SRES® Blog

Clients may look to you for advice when they discover a home health problem or when a home inspection reveals the presence of lead paint or some other hazard. To get up to speed on such issues, visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/HH/documents/NHHM_StakeholderGuide.pdf). It provides information sheets (see page 11) on common home health hazards, including asbestos, lead, and mold, and their health effects. The guides are a quick way for you to become more knowledgeable about such topics and provide the best guidance to your clients. The

APR, closing costs, and other homebuying terminology roll off your tongue naturally, but clients may not be as familiar with such jargon as you think. In a MoneyWise homebuying financial literacy survey (https://moneywise.com/mortgages/american-homebuying-survey), over 56% of Americans flunked a quiz about common words like “mortgage rate” and “down payment.” The quiz gave grades A through F for each generation’s ability to accurately define several homebuying terms. Though Baby Boomers did best compared to other generations, only 26.2% in the age group aced the quiz, and 33.5% flunked. Given

When communicating in writing with your older clients, remember that fonts matter. One finding from a new study, “Towards Individuated Reading Experiences: Different Fonts Increase Reading Speed for Different Individuals” (https://www.nngroup.com/articles/best-font-for-online-reading/ and https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3502222#d1e6100), indicates that three fonts – Garamond, Montserrat, and Poynter Gothic – were better for older readers. So, consider how best to design your reading materials for your age 55+ buyers and sellers. Here are some tips (https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fyti

Changing the Narrative Colorado (https://changingthenarrativeco.org/) combats ageism by trying to change how people think, talk, and act about aging. Its guidelines (https://changingthenarrativeco.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Guidelines-for-Age-Inclusive-Communications_ChangingtheNarrative-1.pdf) for journalists about avoiding ageist terms are relevant to your business. When communicating with and about older adults in conversations and marketing materials, choose words and images carefully. Here are six considerations. Avoid ageist words like elderly and the aged and the stereotypes

People navigating a hot market often make snap decisions that can quickly morph into buyers’ remorse. HomeLight’s “2022 Buyer and Seller Insights Report” (https://homelightblog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HomeLight-Buyer-Seller-Insights-2022.pdf) outlined some of the compromises people made to get a house and the regrets they’re now living with. Here are three common regrets and ways to help your pressured clients avoid them. Overpaying – Have a candid discussion about what they can afford and speak about the ways a big mortgage can short-circuit other goals – retirement savings

Once your clients have decided to sell and move, it’s best for them and you that the home sells quickly. Your clients may be interested in an analysis by Knock (https://www.knock.com/blog/home-improvements-buyers-love/) about what makes homes sell faster. For example, homes in which homeowners have done upgrades sell 30% faster than those that don’t. Plus, a full-on renovation isn’t needed to make properties move. Painting, new carpet, a bathroom vanity upgrade, and a power wash all contribute to reducing days on market. Knock found that homes with modern renovation sold in an average of eight

As the spring buying season gets into full swing, you want a grip on market drivers so you can make the best plan for your business. Plus, clients likely will pepper you with questions about who’s buying and those buyers’ motivations and wants. A recent Lending Tree survey https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/considering-move-survey/ gives you a big-picture market view and statistics you can use during chats and presentations with buyers and sellers. Lending Tree’s highlights include: How big is the market? About 40% of Americans are considering a move in 2022. How is the pandemic

You probably have an army of pros – locksmiths, cleaners, and painters – that you refer to clients. For your senior clientele, why not consider adding a tech guru? After all, the tech industry has made strides in developing smart technology that helps with aging in place, whether that’s detecting falls, monitoring health conditions, or letting seniors call for help. Yet, many seniors find installing, using, and maintaining smart home technology challenging and frustrating. According to research (https://www.ageinplacetech.com/files/aip/Future%20of%20Smart%20Homes%20and%20Older%20Adults%202021

To seniors, their homes are significant both financially and emotionally. "… home is more than just a place they live. It represents their journey, their accomplishments, their family, and the life they have created," says the American Advisors Group's (https://www.aag.com/homesurvey/p/1) "Importance of Home Survey." In addition, older Americans feel safe at home and value their independence. Those are good things to keep in mind when working with seniors who may be downsizing or moving to an assisted or independent living environment reluctantly. After all, 92% of seniors said they'd prefer

Universal design features in the bathroom should be on the radar of everyone over age 50, even if they don’t need them today. After all, it’s easier to install such aging-in-place features – like grab bars and a built-in seat – when you’re renovating than to install them later and when you’re possibly doing it during a health crisis. When homeowners ask for advice about bathroom upgrades, point them to the 2021 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study (https://st.hzcdn.com/static/econ/2021--US--Houzz--Bathroom--Trends--Study.pdf) to give them a sense of what’s trending. Homeowners are prioritizing the