SRES® Blog

Two pieces of recent research can help you illustrate the importance of home upgrades to your baby boomer and senior clients.

If this is the year you've decided to focus on your SRES® designation and use it to raise your profile in your community, here are five strategies for connecting with locals.

How's the market doing? What's going to happen in 2024? What about interest rates? Do you think they'll start coming down? When's a good time to sell? These are some of the questions you routinely field from friends, family, neighbors, and clients trying to understand the market to make smart real estate decisions. The National Association of REALTORS® recent report, Markets with the Most Pent-Up Housing Demand, gives you some insight to share about what’s happening.

Your expertise in senior housing issues may be needed more than ever in the coming years. Recent research from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies outlines the immense challenges facing the growing over-65 population. The group is expected to struggle with rising mortgage debt, costly support services, and a shortage of accessible, affordable housing options.

Given the changing real estate market, clients may wonder whether or not to renovate and question which projects should take priority. They also may be interested in which upgrades provide the best return on investment (ROI). A recent Fixr report, Home Remodeling Statistics and Trends of 2023, sheds light on remodeling trends, homeowners’ spending habits, and interior design preferences.

Many homeowners consider making age-friendly home upgrades only after they face a challenging situation like a fall. By regularly talking with clients about aging-in-place modifications and sharing tips and trends, you can prepare them for aging at home. Such routine conversations can also position you as a trusted advisor when your clients need to make decisions about home improvements or if they decide it's time for them to move. A Builder Magazine story worth sharing with clients looks at what's trending among home builders and how newly constructed homes are evolving to be more age

Every year, color forecasters and paint companies bring a burst of fun to the industry when they release their color of the year. Another perk is their creative language to describe the colors and the mood they're trying to evoke. Companies have started rolling out their 2024 color picks, and sharing the news can be an opportunity to reconnect with clients who may be ready for a fall or early winter refresh of their homes. There are options for clients willing to embrace trendy, bold colors and hues for those who prefer more subtle changes and a timeless feel. Evoking Emotion In picking colors

The 2023 Community & Transportation Preferences Survey by the National Association of REALTORS® offers some compelling statistics to use when you're talking with clients about their homes' selling points and in developing a marketing strategy. The insight also could help you position a home to attract younger prospective buyers.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), passed last year, will be a game-changer for homeowners looking to make energy-efficiency home upgrades.

If you’ve suggested home staging to sellers, but they’re reluctant, reinforce your recommendation with statistics from the 2023 Profile of Home Staging . The National Association of REALTORS ® Research Group’s report can help you make the case that staging helps meet buyers’ heightened expectations and can sell a house more quickly. Another point that likely will resonate with clients is that staging homes often helps bring higher selling prices. For example, 20% of buyers’ agents said that staging a home increased the dollar value offered by between one and five percent, compared to similar