Forget emails: Here’s how to communicate with Gen Z without giving them the ‘ick’

While property values below the scheme’s price caps have experienced a strong uplift nationwide, Melbourne has emerged as an ideal location for first home buyers, with a more affordable baseline, making it easier to enter the market.

Barry Plant Glenroy sales agent Alex Briggs said that with the expansion of the first home buyer scheme, she had seen a significant jump in the number of younger buyers in her north Melbourne market.

“Probably 50 per cent of my clientele are buyers that are entry level and under 30,” Briggs said.

Briggs said that when selling to Gen Z, who are entering the market for the first time, a high-touch approach is often required.

“It’s one of those things where it’s not just another transaction.”

“You have really got to hold their hands from start to finish, even post settlement.”

“This is the biggest time in their lives, and just because I do this every day as an agent, doesn’t mean that they will necessarily get the chance to do it again, ever.”

She said that with Gen Z’s lack of market experience, it was essential for agents to begin educating buyers and setting clear expectations from the initial meeting.

“I think it is about educating them on likely competition, talking honestly about the price and outlining the best and worst case scenarios so that if they were to compete in an auction environment, they are not surprised.”

When managing buyer expectations, Briggs said property professionals need to focus on being relatable rather than being the “perfect” agent.

“If you are trying to be that pushy agent that’s really just trying to sell them something, they’ll genuinely see straight through it.”

“You have got to be authentic.”

Briggs stressed that agents should remind prospective buyers they are on the same team and ensure they understand the process, regardless of whether the purchase is made through them.

“If I can do that, I feel like I’ve at least done my part.”

Build and maintain a relationship

When it comes to communication, Briggs said there is typically more back-and-forth between agents and buyers than with other generations.

“There’s a lot more communication, and I feel like if you do build that trust with the buyer, they generally then rely on you more than they would their conveyancer or even their broker.”

“There is a lot of communication and a lot of questions to be answered.”

She said that with Gen Z buyers, she typically avoided email and focused on more personal communication methods such as FaceTime, text and voice notes.

“These types of clients don’t get emailed, because they don’t use it.”

“It also depends on how comfortable I am with them.”

“It’s very different to communicating with a more mature buyer.”

Briggs said that providing consistent communication with buyers, even post-settlement, allowed agents to build a strong relationship that could potentially lead to buyers returning as sellers down the line.

“It’s really important to keep in mind that this generation of buyers is potentially going to be the next generation of sellers.”

“If I know they are interested in something, I will be communicating with them almost every second day.”

“I feel like I’m getting a lot of buyers left over potentially from other agents who have left a bad taste in their mouth, so when I meet with them, their guards are completely up.”

For agents struggling to handle the varying communication styles across generations, Briggs said they have to find their own unique way to interact with Gen Z, and make sure to remain authentic.

“Some communication is better than no communication.”

“You have just got to do it, there is no other option.”

Leave an impact

She said that, similarly to other generations, if a buyer missed out on the property they initially wanted, agents should look to “go the extra mile” and assist them in finding a new option.

“I know if I wasn’t in the industry, I would want an agent that I could rely on, trust and that in 10 years’ time, I would go back to.”

“Because if you don’t show them that you want to help them and that you’ll go above and beyond, then the chances are slim of them coming back to you; they will forget about you straight away.”

She said the best way to ensure clients would consider coming back when they were looking to sell was to show them you were invested in their journey as well.

“A saying that I lean on is ‘People won’t remember what you said, they remember how you make them feel,’ and it’s an idea that really guides me.”

“You have got to leave an impact,” Briggs concluded.