years,” Thornhill told the newspaper. Some real estate firms are going beyond creating strategies. Out in Encino, Calif., for example, Eva Rosenberg describes herself as “The Baby Boomer’s Broker.” And Pennsylvania-based Boomers & Beyond Realty touts itself as the agency for the 50-plus generation; its home page cites the company’s bullpen of professionals and services, ranging from reverse mortgage experts to grief counselors.
Time, empathy, and patience
907,858
Estimated number of Virginians 65 and older in 2009
1.8 million Estimated number by 2030
1 in 5 Chance in 2030 that a Virginian will be 65 or older
20 MARCH/APRIL 2011
Back home in Virginia, Karl Ford, a Realtor with Roanoke-based MKB Realtors, completed coursework for the National Association of Realtors®’ Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation a few years ago. Ford, a boomer himself at 57, has nearly 28 years in the real estate business. He had established — before earning the SRES designation — a sort of unofficial specialty in serving older clients, a segment he said he thoroughly enjoys. “About five or six years ago I began to see the demographics I was working with start to change,” he explained. “I began to get calls from people I went to high school with who I hadn’t heard from in 30 or 40 years.” Their needs varied, he said. For some, the death of a parent, or a parent entering a nursing home, required listing their home. Others sought help in the midst of full-bore rumination about relocation decisions — information about the pros and cons of patio homes, independent living, or assisted-living facilities. And some callers wanted details about real estate investment. Seeing the direction of his business, Ford began to build a network of
organizations and people to help him boost customer service and satisfaction, and to spread the word about his expertise with older clients. He found reputable providers of reverse mortgages who candidly discussed this option’s pros and cons. He nailed down facts about housing options for older adults in his market, including independent living, assisted living, nursing homes, and more. He contacted community agencies to learn about services, such as Meals-onWheels, that can allow older clients to remain in their homes. And Ford refers older sellers to regional businesses like Crowning Touch Senior Moving Services in Roanoke. The company specializes in moving older customers, but it also offers auction and consignment services — after all, someone relocating from a 3,000 square-foot house to a patio home might have 30 or more years of accumulated stuff that the smaller home simply can’t accommodate. An older client’s move can elicit strong feelings, he said. For some, this move will likely be their last. Consequently, many such clients who contact Ford take months and even years to act. “You’ve got to be very understanding and very patient,” he said. As one example, nearly three years passed between Ford’s first contact with a retired couple who were considering a retirement community and the couple’s ultimate decision to sell their home. In this case, he said, the couple waited too long. The wife suffered a disabling stroke and her husband regretted not acting sooner. When Ford visited, the husband stepped outside with him. www.VARealtor.com