...And why isn't it you?

It's no secret that most agents do a pretty horrendous job of keeping in touch with the consumer post-close. Knowing this and talking to clients about this issue for the past several years got me thinking about the typical homeownership lifecycle and who owns the consumer during the eight or so years between moves. Let's break it down:

Not looking to make a move (approximately six years)

During this time, unless someone from the brokerage has kept themselves front and center when it comes to the consumer's investment in, most likely, their largest asset, who are they talking to? Home improvement retailers and contractors, their HOA, interior designers, utilities, etc. Probably no agents or real estate companies in site.

Thinking about making a move (12-18 months)

My latest move was last August (from Atlanta to Miami). However, my wife and I started researching neighborhoods, etc. in December 2011--over 18 months before we actually closed. Our initial research was on Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com. We tried to talk to a couple of agents, but since we were not "hot" prospects, we were dropped pretty much right away. I don't recall looking at any local sites. Another year plus went by without a brokerage or one of their agents involved with us. I don't think our behavior is that uncommon, do you?