Why Today’s Agent Is MORE Important Than Ever – A Millennial’s Perspective

I am a millennial. I turned 30 last year and, yes, everything does begin to hurt more. I read blogs, posts, articles, etc. daily about how important my generation is to the housing market. Too many of us live at home with our parents, too many of us don't work at all and, most importantly, many of us are nowhere near buying a home. I come from an especially tough market – just outside of Seattle, Washington. $400,000 here doesn't get you much aside from a home twice as old as me and, unfortunately for my generation, most of us aren't very handy, so if something goes wrong and YouTube can't tell us how to fix it, we're in deep trouble.

So let's get to my story and why today's real estate agent is more important than ever. With so much technology out there, I often hear from real estate professionals that companies are trying to make them obsolete. Those who have been doing this long enough know how ridiculous this is, but it's a very real fear for agents. If agent aren't busy worrying about their client getting in touch with another agent on some portal, they worry about whether their tech expertise will impress clients – especially these young, know-it-all millennials.

I am here to tell you just how important you are – and why embracing technology is essential. I had the pleasure of working with Barb Sullivan, a long time John L. Scott agent. She is a family friend and of my 30 years here on Earth, she has been a part of 25 of them. Here is what I didn't need Barb for: technology. Here is what I did need her for: everything else! As a millennial, I know where to get information. I didn't need Barb to help me find homes... I think we can all name five different portals to help me do this, and Barb didn't care one bit that I used them.

My home buying journey has taken me over two years. My story began with a $425,000 three bedroom home that I was in love with but was ultimately outbid on. My story ended with an accepted offer on a $390,000 three bedroom town home. What I want to highlight are the things I learned in between from my Realtor that I NEVER would have thought about before, and some of the reasons why today's agent is so essential – especially for my generation. As it turns out, looking at beautiful homes on Zillow, Trulia, Redfin etc. isn't the only piece to buying a home.