New Immersion Active Survey Examines how 55+ Homebuyers Find their Dream Home

USA - English

• USA - English

FREDERICK, Md., June 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Often times baby boomers are associated with a lack of technology prowess. However, as individuals increasingly rely on the internet and social media to collect information and make buying decisions, so have baby boomers. To help community developers and builders better understand how baby boomers' research their next home, Immersion Active, a leading marketing solutions agency specializing in connecting consumers with brands that bring value to their lives, conducted an online survey of 55+ homebuyers and released the findings in a white paper titled "The Online Preferences of 55+ Homebuyers: The Vital Role of Your Digital Footprint."

To download the free white paper, visit: info.immersionactive.com/homebuyer-preferences.

The survey, conducted on Facebook from August through October 2018, targeted men and women who have already retired or plan on retiring within the next 20 years. Of those respondents, 47% were already retired and 31% plan on retiring in one to four years. The respondents' age ranges broke down as follows: 20% were between the ages of 55-59, 35% were between the ages of 60-64, 24% were between the ages of 65-69, and 13% were between the ages of 70-74.

The survey questions focused on how these consumers – 89% of which plan on purchasing a new home in the next five years – find and collect information about housing developments and communities as they search for a new home. Key findings include:

• Online real estate directories such as Zillow, Redfin or Realtor.com were the most used online sources of information, accounting for 69% of respondents. Additionally, online community directories targeting the 55+ market such as Ideal Living and 55Places.com were used by 36% of respondents.
• Homebuyers were more likely to turn to communities' or developer's social media channels (35%) than they were to use those organization's websites (31%).
• Only 13% of respondents found information via print publications or direct mail and only 3% reviewed welcome packets or brochures.

These findings show that more boomers are turning to social media and community websites for research, thus developers and builders should focus their marketing efforts there as opposed to more traditional marketing tactics. Social media and community websites allow prospective residents to get a sense of a community's lifestyle through photos and videos. Additionally, social media gives consumers the ability to see comments and feedback from current residents, which is increasingly important to consumers.

"This should be a reality check for community developers and builders who rely heavily on print ads, billboards, and other traditional marketing methods," said Joe Ford, president and senior digital strategist at Immersion Active. "Internet marketing – including websites and social media – is more vital than ever to 55+ homebuyers as they search for the perfect home. For the best leads, developers and builders need to optimize their online presence and ensure their content depicts what life is like for the consumer if they purchased a home in the community."

To download the white paper, visit info.immersionactive.com/homebuyer-preferences. For more information about Immersion Active and how they help community developers and builders tell a story for consumers, visit: http://www.immersionactive.com.

About Immersion Active
Founded in 1998, Immersion Active is a leading marketing solutions agency specializing in connecting consumers with brands that bring value to their lives. As experts on how to inclusively market to consumers across age groups and demographics, Immersion Active helps companies make an emotional connection with customers. The company has won 130 local, regional, national and international marketing awards, including the Webbys, the Mature Market Media Awards, the WOMMYs, the Web Health Awards, and the Content Marketing Awards. The company was also named a 2018 Frederick County Best Places to Work.

SOURCE Immersion Active