Millennials Prefer Higher-Tech House Shopping

Millennials are likely to be the generation that buys the highest number of homes this year — and the real estate agents serving them are having to learn cross-generational communication.

“We’re seeing a population on the consumer side that is not being served by its own age group,” Player Murray, a broker in North Carolina, tells U.S. News & World Report. “It’s causing a lot of change in the way experienced agents are having to communicate.”

Millennials want prompt text messages or email answers from real estate agents, and like to do their house hunting on their cellphones and tablet devices, the article says. The majority of agents are older, and they’re having to learn to communicate in ways young buyers expect.

Here are 10 changes millennial are making, altering how real estate deals are made, according to the article:

1. They prefer to communicate via text message or email.

2. They typically have a list of houses they want to see and have researched neighborhoods, so they want real estate agents more often to help interpret data, not provide it.

3. They don’t like surprises, preferring timelines and checklists.

4. They want immediate customer service.

5. Apps are often their preferred method for checking real estate listings and collecting information.

6. They want to read testimonials from real estate agents’ clients, as well as online reviews.

7. They expect real estate companies to interact with them on social media platforms, not just post information on those sites.

8. They are willing to provide brokers with their bank statements and other personal data through a variety of methods.

9. They need help visualizing how a fixer-upper can be updated, even if it primarily needs new appliances, so they want referrals to contractors and vendors.

10. Millennials are willing to find ways to afford a home, such as by buying a house with space they can rent out.

To read the article from U.S. News & World Report, click here.