Millennials as Coachees (and Also Coaches) in Real Estate

Shelly Stotzer

Career and Executive Coach, Crosworks

As a career and executive coach, I work with clients from 18 to 72 years old, including millennials from all types of industries. I’m often asked questions such as, “Do you find millennials coachable? Aren’t they lazy? Entitled?”

Yes, they are coachable. They are far from lazy. And they will work hard.

Millennials work differently, with different expectations. They don’t settle for clock-punching and collecting a paycheck. And we can learn as much from them as they can learn from us — about career exploration, service expectations, and working smarter.

A couple of coaching clients stand out as examples of how millennials view and are changing the real estate industry. These individuals decided early that hard work came naturally once they found careers that provided the independence, authenticity, and fulfillment they sought.

After working with Crosworks to better understand her values, transferable skills, and ideal work environment, millennial Anna Wooden entered the real estate business with an interest in learning the value of investments. And it seems the intersection between millennials and real estate is fertile ground indeed. According to the 2017 National Association of REALTORS® Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report, 85 percent of millennial buyers see buying a home as a good investment. Further, the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2017 states that the millennial generation “…makes up the largest segment of home buyers today (42 percent of all buyers who purchased a home in the past 12 months).”

Wooden understands that technology can be both a driver and a disruptor on the sales side of the real estate process. She is quite comfortable using various social media platforms to promote her business. However, while buyers use technology to accelerate the home buying process, Wooden still spends time educating them on misinformation found online.

Chris Sauerzopf, co-founder of SafeChain, a blockchain technology company that uses a combination of identity verification and bank authentication technologies to help title agents eliminate wire fraud and keep customers’ funds safe, indicates that millennials are pushing the real estate industry from a technology perspective. “Technology has changed expectations,” he says. “Consumers have new expectations compared to the real estate experience they had just five years ago. Companies that create the easiest and best experience for consumers in the entire real estate process will win in the market.”

Sauerzopf sees a multitude of benefits in a technology company in which there is influential millennial thinking. “They are not romantic about the way things ‘used to be done,’” he says. “They move fast, know how to get quick answers, and leverage technology.”

Do you want to hire and keep strong real estate professionals who are passionate about their work, drive efficiency, and don’t settle for mediocre service? Don’t overlook millennials. Listen to them as much as you try to teach them — you just might learn something. Signs point to millennials being critical links in all aspects of the real estate value chain. They might be your buyer, seller, partner, or even boss.

For more information about career and executive coaching, please check out our website at www.crosworks.com or email info@crosworks.com.