Here’s the recording from our webinar on recent home buyer and seller consumer trends. We reviewed the most surprising data and charts to help you connect with clients and customers in your market in 2024.
(You may need to log in to watch the full session for free.)
Download the webinar notebook to take notes as you watch the video.
Where to find the data for this year’s market
Much of the data shared in this video can be found in the latest National Association of Realtors Annual profile of buyers and sellers, as well as some ancillary reports I note at the beginning of the broadcast. All are worth your time to read in-depth and compare them to your local marketplace.
Keep an eye out for the big ah-ha’s in the data.
The most interesting, surprising, or largest changes in the trends are important. Some things might surprise your notions as to who is buying and selling. And while most of this is national data, and your local market will have all sorts of exceptions, it’s still good to keep an eye on the broader trends as you plan your sales and marketing strategy.
Take a look at…
The average age of buyers and sellers is at an all-time high - be sure to take a look at that carefully, because the demographics of that segment will impact your marketing, prospecting and value proposition.
The household composition of buyers and sellers has fewer kids than at any time in the last three decades; it’s a big deal that will impact your farming areas, property types and service options.
Use of a real estate professionals remains high and consistent, as does satisfaction with the overall buying and selling process.
Sellers are referring their agents more than 40% of the time - and check out how many agents they are interviewing (and where they’re finding the agent they want to work with)!
Both buyers and sellers are moving greater distances than ever - which means your market area is much greater than you think, bringing more options for both listings and sales to fill your pipeline.
Those are just a few of the big a-ha’s in the data from the last year — but there are plenty of others! Use the notes to compare YOUR market to the 2024 national trends.
Compare and contrast local trends on household composition, price point, property type, and how do consumers find information.
Tailor your communications or prospecting techniques to build relationships with local consumers based on similar trends found in the national data.
Download the whole slide deck and my six most surprising trends about buyers and sellers below and pro tips for taking action … 👇👇👇
Download the Slide Deck
Interesting Facts about Buyers
Median Age of Buyers is 58 in 2023
Buyers reached the highest average age in more than twenty years in 2023, squarely in the Baby Boomer category. While this was a slight dip from 2022, it represents a huge increase in average buyer age since the mid-2000s and 1990s.
Pro Tip: This stat should also impact the kind of marketing message and techniques you use to connect with the typical buyer, who is less likely to be the “tik-tok” generation than the “television” generation.
Buyers Remain Mobile
Buyers also remain highly mobile this year, moving an average of 20 miles from their previous home. While this does represent a “reset” from the massive jump in 2022 (most likely due to pandemic concerns), it remains nearly a third further than most of the decade before.
Pro Tip: This data also means that the effective marketplace for your business has grown as well, as your customers are willing to look further for the right home than in the past.
Highest Percentage of Buyers with No Children at Home since 1981
Most buyers are not bringing elementary or high school age children with them to their next home, which means the kinds of needs and interests for these buyers is significantly different than previous generations. Buyers in the market today may have very limited interest in school information (if they don’t have children yet, it may not be a major driver, and if their children have left the home - considering average age - it may not have any impact at all).
Pro Tip: Consider this when building your value proposition and website information content for the current buyer profile.
Interesting Facts about Sellers
Sellers are Also More Mobile
Like buyers, sellers are also more mobile than ever - in fact, more than their buyer counterparts. Nearly half of all buyers moved more than 50 miles, and one in three moved hundreds of miles from their previous home.
Pro Tip: This means your business model may need to have strong and significant connections to feeder and destination markets and tap into relocation and referral business greater than in past years.
Sellers are Staying Longer
Last year, sellers had lived in their homes for an average of ten years, up significantly from the past four decades. As these sellers become buyers, they anticipate staying in their homes for an average of 15 years (with 50% of them planning to stay an average of 16+ years).
Pro Tip: This will definitely impact your sales pipeline, including the “repeat” buyer cycle and require greater stamina and persistence to maintain relationships with repeat clients during your career.
Most Sellers Don’t Have Children Under 18 in the Home
Like buyers, most sellers had no children under 18 at home (their average household age was 60).
Pro Tip: This trend will greatly impact the kind, size and location of home that sellers will be looking for in their next purchase, as well as their willingness to consider marketplaces where school systems don’t drive their purchase decisions.
The Most Important Trend for You to Know…
81% of Sellers Interviewed 1 Agent
For real estate professionals, one of the most important trends to know is that the vast majority of sellers only interviewed one agent. And that agent typically came from their sphere of influence. This means that sellers aren’t really “shopping” between agents when they enter the market; once they find one who responds, they interview and choose them 8 out of 10 times.
Pro Tip: This means that maintaining relationships with your sphere of influence, and being “first to respond” when a prospective seller asks for help, are major contributors to success in building a listing-full pipeline.
The Median Age of Sellers is 60
Finally, just like buyers, sellers are squarely in the Baby Boomer age group. More than half of the seller market was older than 55 and while there is some move-up sales activity in the Millennial and Gen X age groups, the “wave” of Millennials that had been widely predicted a few years ago has failed to materialize (so far).
Pro Tip: Understanding the needs, goals and desires of the Baby Boomer generation will help you refine your marketing approach, service mix and value proposition for securing inventory in a tight marketplace anticipated in 2024.
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