HOME BUYING
Home as Sanctuary The pandemic has made home the safe place to be for all pursuits. People want homes that can accommodate one or more offices, learning centers, playrooms, gyms, a comfortable place to watch movies, pools, and other outdoor amenities. We’re spending more time at home and experts say we’ll continue to do so even after the public health crisis passes. Many will ditch their commutes and keep working from home, full or part-time; some will continue to limit the time they spend out in public. Less Density, Convenient Proximity People who no longer need to be close to work are giving up the density of urban living. They’re looking for single-family homes with space, but still want proximity to stores, restaurants, and entertainment. People are also putting a higher value on being near close family—a car ride away. Condos and Co-ops The increased demand for single-family homes has pushed up those prices but left deals to be found with condominiums and co-ops. These can be either in the suburbs or in urban areas where demand, though lower, is still growing among singles, couples, and families with children who want the city lifestyle. Telecommuting Experts say working from home will become the new normal, offering zero commute time, more family time, and a low key, comfortable, more productive environment. But it’s crucial to carve out a real workspace at home — a designated area to work for long periods and hold online meetings — not the dining table or sofa, which are only good for occasional work on our laptops. Open-plan space can be broken up into separate home offices and study nooks. A workspace should also have an appropriate background for online meetings and be quiet, especially for families with young children. Condos may offer business lounges that overlook nice views that make impressive backgrounds for Zoom calls. Beautiful Interiors Spending more time inside has given people a new appreciation for how the look of space affects our mood and behavior. People make emotional, tactile connections with the spaces they live in, and gravitate to well-organized interiors with plenty of natural daylight. Maximum Utility People want to maximize how every square inch of space gets used in their homes. They want things like plenty of built-in storage, a functional kitchen opens to the dining area for entertaining, and cabinetry that’s custom configured for specific uses. Home-Based Amenities Some people will elect to completely avoid communal facilities in the future. They’re putting their money into home-based amenities, such as outdoor kitchens, lap pools, gyms, yoga studios, and media rooms with multi-level movie theater seating. Online House Hunting It’s pretty common now to do a property walk-through on a video call and to include virtual tours in online listings. Even after things open up, there’s a good chance buyer will still go for virtual viewings in the initial house hunting stages. Click here for more home buyer trends.
HOME FEATURES MILLENNIALS LOVE
Millennials, age 24 to 39, have long been seen as the affluents of tomorrow. But guess what? Tomorrow is here, as many millennials are now in their mid- to late-thirties and financially well off. Those entering the real estate market for the first time can often afford more than starter homes. Those who own homes are poised for their second or third purchases.
America’s largest demographic cohort
is quite consistent about home buying preferences. Here are the top features most millennials like in a listing.
A Close-to-the-Action Location
For millennials, location identifies lifestyle. They look for centrally located neighborhoods that put them near the best restaurants, coffee shops, bars, shops, gyms, yoga studios, parks, and public transportation. They want to be where the action is. Despite some city dwellers moving to the suburbs, there’s still plenty of interest in living near urban amenities. Yes, suburbs have seen a little more home price growth than cities, but that’s because cities have had more inventory, not less demand. Of course, a few very high-priced urban markets have been softer.
Convenient Living
Ease of maintenance ranks high for busy millennials. They’ll go for full-service condos versus townhomes that require upkeep outside. They want a gym and swimming pool in the building, a rooftop available for entertaining, smart home appliances and devices. Convenient smart home technology is also key in single-families where home office space is almost a must. Ease of maintenance in single-family homes means build quality and attention to detail in new construction, “good bones” and up-to-date maintenance in existing homes.
Budget Friendly Price
Millennials often look to buy below their means and not bust their budget, even when they’re well-off. They’d rather save their money to spend on creating memories and achieving long-term goals.
Designed for Socializing
Millennials tend to be very social, so they like living spaces that make socializing easy. Open kitchens that flow into living spaces are especially attractive, since those preparing the goodies don’t miss out on anything.
Outside Living
Millennials spark to homes with a yard that accommodates a vegetable garden, composting, even chickens. They also like homes and condos with decks and terraces that seamlessly connect life indoors and out. Millennials also value access to green spaces, such as trails and parks.
Future Features
Many millennials think long term. They want a home they can grow into with roommates, pets, a spouse, or kids. DIYers will take on expansion projects. Others prefer a space ready to handle future needs. Millennials also care about the future of the planet, so they’re attracted to energy efficient, environmentally friendly home features.
An Efficient, Understanding Agent
Millennials want an agent who will streamline the home buying process, doing as much as possible online. They want someone who responds quickly and truly understands their lifestyle.
Click here for more on appealing to millennial home buyers.
PRODUCTIVITY
WHY COMMUNICATION SKILLS MATTER AND 7 TIPS TO IMPROVE THEM
Communication skills are vital to your success in three important ways:
Communication skills are key to working more efficiently—and therefore more productively—with co-workers and partners
Communication skills are vital to growing your business by persuading prospects to become clients
Communication skills are key to doing the best job possible satisfying those clients, so they refer you to others and hire you again themselves, to grow your business even more
Here are seven tips to improve your communication skills:
Actively listen to what the other person is saying.
Whether you’re communicating with a co-worker, prospect, or client, it’s important to know what they want and need. To do that, you have to actively listen to them. Today, people often go fast, so they make assumptions and rush conversations. Instead, listen closely, repeat back what you’ve heard to make sure you understand, and only then respond to the other person.
Listen for what’s not being said.
People leave out important details for a variety of reasons. They may think you don’t need to know something. They may feel what they’ll tell you will make them look bad. Or they just may forget a detail. Make sure the other person has said everything you need to know. If they haven’t, gently inquire about what they’ve left out.
Hone your emotional intelligence.
Also known as EQ, emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. Controlling your own emotions and accurately reading what others are feeling are key to good communications. Raising your EQ also helps relieve stress, meet challenges, and resolve conflicts.
Click here for tips on improving your EQ.
Always keep the goal in mind.
It’s easy to just think about what you want to say. Instead, think about what you want the other person to hear, which in fact is the goal of your communication.
Be decisive.
When offering an idea or proposing a solution, don’t beat around the bush. Make the most of the opportunity. Say what you have to say confidently and decisively.
Pick up your power of persuasion.
That doesn’t mean, be more “pushy.” Persuasion is the ability to influence others to do what’s in their best interest—but also in yours. In other words, persuasion is the ability to come up with a “win-win” situation. Here’s a look at 6 Principles of Persuasion
Stay resilient in the face of rejection.
Communication skills include how to respond when things don’t go your way. When something you propose is turned down, stay positive. Don’t take it personally, and thank the other person for listening. Above all, think about what you’ve learned from this rejection and you’ll experience fewer in the future.
TECHNOLOGY
FREE SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING COURSES
A social media presence can be important in business. Here are nine free online programs to explore social media and bring your capabilities to the next level.
offered by Constant Contact. Level: Beginner. This class is a great place to start exploring social media. It offers step-by-step guides to establishing yourself on almost every social platform: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat, and more—a great way to sample your social media options.
offered by Coursera. Level: Beginner. This MOOC (massive open online course) from Northwestern University shows you how to build your social strategy with effective, proven methodologies. This hands-on introduction doesn’t just tell you how to grow your brand using social media—it has you actually doing it.
offered by Udemy. Level: Beginner. Teaches how to do the right thing on social media—how to exercise good judgment; how to avoid tweeting something that could result in a lawsuit or a loss of business. The course focuses on ethical online conversations and touches on local, state, and federal laws governing social media.
Introduction to Social Media Strategy
offered by Skillshare. Level: Beginner—Intermediate. A 45-minute class on how to put together a simple strategy to reach your goals—brand awareness, website traffic, sales—on Facebook and Twitter. Covers finding your voice, curating and creating content, paid advertising strategies, and more.
Introduction to Social Media Advertising
offered by Skillshare. Level: Beginner—Intermediate. A follow-up to the above Skillshare class, this one covers how to get the most from paid social advertising. Get ready to run your first social media ad campaign to connect with customers, convert views into action, and extend impact over the long term.
offered by Coursera. Level: Beginner—Intermediate. A Northwestern University MOOC that covers strategies to grow your social footprint and link it to business results. Uncover costs, revenue, profits, and ROI. Learn how to change social marketing from an untracked expense to a measured component of your marketing effort.
offered by Facebook. Level: Beginner—Advanced. This is the one-stop shop for everything about running successful advertising campaigns using your Facebook Business Page. It’s a large resource of free, self-paced classes covering best practices and strategies big brands use. Also includes help on Instagram posting and advertising.
offered by Udemy. Level: All Levels. This course has social monitoring tips and tools for people of all skill levels, from social media beginners to seasoned veterans. Learn how to monitor what people are saying about you online. Provides an overview of the social media monitoring tools available.
Advanced Social Media Marketing for Picking up Clients
offered by Udemy. Level: Intermediate. After you have active Facebook, Reddit, and YouTube accounts, take this course to learn how to pull in qualified, motivated clients in Facebook Groups, Reddit, niche forums, and on YouTube. Claims you’ll “pick up coaching and consulting clients within 48 hours.”
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