Marketing to Senior Citizens - Assume Nothing!

Once upon a time, senior citizens were old people. They were assumed to be suffering from ill health and in need of care. They sold their homes so they could move in with children or move to a care facility. Not any more.

Now senior citizens exhibit the same variety of health and fitness as people much younger. In fact, those who have actively taken care of themselves are probably more fit than those in their teens and 20's who shun exercise and live on junk food.

So, assume nothing, because senior citizens come in many varieties, with many different goals.

Many choose to remain in their homes, while others want a change of scenery. But even those want to sell have different reasons.

Some want to get away from excessive maintenance chores. They'll choose a smaller home with a smaller yard - or perhaps a condo. They may be in failing health, but don't assume so. They may just want to pursue hobbies or take up volunteer work or be free to travel. Many have something they want to do that they couldn't do before, and they don't want to be tied down by a high maintenance home.

Others want to find a new home with a large yard, or even acreage, so they can take up gardening or buy a horse or raise dogs.

Some just want to get away! They'll sell the old homestead and move into a motor home so they can see the places they've been dreaming about for all those years when they were tied to work.

Some want to move to a more temperate climate - they're tired of the cold and snow and want to get outdoors and play all year. Some have always dreamed of living on a lake or in the mountains or on the desert. Some wanted to get away to a small town with a slower pace - or to move to a city with opera houses and art galleries and the theater. But until now, they were stuck because they were afraid to move away from their work. Now they can go where they want.

Of course, there still are those seniors who are selling because they do need to move in with the kids or to an assisted living facility.

Your job as an agent is to not assume anything. If you want to sort your lists, set up a capture on your website with information about downsizing to a smaller home, and a separate capture with information about transitioning to assisted living. You could even have different pages on your site - just like you might have different pages and different information for first time buyers and move-up buyers.

When you get a call to list a home for a senior citizen, go with no pre-set ideas. Wait and talk to the homeowner before you try to anticipate just what kind of assistance they need. Otherwise, you'll risk alienating a new client before you get a chance to show your stuff!