• Senior Mobility Services are another trend, as sometimes corporate mobility clients must relocate with elder dependents and require specialized information or assistance regarding alternate housing options or arrangements. For the non-corporate sector, this growing population demographic also includes still-independent seniors wishing to downsize locally.
• Short Sale and REO servicing activities represent another area of opportunity. Some agents focus only on these specialized purchase and sale activities but also provide advisory services, educational materials and short sale and REO seminars.
Purely educational offerings did not come up frequently in our survey responses. But many real estate firms provide information on local market data, housing trends, regional profiles and home sale/purchase guidelines on their websites. Online resources also include relocation-related article links and self-help style interactive tools to access regional demographics, economics, school and cost of living comparison data. Relocation departments can further broaden awareness by participating in national and regional WERC or other mobility groups.
Regional market influences and demographics often affect the sustainability of local services and you may already know which market segments are strongest in your area. In-field corporate mobility-trained agents have a first-hand advantage in observing gaps in relocation service processes or corporate client policies that need updating. Your observations could be a valuable asset for corporate clients and could evolve into new or modified products or services.
Peg Guinta, CRP, is Projects Director for RIS Consulting Group. For questions, please email peg@rismedia.com.
