Influencer and other “buying” roles in the decision‐making process of retirement housing purchasers

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that the role of children in persuading their parents to move is known to be significant, but there has been extensive debate about the roles of other people involved in the process. It is necessary to investigate who plays these roles, for they will be legitimate targets for informative promotion or help from not‐for‐profit agencies – the public sector and voluntary/charitable organisations – wanting to improve the older person's decision making when choosing from a range of housing options.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper shows that questionnaires were delivered to every property in nine retirement housing schemes, chosen at random, in the West Midlands region of the UK. Approximately 200 were completed. Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with 20 of the respondents.

Findings

The findings in this paper demonstrate that almost all initiators were from within the family. The spouse and adult children were the most important influencers, but children had the greatest impact because almost all respondents had children, whereas only a quarter were married. Respondents alone made the decision to purchase in three‐quarters of instances.

Originality/value

The paper shows that not‐for‐profit agencies, when providing information and offering advice about retirement housing, need to target the potential purchaser, the spouse, adult children and other relatives. Other influencers can almost be ignored. Such action will improve the decision‐making process.

Citation

Livette, M. (2007), "Influencer and other “buying” roles in the decision‐making process of retirement housing purchasers", Property Management, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 242-256. https://doi.org/10.1108/02637470710753620