SRES® Blog

Now is the time of year when you’re sketching out your 2023 business goals and deciding where to concentrate your dollars and attention for professional growth. The new course, Intro to Sustainability & Resiliency: What REALTORS® Need to Know, may give you a start in developing a new business niche serving the growing population of consumers focusing on sustainability in their homes, communities, and personal habits. For instance, more homeowners and homebuyers are asking for -- and are willing to pay for -- properties with sustainable features. Such features bring benefits like lower utility

Given that the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) offers so many provisions for making energy-efficient home upgrades, clients may have higher expectations of you. They may look to you for advice about decarbonizing their home and tapping the financial incentives that will be available. Now is an excellent time to get up to speed on energy efficiency and green home improvements and to get ready to address clients' concerns. Here are four resources to get you started. Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency– DSIRE gives you a quick way to search for and stay up to

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 for the guide. 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 information also is worth sharing – in blog posts

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” 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, travel, and hobbies. Underestimating the total cost of homeownership – Talk about home operation costs –

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