I was doing the research for senior services and senior living communities in my market (as per the Success in Seniors Real Estate Blueprint) and I observed something interesting. As many websites as there are boasting that you can find all the various options for independent and assisted living, CCRCs, and Memory Care, you would think it would be fairly easy research to find them all. Not so.
The fact is, I did a variety of Google searches only to get site after site that had a handful of communities listed. Then I remembered assisted living facilities (the “F” word is only appropriate when referring to their licensure status – otherwise, it’s a no-no) are licensed!
I pulled my state’s records for licensed facilities by county and came up with a few dozen more that were listed virtually nowhere on the web (a total approx. 60 licensed communities). Even finding them online after knowing the community name to search proved challenging.
Now, imagine you are a caregiver or adult child trying to research options for your parent. It’s virtually IMPOSSIBLE to find a comprehensive list, much less discern if they are a licensed assisted living, an independent living, or CCRC.
My recommendation to you as a Certified Senior Housing Professional (CSHP) is to be that source. Do the research and locate the various facilities and communities in your area and become the go-to place for ALL THINGS SENIOR HOUSING instead of letting these aggregators run the show.
Many of the sites available to consumers now are designed to make money…that’s why they are not comprehensive. Some communities pay while others do not.
Some sites are purely about generating a list of names so they can sell them to senior communities who pay for leads. These sites just want data…they aren’t concerned about service to the consumer.
Think about what a positive difference you could make by being the GO-TO seniors real estate professional that people turn to when they want ALL their options. When you become known as the most trusted and accurate resource, you will become their REALTOR® for life too!