At first glance, you might not think these two groups of people have anything in common: would you be surprised to know they have more in common than you think?
When you’re a landlord, it’s critical to know your target rental market: when you know the type of renter you want in your rental property, you can make sure your property is attractive to those kinds of tenants. What if your Orlando rental property was attractive to more than one type of renter? You’ve effectively widened your pool of potential tenants.
While millennials and baby boomers are at different life-stages, they often look for some of the same amenities in a rental property. Here’s what you need to know to be successful in marketing your property to millennials and baby boomers.
A Shared Love for Technology
There's an unfair stigma that perpetuates baby boomers as aging, frail, near-retirees. They might be grandparents, but baby boomers know their way around a tablet! They also love places with free Wi-Fi (who doesn't?)
Simply put, baby boomers appreciate technology—just like any other age group. Millennials are big fans of technology, too, so marketing to both age groups is less of a niche than you might think!
To help make your home both millennial—and boomer—friendly, embrace technology throughout your rental property and integrate it into the process of becoming a tenant from start to finish:
- Make sure your online property listings stand out! Millennials and baby boomers are most likely to start their search for a new rental home online. You'll reach even more millennials if your listing is mobile-friendly.
- Use property management software to make it easy for applicants to fill out a rental application online. Make sure your property management process includes online payments for rent and maintenance requests.
When you embrace technology, both age groups are more likely to embrace your property as a potential home.
Pets Are a Priority
Millennials love their pets: young singles or married couples who haven’t yet started a family often have a pet before kids (they're called 'fur babies' for a reason!) For many baby boomers experiencing an “empty nest,” a dog or cat helps fill the void created by kids no longer living at home.
Make sure your Orlando rental property is pet-friendly: when you allow pets in your rental, you create a high-demand living environment for young folks or an older couple who won’t have to leave their beloved cat or dog behind. Well-established pets receive as much love as any other family member, so providing an environment that caters to pet-owners can open up your property to an entirely new market!
They Care About the Environment
An environmentally friendly rental home attracts a wide variety of potential renters, and millennials and baby boomers are often passionate about their impact on the environment. Living in a home that reduces energy consumption appeals across multiple generations.
- In your listings, highlight how to recycle in your property’s neighborhood.
- Showcase local organic grocers and restaurants.
- Choose products for your properties that promote eco-friendliness.
- LED light bulbs, quality air filters, and programmable thermostats are features that appeal to eco-friendly and technologically-hip enthusiasts.
- Use service contractors that promote "green" practices to take excellent care of your property: from the materials and methods used during renovations, to how you deep clean in between tenants, every effort is a selling point!
As a bonus for your tenants, these small efforts in your properties will also help lower energy bills. Millennials and boomers alike appreciate saving money in any way they can and value thriftiness.
An Active Lifestyle
Whether it’s walking through the park, a trip to the beach, or heading to Disney World, millennials and baby boomers love living an action-packed life.
- If your rental property is within walking distance of great restaurants and local nightlife, be sure you highlight that in your property listing.
- Consider including the walking distance from your property to these destinations in your listing if they're within a few miles.
- When the grand-kids or friends come for a weekend visit, they have the time freedom to enjoy the fun activities that living in the Orlando area provides. Mention how renting means no weekend house projects to tackle, or trips to the local home improvement store to fix the water heater.
Renting a home can allow millennials and baby boomers to have time for a night out with friends, an afternoon at the golf course, or experience an evening of live music at the neighborhood hot-spot. As the landlord, you take care of maintenance so tenants can enjoy their active lifestyle.
Millennials and Baby Boomers Make Fantastic Tenants!
You’ll love offering your rental property to millennials and baby boomers: they tend to be responsible, and they often become reliable renters who stay for more than one lease term when they find a place they love.
If transitioning your rental property to a technology-integrated home-sweet-home or screening pets sounds challenging, let Verandah Properties help! Contact us for a FREE Rental Analysis to get an idea of the value of your investment property, and put our expansive skill-set to work for you!