A new collaboration between the National Association of Realtors and AARP aims to help improve service to seniors in the housing market.
The relationship is designed to educate NAR members about community factors that support people as they age and provide a means of better engaging with people age 65 and older, a demographic that’s expected to surpass 80 million in 2040.
NAR members who use the REALTORS Property Resource mobile app and website will be able to integrate data from the AARP Livability Index through those platforms. The index breaks data down by ZIP code to offer insights into factors such as transportation and healthcare options in a given area. Agents can pass that information along so their clients can make informed decisions about where they choose to buy.
The partnership was announced last month at the 2020 Realtors Conference & Expo, a fully virtual event that spanned more than two weeks.
“One of our goals is to help people better understand their housing needs over a lifetime,” said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins. “Clearly, homebuyers and other movers can use more information to help them make choices that meet their needs. We want to address the barriers that prevent people from living in their desired communities as they age, and I know this relationship with NAR will help us better accomplish that goal.”
The integration of the AARP Livability Index into the REALTORS Property Resource isn’t the first collaboration between the two organizations. The NAR Seniors Real Estate Specialist program is a designation for Realtors who want to develop expertise in helping clients older than age 50 with their transactions, including purchases, sales, relocations and refinancing residential or investment properties.
NAR CEO Bob Goldberg said that the joint effort with AARP would provide NAR members with valuable insight and position them to better safeguard and advise their clients.
“Realtors are put through a rigorous course to earn their SRES designation and upon completion they’re equipped with expertise on counseling senior clients through major financial and lifestyle transitions,” Goldberg said. “This collaboration with AARP will take Realtors’ efforts in serving older Americans to the next level.”