Nearly half of buyers are purchasing a home for the first time and, of those, 43 percent choose to live in the suburbs. This puts them closer to job centers and amenities for people with children — 56 percent of first-time buyers have kids under age 18 at home.

First-time buyers face more hurdles than repeat buyers, so it makes sense that they’re also more likely to make sacrifices to become happy homeowners. Trade-offs they’re willing to make to stay within budget include buying a smaller home or increasing their commute times. Learn more about first-time home buyers.

Pro tip: Gain valuable insights with My Agent, which gives you visibility into what your buyers search for, view and save on Zillow.

Get in the mindset of first-time home buyers

Help buyers think ahead for financial planning

Many home shoppers are anxious about the financial aspects of buying a home, and they’re eager to hear recommendations from their agents. This is a great opportunity to build trust and help buyers feel confident in their decisions.

First off, assure buyers that a 20 percent down payment isn’t a requirement for purchasing a home — 52 percent of buyers put down less.

Have you had a great experience working with a financial lender? Your clients will be happy to know — half of buyers who rely on referrals turn to their agent first. Get more tips.

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Want to set yourself up for success in the new year? Then make it your resolution to focus on what buyers and sellers need from you. Get started with these five data-backed tips to help you win more with clients in 2019.

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You’re responsive and you move fast to close deals, but when it comes to listing homes, you’ll get the best results if you wait for the right window of time.

Across the United States, the sweet spot for selling a home is in the first half of May. That’s when home prices were at their highest and time on the market was minimized in 2018. If this year is the same, sellers can expect to sell almost two weeks faster than the average listing during the rest of the year.

Spring will be here before you know it, so prepare for open houses and listing presentations before this peak period. Dig into the data.

Zillow Research forecasts several real estate challenges for the new year. With the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rising to 5.8 percent, homeownership could be even less affordable. Natural disasters are also expected to follow in the pattern of recent years, causing more damage and home losses.

The more you understand the challenges home shoppers will face in the coming year, the better you can support your clients. See our predictions.

While this year will certainly pose plenty of challenges for you and your clients, you’re now five steps closer to helping them walk across the threshold of their new home. By anticipating their needs and

understanding their concerns, you’ll set yourself up for success in 2019.

Here’s to winning 2019

Know the best time to sell a home

Prepare for rising mortgages and more

As always, customer experience is the key, and today’s home shoppers are just like every other customer: They want instant results.

When we asked buyers what characteristics are most important in an agent, 80 percent said “responsiveness” — which was only narrowly beat by “trustworthiness” at the top of the list.

Winning starts with knowing your customers. See what else buyers expect in our buyer-agent partnership guide.

Be responsive3

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