There’s a new breed of homebuyer in many American cities. This group stands out from what many agents and brokers consider traditional buyers because they want to go far back to a city’s true traditional beginnings. They want to live downtown.

The urban buyer is a unique breed that rejects previous generations’ dreams of white picket fences and grassy lawns to negotiate their own place in urban locations. Not at all intrigued by a game of one-ups-man-ship to see whose home has the highest square footage, urban dwellers seek homes with intrinsic values that often escape the suburbs: usable space, function over form, greenspace, and easy access to work and play.

Many builders and developers are responding to the need by transforming historic industrial areas. Once used as warehouses, factories or other commercial endeavors, these abandoned spaces present the scale, access and sense of place that urban buyers crave.

Who are these buyers? In growing numbers, they are Gen X and Gen Y. From their 20s into their 40s, they are eager to feel part of a neighborhood. Here are three low-cost or no-cost ways to reach them:

1. Connect with brands they already know and trust. For urban dwellers, focus in on brands that speak to the urban lifestyle. For example, work alongside the favorite neighborhood hangout to sponsor an open house or to distribute information about your homes. You automatically earn points with the in crowd because of the association.

2. Make sure you go where your buyers are. Festivals, bike rides and charity runs are all places these outdoorsy groups like to congregate. By sponsoring a rest stop, contributing toward event t-shirts or staffing a booth, you can show that you value the same things they do.

3. Place sign posts on the Information Highway. Baby Boomers use the Internet, but they still favor traditional media as sources of information. Gen X’ers have learned to use the new media, and they navigate it well for information, but it’s likely to be a little clumsy for them. Gen Y-ers, on the other hand, just assume use of Internet technology and seem to know it intrinsically. You will want to make sure all of these groups can find you there.

The more places your company name appears on valid websites next to keywords that legitimately describe your business, the more likely search engines such as Google are to send visitors to your site. Placing your home listings online is one way to spread the word about your company over the Internet. Many of these sites are free. Sites such as Trulia have earned such a strong reputation that they are destination sites within themselves; they don’t rely completely on keyword searches to get buyers to their pages. Even so, they are indexed by Google. They may not need search engines to get their own visitors, but they can help companies like yours that generate traffic through keyword searches.

If you want to catch an urban buyer, start thinking like an urban buyer. Spend some time eating, shopping and relaxing in urban areas, so you can taste the neighborhood atmosphere that beckons them.

Who knows, you may end up becoming part of that unique breed yourself. Lucky you. You’ll know just where to find a good deal on a home

About the Author:

Mitch Levinson, MIRM, CSP, MBA, is founder and president of Mitch Levinson Consulting, MLC New Home Marketing and MLC FlatFee Realty, and he is a Managing Partner of mRELEVANCE, LLC, a firm that combines the power of Internet marketing, social media and public relations. His companies have offices in Chicago and Atlanta. As a Multi-Million Dollar Sales Producer who earned an MBA in Computer Information Systems and eCommerce, he brings a unique perspective and experience to the field of technology in real estate. In his current businesses, Mitch combines the two interests in order to help home builders and developers gain a competitive advantage through the Internet.