceived value so as to speed & maximize each sale. We illustrate the potential & options within all architectural styles.
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Juliet, this is a great article. I agree with your points - you touched on some real key issues. Well done.
Thanks for the information. These buyers tend to make decisions a bit differently, but they're alot of fun to work with, not to mention, very easy to communicate with(email and texting).
Juliet, Instead of "the best friend" I refer to them as " The Third Base Coach", They can kill a deal quickly.
Juliet, this is a great idea, but do they have the "Bling-Bling"?
What an awesome blog Juliet. I will agree with every statement you have made coming from one that just missed the Gen X category and lumped into Gen Y :) Keep them coming.
Good post. The text messages and quick email follow up is so true with the younger buyers. Parents are mostly helpful these days too.
Excellent article...i enjoyed reading this one..
Dave Sulvetta REALTOR-Associate
Cell 856 889-8163
Century 21 Hearst
Camden County NJ Realtor, Camden County Real Estate, Gloucester County Realtor, Gloucester County Real Estate, Burlington County Real Estate
http://www.davesulvetta.com
http://www.camdencountyrealestatenews.com
email; dave@davesulvetta.com
Juliet;
THIS IS FABULOUS! I use these analogies all the time in explaining there is a huge difference in the buying habits of generations X and Y. To be successful, you need to know them, acknowledge them and market to them. Great job!
Juliet, this is an absolutely excellent post. I think the information is right on track with describing todays home buyer and their trends/needs/behaviors. Just excellent!
I love it!!! If I were sorting through a list of homes, that'd be the first one I'd look at for sure!
Awesome article Juliette! I enjoyed it immensely. Have a great day!
This is featured in the Real World of Home Staging Newbie Group! Hope the Rain gods give you a gold star as well. Great article; excellent content.
LOL -- I AM a generation X'er with a 4 month old baby; I read your blog title and immediately thought of an actual baby crib. Great points!
Hi Juliet -
I loved this article. Having a 19 & 22 yr old you'd think I would already be thinking along these lines! I have a question and please, please don't be offended as I honestly don't know the protocol in these circumstances. I'm fairly new and trying to put together a realtors email newletter thru Constant Contact. Would it be possible for me to forward this to them, with full credit/disclosure to you (and your contact information, picture if you'd like etc). I think a lot of my realtors would appreciate the great ideas you included. If you do not want me to do this, that is fine too and I would respect your decision :) Thanks!
Patti, how very kind! I would love you to include this piece or anything else of mine. Perhaps you might include a link to my website where they can sign up for a free copy of my Spring Selling tips. If they sign on after May 31st, they'll get the Summer tips.
My website is http://www.julietjohnsonstaging.com
Juliet,
This just goes to show that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks a ton from one old dog, I'm bookmarking this!
Thanks, Susan.
Much has been written on these folks in other venues, and I've been wondering how we should adapt for them to make them more comfortable in the real estate world. We all deal with first time buyers - stagers, realtors, inspectors, title guys, attorneys - all of us. It seemed time to start to put some thoughts together on how their "preferred settings" so to speak might be applied to how we relate to them.
Tori Lynn - that's very funny. Hope the baby is a good sleeper.
Cheers, Karen and thank you!
U R rite on!
I'm of the Gen X persuasion (and proud of it!) but we're also marketing to Gen Next & you make gr8 points Juliet!
What an excellent post Juliet. We really need to appeal to the Gen X'rs and Gen Y'rs, they make up a huge part of the buying market. Your points were right on. I absolutely loved your suggestion about presenting other colour scheme options - brilliant!
I agree wholeheartedly. This makes a lot of sense and I think if I were a young person, these are some things that would really convince me. Heck these are things that would convince me now. Realtors should do this for everyone.
Juliet what a great blog. I just pitched a client of mine the event method. I wanted to help throw an event at property that is moving a bit slower. She loved the idea! Have you helped with any of these events and if so, can you share? Kym
Yeah, Kym, I've done a bunch of events at listed houses - some in the day, some during the evening or over the weekend. I've done publicity events, educational events, pure entertainment...what sorts of thing might be useful to know?
Hi Cindy, I agree, there do seem to be some fundamentals that work for everyone. I like the speed this young folks rev at. I like their accessibility - im'g and texting - it means I know where they (say they) are!
Charlene, thanks, and you're right. Anything that uses technology to personalize, intrigue and customize a product seems to be right up these guys' alley. And, I remember my mother complaining about "new math". She'd have been lost with all of this stuff!!!
Some basic events that have worked well for you that I can put together for my clients. I am a big fan of events and just haven't had a moment to put it together. I think if I put together a comprehensive menu of events to offer in flier format for my clients it will be easier for them to visualize. I have joined the program with Habitat for Humanity through CSP and thought of doing some events through them. I am open to anything you feel comfortable sharing. Thanks Juliet
Will have something to you by tomorrow. Might do it as a seperate post.
There's things you have to spin, like only serving clear liquids (floors and carpets) i.e. champagne, white wine, sprite and seltzer. Candles are out. (fire code)
Thing that worked best were 2 things - a Dreamscaping event for Network marketers, and an Art Auction Fundraiser. Will explain tomorrow.
J
Hi Juliet,
Thank you so much for your generosity! I will most definitely put the links to your site when I send this out. It won't be for a while, I'm still putting together all of my contacts, etc. I think my first one should probably be to plug/introduce our company. But definitely the 2nd one will be your article.
Thank you again!
Kind regards,Patti
Great post. I can understand the long hours that the younger generation has to work and it is good advice to have the home ready for showings at all times.
Wow Juliet! Love this... thank you so much for such great advice. I too was thinking about different events to do. Been involved with several for luxury homes, but Bar-B-Qs have been great for homes under 1K. I would love some suggestions. Best, Lori
WOW Juliet great post and very true. Great advice! Now the realtors need to follow thru with this. The other day I had a client in her 30's and both the realtor and I could not convince her to remove items that screamed old lady. I think I got thru to her when I told her that I was surprised when she answered the door because I expected an elderly woman to live there based on the window decor.
We need to market to the young, even if they are young that are selling
Phylis Pafumi
A backyard BBQ was a big hit -for prospective buyers and the neighborhood. A relative of one of the neighbors bought the house. They will just use it seasonally but it was such a "fun place to live" they could see themselves having parties all summer.
#5 destination---great paragraph. Actually good article, but this one struck a chord as the faux debate going on last couple of weeks was really missing the point in the writing...as the EXPERIENCE is what people buying. How right you are, an art gallery is somewhere we admire but can't touch. The experience lets us BE there. Great article.