Interviews: Sales Professionals

Empty nesters are the largest growing segment of the new home buying public. Yet many of these customers have no built-in sense of urgency to buy. How do you move them from "This is something we would like to do someday" to "This is something we would want to do today"?

Judy Hamiton: "I get a lot of empty-nester customers who are pretty relaxed and not particularly motivated to do anything. My goal is to determine what the customer's hot buttons are, whether it is location, value, investment or prestige, and then you can use those hot buttons to create a sense of urgency.

Often empty nesters have a desire and a picture in their mind of what they want to be doing in the next 5 years as well as what they don't want to do. Often they want to relocate to a home that is a little less maintenance and has a little less yard work. I try to remind them that if they continue to think about what they like to do with out taking that next step, in five years they will be thinking the exact same thing. They should take action today, so in the next five years they will be living the dream that they are thinking about."

Tim Baldus: "I think the biggest problem that a lot of sales agents have with empty nesters is the ability to actually have them list their home and get it on the market. Sometimes they are just a little afraid of the process, so if you can just sit them down and actually take them through the process of going through the listings and letting them know what is happening in their neighborhood currently it might inspire them to start the process now."

John Bonno: "Many times empty nesters will come in and say "I love my house," "I love everything about it." "I love my neighborhood," "I love my lot." Well then why are they wasting their Sunday coming here? There is something beneath all of this that has said to them that maybe they need to look at another house. They don't need to buy. You need to spend the time with them explaining your community and why you feel it would be a good investment."

Patsy Headrick: "With empty nesters, I try to sell a lifestyle. They don't want to hear about how many bedrooms or how many bathrooms there are, they already know that. What I try to do is have them fall in love with a lifestyle. What I like to convince them is that if we can accelerate the next five years of their lives, why not start today so they can start living the way they would like to."