Michelle Flaherty Philbrook
By Michelle Flaherty Philbrook
A while back, I got a call on a condo listing of mine. The potential buyers were a retirement-age couple looking for a new place just large enough for their kids to stop by for a visit, but just small enough that their fledglings couldn’t fully return to the nest.
I showed the condo, and when it wasn’t a fit, I brought them on as buyer clients. After we became more comfortable with each other, this couple confided in me that they initially thought I looked “way too young to be [their] agent,” but that in the context of having met other agents both recently and over the years, they felt I was uniquely equipped help them meet their goals. I think the reasons we were so compatible can be applied rather universally, so if you don’t mind entertaining the occasional demographic stereotype, read on for how Gen Y traits can uniquely serve some common Baby Boomer needs.
Baby Boomer with a Sense of Urgency? Meet Gen Y with Fast Texting Fingers. As a general rule, most people don’t become more patient with age — a fact of life that works in favor of agents raised in the age of text messaging and real-time e-mail. When these buyers inquired via e-mail on my condo, I called them right away. And when the property didn’t work for them, I got their search set up the same day. They told me later that none of the other brokers came close to that level of responsiveness.
Baby Boomer with Intelligent Questions Based on Experience? Meet Gen Y with Fab Research Skills. The way that I was able to quickly aggregate property information from multiple (and at times obscure) sources beyond the MLS really impressed my boomer clients. The 2010 Census confirmed that the percentage of post-secondary graduates among the U.S. population is at an all-time high, so it follows that most YPNers can likely offer extensive research skills. And in an industry like ours with ever-changing guidelines, best practices, and technology, it is more valuable to be a quick study than a deep topic expert.
Baby Boomer with Very Specific Needs? Meet Gen Y Power Networking: Continue reading »
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I was recently in a task force meeting for the Minneapolis YoPros. It really got me thinking about the true value of YPN and what I feel it’s all about.
To me, YPN is about bridging the generation gap. Not to stereotype my generation, (which I am not quite sure where I fall…X, Y, Z…who’s keeping track?) but typically the younger generations are more knowledgeable about technology and communications. A lot of us feel like we have ADD and we are constantly moving to the next best thing.
With that said, there is a lot that can be learned from older generations. I thought about an agent in my office. She has been around for 30 years. She knows the ins and outs of the business. She has seen the good times and the bad and she survived.
She recently got her first Facebook account. It was cute. She seemed a little iffy at first. I would constantly see her replying to someone in her status update. It would make me chuckle a bit. But believe it or not, she is workin it! She is now posting blogs, articles and other valuable content to her page. I have been really impressed by her. Continue reading »
Rob Reuter
By Rob Reuter, YPN Manager
I think many of us who are part of YPN would agree that one of our goals is to bridge the generational gap that seems to have been created in our industry. I get asked all the time if there is an age limit for YPN or if there ever will be. My response has always been the same: YPN is for the young and young-at-heart real estate professionals.
With that being said, this blog post is in honor of our young-at-heart colleagues and you may notice a familiar theme that Jeff Foxworthy uses with his ‘redneck’ jokes (if you don’t know who Jeff Foxworthy is, you might be too old for YPN). So here’s a test of your young-at-heartness. Hopefully, you’ll get a nostalgic chuckle or two out of this:
- If you’ve ever referred to the MLS in BOOK FORM, you might be too old for YPN.
- If your business card photo is OVER 10 YEARS OLD, you might be too old for YPN
- If you’ve ever used a CAR PHONE to sell a house, you might be too old for YPN.
- If you’ve sold a home when people were still putting wallpaper UP, you might be too old for YPN.
- If you’ve sold a home when shag carpeting or wood paneling was IN STYLE, you might be too old for YPN.
- If you’ve sold a home when they were still using LEAD BASED PAINT in NEW construction, you might be too old for YPN.
- If your membership is not DECREASING the average age of a REALTOR®, you might be too old for YPN.
All kidding aside, how about a big round of applause for our more experienced colleagues and may you continue to enlighten us on how to become better REALTORS®.
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