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I have heard many descriptions of the housing market today.

• It lacks urgency
• Plagued by uncertainty
• Too much volatility

But we’re now in the middle of the spring selling season when sales should be robust. The hard numbers regarding inventory and economy are good – but the soft numbers which involve consumer confidence aren’t good. This is a dramatic departure from the pandemic buying frenzy we saw in 2020 and 2021.

Listen More – Talk Less

When a market lacks urgency, it is easy for new home sales consultants to try and oversell. But this is actually a great time to ask questions – and truly listen to the buyer’s responses. Listen more – and talk less. If you’re a builder with houses to sell – it’s back to basics. Put another way, back to focusing on the traditional reasons people are in the market for a home. Namely, changes in their households:

• Job Relocation
• Marriage
• Divorce
• Expanding family
• Becoming an empty nester

Of course, each of these household shifts have their own unique challenges and solutions.

First Time Buyers

If you’re selling to a first-time buyer – a great strategy to winning over your buyers would educate them on the advantages of owning verses renting. What are their financing options? What can they afford now and what upgrades can they DIY later?
 

Move Up Buyers

For a move up buyer, you could win them over by focusing on the advantages of new verses a used home. Used homes may look like a bargain until you point out that older homes are typically less energy efficient, have aging appliances, outdated technology, and higher insurance premiums. On top of that, used homes are a constant maintenance worry.

Empty Nester / Retirees

For the retiree or empty nester, use the power of your design center to let them (finally) customize their home the way they want to live. This is a great time to show off easy living features like luxury vinyl plank flooring, large format tile in bath with less grout, and quartz countertops with the same porosity as stainless steel.

Consider offering a combination of designer ready specs (unfinished drywall) and pre-sales. And let’s not forget pet-friendly features as their pets are their surrogate children or grandchildren.

Changes in Lifestyle

Point out to all buyers how your new homes respond to changes in lifestyle including features such as:

• Dual work from home spaces
  

  

• Parcel delivery vestibules
  
• Time saving features like connected laundry rooms
  
• Expanded outdoor living and biophilia
  

Power of Emotions

All of these are sound, rationale reasons to buy a new home, but let’s not forget the power of emotions! You are selling families their future home – the place they will raise their children or the where extended families will come together for Thanksgiving. If you’re selling to empty nesters, perhaps it is a bunk room in your model so they can envision visits by the grandkids. It could be the kitchen they’ve always wanted.

An uncertain market doesn’t have to be a dead market. Let’s go make this an awesome spring and show your competition how it’s done.