I was speaking last week with a realtor who was frustrated with some of his Gen Y potential home buyers. I asked him how he was communicating with them. He went into a story about how they have to call him, set up an appointment to come into the office for a “needs assessment”, and they then look at as many houses as they can that fit those “needs.” I asked him about the possibility of using a Blackberry to shoot pics over to them, the thought of eliminating the “needs assessement” meeting, and he seemed to be put out with that idea. Duh! No wonder he’s frustrated.

A great article appeared in the Seattle Times yesterday on this very topic. It discusses Gen Y’s lifestyle, what they want in a home, and so on. The only thing I would add to this is that as a seller, it is important to be able to communicate with Gen Y based on their communication preferences. Text messaging, a Blackberry/i-phone/your digital phone of choice can make this whole process so much easier, would reduce frustration and would probably sell more homes (of course this is just the world according to Bea, so you can decide.) And, just remember…Gen Y’s have already done a great deal of research on homes before they call you, so the whole “come to my office for a meeting” may sound like drudgery and a waste of time. A great first question would be “What homes have you researched that you are interested in?” By taking a twentysomething buyer to that home first, you can probably do a quick needs assessment just by listening and asking questions.