Blackberry—check. Texting furiously—check. Mobile office—check. Welcome to the world of the Gen X and Gen Y real estate professional.

The young professionals are rarely seen without a Blackberry Smartphone in hand. They have an office, but spend most of their days on the move. Grounded in technology, they communicate with hundreds of other 20- and 30-somethings every day via text messages. They use virtual faxes and the Internet to negotiate contracts. They are the new breed of real estate professionals and they specifically entered real estate with one goal—turning it into a lifetime career.

While the average age of Realtor® is 54 and female, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), the young men with Coco, Early & Associates are part of a new trend in an industry that’s seen tremendous change in the past few years. Facebook, MySpace, Linked In, blogs and even Twitter are their information highways. They maintain access to their clients 24-hours a day, 7-days-a-week because that’s how their generation works.

One or two young males in any realty firm is not noteworthy, but when six young men, with college degrees, recently took on the role of professional sales associates at the Massachusetts-based Coco, Early & Associates real estate firm, people began to notice.
“They bring a youthful enthusiasm and technical savvy to our firm,” says Blaise Coco, co-owner. “That mixes perfectly with our more experienced professionals, [who are] wonderful mentors to these younger [sales associates], while these young guys can certainly teach us all about the ways in which their generation communicates and works.”

Starting Early
“I was attracted to the professional because it’s really self motivating,” explains Vinny Forzese, age 26. “It’s not a 9-to-5 desk job, and I get great satisfaction when I place someone in their new home.

Matthew Trudel, age 29, has found that many friends in his age group are searching for their first home. He’s had success in connecting members of his generation to homes because he balances the human touch with the technology. He regularly sends out blanket text messages to 200 or so of his “closest” friends. He uses Facebook to highlight new properties for sale and even blogs. 

“In college we all texted each other and had Facebook pages. It seems perfectly natural for us to communicate this way,” says Trudel. “It’s not time consuming, I keep my messages brief. What’s most important is keeping up regular contact with your friends. So, when I have a new listing or hear about a great property, I use instant communication and Facebook to get the word out.”

Their generation is also very mobile. Friends from college may now live anywhere in the country. Technology has made the whole world feel smaller and these young professionals embrace this technology when it comes to helping a customer relocate. They make the most of the buyer’s time and resources sending out virtual tours across the country and across the world.

The Next Wave
Understanding the X-Y generation makes these young men great assets to their firm. 
“Our generation does not wait for a [sales associate] to tell them about a neighborhood and they don’t drive by a potential property,” says Doug Early, age 25. “Our generation heads right to Google Earth. They type in the address and get a view of the house, neighborhood and even commuter routes. They use the Internet to look up similar sales and home values. They do a lot of the research that the [sales associates] do. They are informed buyers.”

However, warns one young professional, “You can get good information from the Internet,” says Jeff Fragala, age 26, “but not complete information. Pictures and virtual tours often don’t do a property justice. Information online may not be up-to-date and often a potential buyer will have to spend hours on the Web using several sites and still see only a partial list of properties available in their market and price range. We can work with them through the Multiple Listing Service to get them all the listings, the new listings and then provide them with the personal service they need. Buying a home is a big decision and one that comes with stress. I work with people to guide them through the process and advise them on their options along the way.”

“I am very focused on my work and take this opportunity seriously,” concludes Angel Boria, age 24. “For me, this a dream career and one that’s rewarding on many levels. It’s very satisfying to know you helped some realize the dream of owning their own home.”