Ask The Real Estate Expert - Sponsored Content

Q: Why Does Working with a Real Estate Professional Make a Difference?

Signature Premier Properties

Posted

A: If you’ve entered the real estate market, as a buyer
or a seller, you’ve inevitably heard the real estate
mantra, “location, location, location” in reference to
how identical homes can increase or decrease in
value due to where they’re located. Well, a new

survey shows that when it comes to choosing
a real estate agent, the millennial generation’s
mantra is, “local, local, local.”

CentSai, a financial wellness online community,
recently surveyed over 2,000 millennials (ages 18-
34) and found that 75% of respondents would
use a local real estate agent over an online
agent, and 71% would choose a local lender.
Survey respondents cited many reasons for their
choice to go local, “including personal touch &
handholding, longstanding relationships, local
knowledge, and amount of hassle.”

Doria Lavagnino, Co-founder & President of
CentSai had this to say:
“We were surprised to learn that online providers
are not yet as big a disruptor in this sector as we
first thought, despite purported cost savings. We
found that millennials place a high value on the
personal touch and knowledge of a local agent.
Buying a home for the first time is daunting,
and working with a local agent—particularly
an agent referred by a parent or friend—could
provide peace of mind.”

The findings of the CentSai survey are consistent
with the Consumer Housing Trends Study, which
found that millennials prefer a more hands-on
approach to their real estate experience:
“While older generations rely on real estate agents
for information and expertise, Millennials expect
real estate agents to become trusted advisers and
strategic partners.”

When it comes to choosing an agent, millennials
and other generations share their top priority:
the sense that an agent is trustworthy and
responsive to their needs. That said, technology still plays a huge role in the real estate process. According to the National Association of Realtors, 95% of home buyers look for prospective homes and neighborhoods
online, and 91% also said they would use an
online site or mobile app to research homes they
might consider purchasing.

Bottom Line
Many wondered if this tech-savvy generation
would prefer to work with an online agent or
lender, but more and more studies show that
when it comes to real estate, millennials want
someone they can trust, someone who knows the
neighborhood they want to move into, leading
them through the entire experience.

If You Would Like To Know
The Value Of Your Home Call
Richard McQuillan
Licened Associate RE Broker
Office: 516.766.7900
Cell: 516.860.7993
www.signaturepremier.com