While the US Soccer team is advancing in the World Cup,
real estate is looking to level out the bumps while continuing to drive activity. The current levels of activity in the various real estate sectors is at an odd point where mortgage applications are sky high and building permits are again being issued (at 2001 levels) but the exisiting home sales numbers remain relatively low. Commercial leasing is slow and construction slower, but sales are occurring.
I have always maintained that June 2010 would be a defiining month for real estate. The end of the the tax credit, end of the government MBS purchases and the beginning of banks to take hold of the real estate markets would show us all how things really are in the marketplace.
Unfortunately I was just slightly off. Seems I overlooked a few important details. Things like Commercial foreclosure and hotel sales, REIT purchases and offerings, government intervention in mortgage lending processes and the actual amount of money that could be saved by large investors who waited on the sidelines for the really good deals to emerge.
And what is the result? 2013.
Numerous analysts (including the NAR Chief Economist) are saying that real estate will truly recover in 2013. OK, great. But what are we supposed to do today? I mean, it’s only 2010, right? Wait three years before making enough money to actually grow a real estate business? I think not.
It seems to me that now is the perfect convergence of opportunity. To take what we already know, add in a new level of education and training, combine our services and show the consumer how awesome the real estate market is for those who understand it.
The only question for real estate agents and appraisers that I see today is “how can I increase my marketing effort while not taking away more personal time.” My answer is you can’t. When I talk to people today I tell them that now is the time when you should be focused not on “time” but on “balance”. Balancing your personal life with your professional life is critical to health and wellness, but let go of the amount of time that each gets. I have also seen presentations recently by other educators who stressed time management as a way to increase balance. This relates not just to online/social media tasks but also to face to face interaction. Keeping your schedule and focusing on the task currently at hand is critical if balance is to be truly acheived.
So….that’s my focus this summer. Balance that creates better health and increased productivity. Anybody got a scorecard for that?
