Understanding Senior Clients

When I began working with seniors on behalf of the senior care industry many years ago, I was determined to be a valued resource to them.  But on my way to accomplishing that I had a rude awakening.  In my youthful exuberance I didn’t begin to understand senior’s issues. I had answers, but they weren’t necessarily the answers my clients needed.

I had a solid understanding of the senior industry.  But I didn’t understand the journey an elder travels, and wasn’t in touch with the emotions a senior experiences when their health begins to fail.  I couldn’t grasp how it impacts their life when they can no longer drive or the freedom they lose.  I couldn’t relate to the senior who is caring for their spouse and is faced with the reality that the ideal retirement they’d envisioned for the two of them would never be.

I also hadn’t fully understood the depth to which adult children are balancing their own family responsibilities along with caring for and worrying about their parents.  That presented a whole new set of circumstances and another new puzzle I needed to find the pieces to.  I eventually realized that each family had their own puzzle and they often looked very different from the next one.  Some common threads for sure, but a lot of uniqueness.

Finally, I learned the most important lesson…it’s less about me giving them answers and more about guiding them to possible solutions, allowing them to find “their own” answers.  The more I listened intently, the more I heard not only what they were saying, but what they weren’t saying.  And that’s where the gift in conversation with seniors lies!

Serving an elder client is an incredibly rewarding experience…made even more so when you successfully help them navigate the path from their long-time home to their next station in life.  Their gratitude will be long lasting.  The meaning you’ll find in your work will be incredibly fulfilling.  And word will spread that you are one of those special realtors who is invested in serving this valued niche client.  Seniors are particularly loyal clients, with a vast network that they will enthusiastically share their quality providers with.

If you have the passion to serve seniors, check out our Brick by Brick course at www.bruceallenconsultants.com , and allow us to support growing your senior niche real estate practice.

Adele Lund