Home is a place of safety and certainty where you can relax and get comfortable. Given today’s mobile technology, most people send a text or call when they’re on their way to someone’s home or have pulled into the driveway.
So, when the doorbell rings without warning, it’s probably a stranger.
For millennials, the sound of an unexpected doorbell can induce a fast panic.
The change may come from horror movies and crime shows that portray answering the doorbell as a life-threatening decision. Or a real fear that has developed as a result of countless news stories in big cities, like this one in Michigan or this one in New York.
Their distaste for doorbells might also stem from the sheer annoyance of the sound doorbells make. Doorbells can interrupt phone calls, TV shows and agitate pets.
Whatever the reason, when the doorbell rings, millennials are reluctant to answer it.
But it isn’t just millennials.
The disinclination to answer the doorbell has grown to include other generations too. There was a time when people kept the house neat and dressed nicely when they stayed at home all day in case someone stopped by the house, but those days are gone.
It’s not just the millennials binging Netflix on the couch — they’ve roped in their parents too. The casual living trend is growing.
Additionally, older generations have plenty of experience with kids playing ding-dong ditch and opening the door to have long conversations with people peddling goods or ideas. And they watch the news even more than millennials do.
Older generations are living and working in a world where technology is a necessity, and they are quickly becoming accustomed to it.
How the aversion to doorbells has affected technology
As a businessman, I believe in innovation. The uncertainty of who is at the door when the doorbell rings has led to technological progress. To say that millennials are “killing” the doorbell would be an exaggeration. The desire to stray away from uncertainty has led to the creation of video doorbells, which have made answering the door safer for millennials and older generations alike.
When you use a visual doorbell, you can see who is at the door from your phone. Instead of hearing a loud doorbell, you can opt to have your phone chime when someone is at the door.
That way, you can avoid opening the door for door-to-door salespeople, evangelists or the general stranger, while opting to open it for your neighbor bringing you something you dropped in the driveway.
Millennials are tired of hearing about all the products they have allegedly killed. If your market is millennials, they won’t appreciate the point that they “killed” the doorbell and that’s why you removed it.
Although it might seem like the millennials are spearheading the end of the doorbell, they’re actually encouraging progress in the doorbell industry that can help us all. If you’re going to market a home’s doorbell at all, use that progress as your selling point instead.
Should sellers marketing to millennials remove doorbells?
Not necessarily. Millennials don’t like hearing the doorbell, but they are almost equally uncomfortable with knocking on the front door. The presence of a doorbell on a home is not going to stop a millennial from purchasing a home.
However, the absence of one could deter a baby boomer, someone from Generation X, and yes, even a millennial from purchasing your home.
Homes traditionally have doorbells. Therefore, the absence of one makes the home seem incomplete. If a person would prefer not to have one, it is inexpensive to remove it, but adding one back in could be more costly.
If you feel that the doorbell factor could be a selling a point in your marketing, consider replacing it with a digitized version. A millennial can easily figure out how to turn off or adjust the sound and anyone who wants to hear the doorbell ring can leave the sound on loud. More so, having a video doorbell could definitely be a selling point.
If the home seems like it is more technologically advanced, buyers will feel like there is less work to do on the home. Upgrades will impress millennials, and it can become a great marketing point for a home.
So, avoid removing doorbells from properties. If anything, upgrade them to high-tech versions that will keep millennials and all other generations happy.
Additionally, a few low-cost technological improvements around the house, like the video doorbell, a programmable thermostat, or an Amazon Echo-, Google Home- or mobile-friendly electronic could be a better selling point for millennials than removing things from the property.
Martin Orefice is the founder of Rent to Own Labs in Orlando, Florida. Follow him on Facebook or connect with him on LinkedIn.