Reflections on Perspectives

In this the middle of the worst real estate market in my life time, I’ve gotten caught up in the daily to-do’s like most everyone else. However, it occurred to me on recent flight home from LA, how very useful it is to step back, or at least aside, and think, breathe and reflect. From my aerial perspective, all the houses looked like tiny little dots on neatly ordered postage stamps. So it occurred to me to take some time each week and share, reflect and hopefully interact with others on things as they come up.

You know, not worrying one iota about being SEO friendly, Key Word specific, or even hyper-local. Not talking all the time about selling Carmichael homes (oops, old habits are hard to break), but about the human side of things too. We can read all about the doom and gloom every day, but it seems worth mentioning–and discussing–the human side about this thing we call real estate. I had 2 clients die in the past year, and I suspect in part that their losses in the economy had something to do with their sudden and unexpected demises. Maybe wearing rose-colored glasses sometimes isn’t such a bad thing?

The media tells us numbers and statistics and percentages, and we tend to get caught up in the “reality” of things, but what about other “things” that are so important? Soccer games, birthday parties, dentist appointments….first kisses, last kisses and a good bottle of wine?

I love doing my fast, fun and hopefully informative videos–but being good at what I do isn’t all about disclosures and house-hunting. In fact, I think it’s more about caring, listening and just showing up. And whatever your job, or role or position on this planet might be, I have a feeling that it too, spans well beyond what one could learn in a textbook. Being “good” at our jobs sometimes means we need to stop and take a minute; think a little deeper.

And while I can’t battle the banks all by myself (although God knows I try), and I certainly can’t change government, I can reach out to my community and hopefully help remind us all (myself included) that every now and then, we can stop, breathe and take a break. Reflect. Listen. Prioritize. It’s so easy to get slam-dunk crazy out there, caught up in the latest greatest 4G gadget without taking time to breathe. There are solutions to all of the issues we are dealing with on a daily basis, even in real estate. I think stopping and really thinking about our goals of staying and paying, bailing and ruining our credit, or trying to work with the bank on a short sale or a loan mod are all just options, and while right now, they seem so huge, I find that when I can get my clients or callers to stop and breathe, and really think more deeply about the outcome they desire, things tend to fall into place.

Breathing is so underrated

Next time you’re feeling like the weight of the world is resting on your shoulders, take a plane ride. Look down and recognize how tiny our little townships look from up in the sky. The world won’t end if you take a break, take time to think and reflect and act from your gut.

PS– this post is dedicated to my friend Jeff Turner. Although Jeff tends to focus in the social media real estate arena, I would highly recommend that you subscribe to his blog. Social media, like real estate, is one area that we tend to get swept away with and I find Jeff to be a thought-leader who always reminds me to stop, listen and think. I know you’d enjoy his posts.

Ta ta for today!

Tamara