Yes! Interactive Technology & the 55+ Home Shopper are a Great Fit!

People are always asking: My new project is a 55+ community -- do you think interactive technology would be useful?

Technology helps answer your home shopper's questions!

The answer is a resounding yes!

First, a few thoughts about 55+ and technology: today's 55+ home shopper is more tech savvy than you might think.

The largest growing Facebook user group is the 55+ audience. The 2017 NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report reports that 89% of home shopping Boomers search online -- which is consistent with any of the other age groups -- including Millennials.

We've found every generation of home shoppers expects some sort of digital engagement and builders need to consider providing tools to meet those consumer expectations.

By the time a Millennial, Gen Xer, or Boomer home shopper walks into your sales or leasing office, they’re already well into their journey for a new dwelling.

One key take away: technology acts as an assistant to sales and leasing agents as it encourages home shoppers to ask questions and find solutions.  Whether the process includes creating a dream home with a hobby room in lieu of the standard 3rd bedroom or determining how Plan 2158 fits on the selected lot, interactive technology helps the home shopper visualize and embrace their new home.

And, your 55+ audience seeks information! They're considering a life-changing purchase and want to make sure they've checked all the possible boxes. Take a look at CPS' interactive touchscreen system, SalesTouch, engaging home shoppers at Latitude Hilton Head -- the latest Margaritaville 55+ community. The sales agents address questions and provide understandable answers at a touch!

Yes! 55+ Home Shoppers Value Engaging with Interactives

Today's home buying population includes three distinct demographics: Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.

Every home shopper is looking for information!

Regardless of age, geography or economic status, home shoppers are empowered by an unprecented level of access to choice and information.

The challenge for today's sales and marketing professionals is to incorporate the shifts in economics, demographics and technologies into a meaningful sales office experience.

Zoe Miller, a principal at Computer Presentation Systems, says, "People ask us whether interactive touchscreen technology -- so  relevant for Gen Xers and Millennials -- would be used by Baby Boomers. We've found that Boomer home shoppers find CPS' SalesTouch to be an important part of their home shopping experience. They really appreciate the interactive floorplans with room options as well as drag 'n drop furniture placement as they are trying out new housing possibilities."

After all, it's not your father's (or mother's) sales office any longer! Home shoppers value a home shopping sales experience that allows them to dream and "make it their own." Boomers are the fastest growing segment on Facebook. Miller notes, "Regardless of age, home shoppers want information! Providing them with the ability to virtually walk the neighborhood and discover nearby shopping, dining and recreation -- and to explore community amenities -- answers their questions and moves them along in their decision-making."

Interested in finding out more about effective technology for 55+ home shoppers? CPS will be at IBS Orlando -- Booth W5583 in nextBUILD. Or, we'd love to hear from you via info@cpsusa.com!

More on: Marketing to Millennials

Interesting recent article from Quosol regarding your sales and marketing approach to Millennials.

Did you know Millennials are now almost 25% of the US population? That's about the same as the Boomer population -- we're experiencing one of the largest demographic shifts in modern history.

Quosol suggests Millennials think and act differently than the rest of the population -- and that we all need to learn about how to sell to this increasingly important marketing demographic. Several key thoughts emerge as key to making sure your organization is Millennial-savvy:

1. Millennials have grown up with a focus on them -- and social media has only intensified that by putting them under a microscope.  It's the gate keeper between the sale and them.  As a result, communications need to be relevant and personal. It's about capturing their attention!
2. Millennials do their research -- and 80% of their purchase decision is made before they become a lead. 60% say they are often or always loyal to brands that they currently purchase -- often putting quality over price.
3. Millennials are beyond tech savvy -- technology has been a part of their entire life (some were playing with cell phones instead of traditional toys!). You'll need to marketing in ways that are their way of communicating -- employing digital as a part of the sales process.                   

CPS' Social Media Wall: Putting Technology to Work!

30% of Millennials use 4 or more technology devices a day & check their smartphones at least 43 times a day!

We suggest incorporating CPS' Social Media Wall --  an engaging, ever-changing display of shared customer experiences encouraging businesses and their audience to create a new type of digital story. Take marketing messages and display them side-by-side with consumer generated content, such as photos and videos, from popular social media sites like Twitter and Instagram. 

The result? Technology providing a shared, creative process fostering an ongoing, engaging customer experience -- exactly the type of sales experience your Millennial audience rewards!

Walkable Neighborhoods: Both Millennials & Boomers Love 'Em!

While traditional suburban communities continue to attract, urban environments are opening new home neighborhoods -- and attracting buyers! Both Millennials and Boomers are considering and buying in areas that previously wouldn't have offered new construction.

Use SalesTouch to Take a Virtual Walk About!

One of these neighborhood's key features (or, you could think, amenity) is walkability. There's even a new term: walkable urban places (sometimes referred to as WalkUps -- but completely different than multi-story buildings from the early-mid 1900's!!).

WalkUps are defined, in a June 2016 BuilderOnline article by Lauren Shanesy, as a development with substantially higher density, mixed-use product, emerging and new product types and a variety of transportation options.

Following are several marketing ideas you might consider using with a  WalkUp community: none are too complicated or expensive yet provide good touch points for your home shoppers:

1. Highlight Transportation Options: Home shoppers in all demographics love the idea of reducing their reliance on a car. Residents in WalkUps spend less on transportation so why not highlight options for your home shoppers?  Provide maps, schedules -- even signage from your local metro.  While Millennials and Boomers are key demographics for the new urban community, reduced transportation costs appeal to moderate-income home shoppers, as well.
2. Offer Walk Abouts: One of the reasons WalkUps are popular is easy access to convenient, interesting and unique shopping and dining venues.  Why not create an "It's in the Neighborhood" guide highlighting 15 close-by locations that are probably new to most of your home shoppers? Think: ethnic restaurants, unique bookshops, unusual hardware stores.  Let your potential buyers explore (literally or virtually) and see themselves living the experience! Drones are making aerial photos so much more affordable -- take a look at Richmond above and consider using this type of visual introduction to the neighborhood.
3. Shine a Light on Educational Institutions: Washington, DC is considered the second highest ranked WalkUp and over 50% have B.A. degrees.  One of the urban neighborhood attributes frequently mentioned by Boomers is access to educational opportunities.  These don't have to be just colleges and universities. Consider adult education and interest-focused centers, too. Look for places like innovative yarn shops, photography studios, art centers.  Let your visitors know what's in the neighborhood with an easy-to-read map focused on neighborhood learning opportunities!

Go one step further and add an interactive touchscreen system to tell your WalkUp story. CPS' SalesTouch offers the aerial photo detailing shopping, dining, recreation and community options in Richmond (above); can't you see your buyers virtually exploring your neighborhood?

Demographics, Home Size, CRM: Who's Buying the Biggest Homes?

Today's new home marketplace can be thought of as a made up of a series of age-related buyer segments : boomers, millennials and Generation X'ers to name the most recognized.

Millennials are largest segment; Gen X'ers are buying largest homes!

Millennials are re-visiting previously developed home preferences, says Clare Trapasso in a recent Realtor.com article, as they're leaving the "fantasy, pace and possibilities" of big-city living and moving out to the suburbs.

Yes, the "burbs", and that's just the first of a series of major changes being noticed in the new home marketplace.

Another is the changing relationship between buyer demographic groups and home size. Today, Gen X'ers (generally thought of as those with birth years between 1965 and 1985) are buying the largest homes. They're the most likely to have children, with schools as "top of mind" and often have their parents living with them, as well.

While the average Gen X'er home is 2,200 square feet, Millennials typically purchased 1,720 square foot residences.  Boomers were in the 1,800-1,920 range with the larger homes going to younger Boomer buyers.  Jonathon Smoke, chief economist at realtor.com, notes that "older boomers are trying to downsize."

Of course, home size varies by regional price points.  The relationship between size and demographic group remains constant, however.

What does this have to do with CRM?  A good CRM system allows you to "slice and dice" information so you're able to associate profile information with individual prospects and then search through your database, using software tools, to locate those prospects meeting specific criteria.  Do you have more of your largest floorplan units available?  Consider creating a demographic-specific search and develop a followup email focused on home size -- highlighting local schools and suggesting alternative uses for extra bedrooms!

CPS•CRM features customized prospect profiles; we can show you how to slice and dice data to market effectively!

3 Ways to Market Your Community's Walkable Urbanism

While suburban communities still have their appeal, it is becoming more and more apparent that urban environments are attracting new home neighborhoods -- and buyers!  Both Millennials and Boomers are considering and buying in areas that previously wouldn't have offered new construction.

Downtown Richmond -- start exploring!

One of these neighborhood's key features (or, you might think, amenity) is it's walkability. There's even a new term: walkable urban places (sometimes referred to as WalkUps -- but completely different than multi-story buildings from the early-mid 1900's!!).

WalkUps are defined, as BuilderOnline's Lauren Shanesy notes in a recent article, as a development with substantially higher density, mixed-use product, emerging and new product types and a variety of transportation options.

There are a couple of concepts associated with WalkUps you might consider as part of a community-based marketing program -- not too complicated or expensive yet providing good touch points for your home shoppers:

1. Highlight Transportation Options -- Home shoppers in all demographics love the idea of reducing their reliance on a car. Residents in WalkUps spend less on transportation so why not highlight options for your home shoppers?  Provide maps, schedules -- even signage from your local metro.  While Millennials and Boomers are key demographics for the new urban community, reduced transportation costs appeal to moderate-income home shoppers, as well.
2. Offer Walk Abouts -- One of the reasons WalkUps are popular is easy access to convenient, interesting and unique shopping and dining venues.  Why not create an "It's in the Neighborhood" guide highlighting 15 close-by locations that are probably new to most of your home shoppers?  Think: ethnic restaurants, unique bookshops, unusual hardware stores.  Let your potential buyers explore the neighborhood (literally or virtually) and see themselves living the experience!  Drones are making aerial photos so much more affordable -- take a look at Richmond above and consider using this visual introduction to the neighborhood.
3. Shine a Light on Educational Institutions -- Washington, DC is considered the second highest ranked WalkUp -- and over 50% have B.A. degrees.  One of the urban neighborhood attributes frequently mentioned by Boomers is access to educational opportunities.  These don't have to be just colleges and universities --  there's always adult education and interest-focused centers, as well.  Think: great knitting shops, photography studies, art centers.  Let your visitors know what's in the neighborhood with an easy-to-read map focused on neighborhood learning opportunities!

Take one step further and consider highlighting these factors using an interactive touchscreen system.  CPS' SalesTouch offers the aerial photo detailing shopping, dining, recreation and community options in Richmond (above); can't you see your buyers wanting to be able to virtually explore your neighborhood?

How to: Tell Your Amenities and Lifestyle Story Effectively

Bill Greene, with Atlanta-based multifamily developer Wood Partners, notes in a recent Multifamily Executive article, "The bar's being raised higher and higher on these communal amenities." He continues, "Millennials expect them. Besides wanting to live close to work, they expect every amenity you could probably find in a single-family suburban market, but all in one area."

Using interactive technology to tell your story!

And, actually, the same might be said for Boomers and their interest in a more urban environment. They want amenities associated with their previous suburban life such as pools, fitness spaces and large-scale theater rooms along with the lifestyle associated with a metro environment.

Location, of course, is still critical, as Jerry Davis with UDR notes, "The biggest community amenity is always the neighborhood."

One (perhaps) unexpected amenity of the moment is meeting/conference rooms.  With more and more people working from home, there's an interest in relaxing socially on-property as well as the ability to engage in community-centric activities such as wine tastings, dinners and game-nights.  Davis comments, "When it comes time for their lease to expire, if your residents have more friends that live at the community, they're more likely to renew."

The property not only needs the amenities but the ability to effectively tell their story.  Our suggestions include adding an interactive touch-screen based presentation to the leasing office with a clear focus on neighborhood and lifestyle. CPS' SalesTouch visually tells your story -- location, neighborhood and amenites.  Add CPS' Social Media Wall to engage prospects and residents in a property conversation -- and leveraging your social media, as well.  Ask us; we'll help you tell the story in the context of your community and amenity set!

Downtown: Calling Boomers!

It turns out that, like many other things, today's retirement location is not your father's retirement community!

Clare Trapasso, a Realtor.com staff member, reviewed a 2016 National Association of Realtors report and noted, in a Realtor.com article, an increase in the number of buyers aged 50-59 purchasing homes in urban areas -- and there's been an almost 10% increase year-over-year.

And, it's not unexpected, to some extent.  Boomers have changed many things over the last 50 years; why not retirement living?  Instead of moving to traditional retirement areas in the South and Southwest, Boomers are moving to urban centers from the suburbs in increasing numbers.

And, they're looking for many of the same amenities as Millennial home shoppers: walkability, amenity-rich environments offering shopping, dining, cultural venues and opportunities for learning -- through both traditional colleges as well as learning centers.

What's a builder to do?  First, minimize all of the entanglements associated with suburban living -- maintaining all of the amenities, driving to shop, locating services and the like.  And take a serious look about incorporating elements at the top of Boomer wish lists:

• On-site services -- think fitness centers, on-site pet and housekeeping services and a concierge. As well as "neighborhood" rooms for cooking lessons, wine tastings and book clubs!
• Neighborhood walkability -- this is key; in many cities, Boomers are revitalizing the historic downtown as they have the money to spend to dine, shop and enjoy museums, concerts and theater. While employment hubs aren't as important to this buyer, the ability to live life without relying on a car is critical. 
• Flexible floor plans -- Many Boomers are downsizing but they're interested in designing their new home around current interests and needs.  And, cookie-cutter doesn't work.  One person's second bedroom is another's craft room and another's home office.  

Communicating these new urban amenities and features requires thinking outside the traditional sales office static signage -- it's not your father's sales office, either!  Engage your buyers with SalesTouch -- an interactive touchscreen system designed to highlight community amenities, the surrounding neighborhood and flexible options available in your floor plans.  

What about involving your home shopper in the conversation surrounding your neighborhood and community lifestyle? Take a look at CPS' Social Media Wall -- designed to merge traditional marketing content and copy with social media to focus the discussion on what makes your community talk to these new urbanites! #GetSocial!

3 Housing Must Have's for Boomers -- with Marketing Solutions!

Baby Boomers are a diverse demographic but, says a recent MultiFamily Executive article, they're a generation that's never planned to slow down.

That diversity has tended to suggest Boomers aren't a "one size fits all" target market.  However, it appears there are some things almost all Boomers gravitate towards -- a "wish list trifecta" according to Brian Hoffman of Red Seal Homes.

Here's the trifecta -- and a couple of marketing ideas as to how to communicate with your Boomer audience:

Let your audience explore the neighborhood -- virtually!

(1) Walkable Locations -- the key, says architect Amit Price Patel, is housing's proximity to enough locations to meet their needs and enable them to stay healthy and spend less time driving.

Marketing solution: We're basically talking location, location, location -- with a twist! Why not put an interactive touchscreen system in your sales office allowing your prospects to virtually walk the new neighborhood?  Take a tour of the neighborhood, drop in at local restaurants and find out what is the favorite dish!

(2) Versatile Floor plans -- Many Boomers are ready to give up their large, suburban homes once the kids move out but ... they aren't always willing to settle for significantly smaller square footage because they don't want to reduce their furnishings. There's an interest in flexible space, storage spaces and room features.

Use an iPad to mix/match options; drag/drop furniture, too

Marketing solution: Take advantage of a SalesTouch interactive touchscreen's ability to mix/match structural options to meet individual buyer's needs.  Let your buyer decide whether they want the 5-piece bathroom or the extra bedroom -- and give them the ability to drag/drop furniture into their designed floor plan!

(3) Amenity Riches -- Boomers, according to MFE, aren't interested in rocking chairs! They want their new community packed with possibilities -- exercise rooms, proximity to trails and parks, pools, party rooms, concierge services.

Let your community introduce amenities!

Marketing solution: Make these amenities come to life via a well-designed interactive touchscreen system.  Let consumers browse the neighborhood, take a peek in the gym and learn more about your concierge services.  The information is at their finger tips!

CPS offers SalesTouch, an interactive touchscreen system used in sales and leasing centers, to virtually browse, explore and try on floorplans, neighborhoods and amenities.  And, Boomers love the ability to zero-in on the features of particular interest to them!