By Angela Colley
Millennial home buyers might be hard to come by. Statistics say millennials are ditching the cars and the house in the suburbs for a bike and a rented loft in a big city, which may lead some sellers to overlook this younger crowd: don't be fooled, because millennial home buyers are out there.
Not all millennials are choosing a lease over a mortgage. Many are looking to buy their first home. And if you want to tap in on this huge market of potential, you’ll need to advertise, prep and stage your home in a way that appeals to them.
These are five things you can do to attract millennial home buyers if you're looking to sell your home.
Millennial home buyers tip #1: Find your home’s best angle
While baby boomers may want a two-car garage, large kitchen and extra storage space, Millennials have their own wish lists. According to Darbi McGlone, a REALTOR® and a millennial herself, this generation is looking for something different than their parents:
Open floor plans
Single-story homes
Split floor plans
Media rooms
Hardwood or tile floors
Marketing these features will help get the attention of this generation.
Millennial home buyers tip #2: Sell your neighborhood
For many millennials, the neighborhood they live in matters just as much—or more—than the house they buy, and they’re looking to meet a specific need.
“Millennials live in a technology-driven era: the faster we can get from point A to point B with the least amount of distractions and obstacles is our preferred route," McGlone said. "Keep that in mind when trying to target our generation.”
To prove your neighborhood meets that need, McGlone recommends pointing out the proximity of your home to highways, hospitals, shopping centers and schools. Knowing the house is conveniently located will have major appeal to millennial home buyers.
Millennial home buyers tip #3: Show off environmentally-friendly features
It is no secret this generation is environmentally-conscious, and they’ll be looking for home that have “green friendly” features.
For newly-built homes, “most builders today are using eco-friendly materials and products,” McGlone added, but if your home is older you may not need expensive upgrades to compete.
“If you don't want to make your whole home eco-friendly, I would suggest at the very least getting rid of old single-pane windows and putting in some new double-pane windows for better insulation and great curb appeal,” she said.
Millennial home buyers tip #4: Think clean and modern
Modern homes are popular with this crowd, but your house doesn’t need to be brand new or designed by a minimalist architect to appeal to this generation. Some simple home staging before your showing or open house could be all you need to bring in an offer.
However, McGlone recommends keeping a simple goal in mind: less is more.
“Millennial buyers expect clean, crisp homes," she noted. "The less clutter to make any room feel open is best."
Millennial home buyers tip #5: Target online advertising
To find millennial home buyers, you’ll have to place your ads where they will see them, and that is largely online.
“Millennials 99% of the time browse online," McGlone said, National websites and even Facebook are all great places to advertise your listings to reach the max amount of exposure."
My name is Scott Grebner and I have been helping my clients realize their own personal real estate dreams. Real estate is a relationship-based business that works best when client relationships are built on trust and confidence. My goal is having clients be completely satisfied with the professional and caring service they have received.
The role of technology is rapidly changing how the real-estate market functions in this country today. Re/Max Preferred Choice is embracing these new mediums of communication to better serve our customers. We have created our company to better place important information in your hands to help you with your housing needs. For a personal consultation please contact me at my Website.
It seems that the dream of past generations was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today’s young families is to get one. I would love to hear from you, about your Real Estate Dreams and questions.
