By 2036, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation will free up 13.9 million homes, according to a new Realtor.com projection.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. On this week’s Knowledge Brokers Podcast, Tom Toole said the wave is coming “allegedly, I say allegedly because we’ve been hearing this for about 6 years.”
Byron Lazine isn’t buying it either.
“No, it’s overstated. And even if it happens down the road, it is going to feel like a really slow drip.”
But that doesn’t mean agents should ignore these sellers. Byron, Tom and Lisa Chinatti laid out how to start building that business now.
Why the Wave Keeps Getting Pushed Back
Byron says the boomers he sees aren’t in a hurry to go anywhere.
“They are living like they’ve got another hundred years ahead of them,” he said. “None of them are remotely interested in downsizing.”
He also pointed to a newer trend locking up inventory: companies that remodel homes so owners can age in place instead of moving. And the hosts noted that some adult children are simply buying their parents’ homes.
So when these homes do come up, they won’t come all at once. As Tom put it, “You’ve got to play the long game.”
Here are the three ways Byron would do it.
1. Host Monthly Luncheons Inside Senior Living Facilities
Byron’s first play starts with the companies that help older homeowners move into senior living.
“I’d partner with the transition companies,” he said. Those companies are in and out of these facilities every week. “They know the secretaries by name all the way up to the person running the facility.”
One strategy is to team up with them to host a luncheon once a month.
“You have the transition company. You have the agent talking to a group of 20, 30 people at lunch every single month who are 70 years old, 75 years old and are thinking about this transition.”
These aren’t sellers who are ready to list tomorrow. “Are these top of the funnel? You bet they are,” Byron said. But stack those lunches month after month, and you’re building a database that’s far more targeted than a mailer.
His tip: go upscale.
“The fancy ones, the expensive ones, because guess what? They’re going to have a more valuable home on the sale.”
2. Get on Local Talk Radio
Byron’s second play is old school, and it works best in midsize markets, rural markets and small cities.
“I’d be doing what I’ve been doing the last 10 years, creating a brand on the radio,” he said. His reasoning is simple: homeowners 70 and older are listening to political talk radio.
His approach is to tune into the local news-talk station, note which local businesses are advertising, and approach those sponsors about backing a weekend real estate show. Then use giveaways and calls to build an email list from the people listening.
Byron has hosted a live Connecticut real estate show every Saturday morning for more than a decade.
“You get listings out of that. You don’t get buyers,” he said.
The key is sticking with it. “I didn’t try it out. I did it. Keep doing it.”
3. Market to the Kids, Not the Parents
The third play targets the adult children who are often part of the decision.
Byron suggested running Meta ads with messages like, “Hey, are your parents aging in place but in the wrong home?” and testing different versions to build a list.
The goal with all three, he said, is the same: “Pull emails and phone numbers forward into your database, into your CRM, so that you can continue to market to them.”
Tom’s Add: The Video CMA
Tom pointed out that many longtime owners aren’t ready to invite an agent inside.
“They don’t want to invite you into the home for the listing appointment until the home’s ready,” he said. “There’s a pride issue there.”
His fix is a short screen-recorded video walking them through local market data.
“Most of these folks, they have no concept of what their home is worth,” Tom said. “It’s four or five minutes of market data.”
He also had a reminder for the appointment itself.
“I wear a suit and a jacket to all these appointments because for the silent generation, the boomers, that goes a long way, especially in the Northeast.”
The Only Tsunami That Matters
The silver tsunami may show up someday. It may not. Either way, these listings will come one family at a time, and the agents who built relationships early will be the ones getting the call.
Or as Byron put it:
“The only tsunami that matters is the tsunami of your lead generation into your team or into your business.”
Lisa summed it up even shorter.
“Real estate is math, right? And its conversations lead to appointments, appointments lead to contracts, contracts lead to closings.”
Watch the full episode of Knowledge Brokers Podcast on the BAM YouTube channel.
