Not much in the way of writing or blogging has come out of me in the past couple of weeks. I’ve wondered if it’s writer’s block, or if I’m getting bored, or if there’s just nothing new to report about.
It’s a combination of all that, and more.
A couple months ago, I had a transaction fall apart on the day of closing. For all my efforts, I couldn’t save it. If you’ve ever skied, you’ll be familiar with being “on your heels”, not a good place to have your center of gravity when going down hill. Anyway, I can honestly say that I’ve been on my heels, afraid to offend, afraid to make a mistake, and stuffing a sock in my mouth not to share anything about what’s been going on in my world. All out of fear.
Fear is not any way to lead a life. Run a business. Be a parent. Write.
Which takes me right into my second reason for being so quiet on the keyboard. I have a son with autism, who was not diagnosed until he was well into his teens, after receiving special services and education since he was three years old. I left my successful corporate career over ten years ago, so I could be closer to home, to guide his development and education. At the time I resigned my position, my son was 95% unintelligible. Quite a talker, but no one, except his parents, could understand a word he said. We used American Sign Language, and I became quite proficient at augmentative communication devices. And, over time, Matt’s speech cleared, and his other challenges became more apparent.
Leave it to say that transitions are sometimes very difficult for him. School started mid August, and he is just now getting into his rhythm. Any parent with a child that has any kind of sensory sensitivities, OCD, or other social behavioral issues, will tell you that there are times that you just have to drop everything, and figure out what’s going with your child who lives in a different time-space continuum. Because, nothing else will move forward, until peace and harmony are achieved. At least that’s the way it is, in our house.
And then the third possibility I considered, was that I was just getting bored with blogging about real estate. So much has (not) happened in real estate over the summer. Yes, buyer assistance programs were voted out of existence (for now). And, we have a government assisted recovery plan, that includes a no-interest loan disguised as a home buyer’s tax credit. Buyers are still nervous. Home prices are still going down. Not much has really changed over the summer, or so it seems.
I considered that I might really have a stale outlook, but then thought of the many new clients that I have, the true adventures we’ve been experienced viewing homes, all the offers that we’ve been writing, and I realize that I’m not really bored. I’m just underwhelmed.
We all want something to change for the better. We do.
How we got here is old news. Where we are going is what people want to know. Now.
Sellers are pricing better. Buyers are making offers, with the market in mind. And agents are positioning real estate offers more.
This real estate market absolutely requires us all to be better communicators. The reality of a real estate transaction in Arizona is that the buyer and seller most likely will never meet or talk to each other. Real estate agents provide real-time, street-wise real estate knowledge and expertise, craft the offer, procure a contract acceptance, and manage a closing. Negotiating a contract to a mutually agreeable result and completion, requires communication, creativity, flexibility, and finesse, ultimately resulting in a meeting of the minds. And today more than ever, negotiation is a core skill that is needed, must be refined, and leads to a completed home purchase or sale.
We all need to work together. Today, I showed one of my listings to two separate couples, represented by another agent, who called me in a panic. She was out of town. My listing was perfect for both of her clients, and time was running short, they were ready to make a decision. Could I help her out? I have a motivated seller, in a short sale situation, so yes, I did work my schedule so I could show the house.
At the same time, I was negotiating two contracts. One for a buyer who has been looking for a home in Scottsdale for over a year. And another who is relocating to the Phoenix area for a new job. Both are very motivated.
(Some much for the holiday. I guess that’s why they call it Labor Day.)
Back to my original question….why do I write?
I write because I have things to share. Information that will help buyers and sellers make real estate choices more easily when they are armed with good, solid information. My mom raised me to “not say anything, unless I had something nice to say”, and I have to confess, this statement really pretty much defines who I am, 99% of the time. And with all the havoc in the real estate industry, I sometimes just hunker down and plow ahead, knowing that there are brighter skies ahead.
And when the skies clear, and there’s something promising, or insightful, or just plain cool, you can count on hearing from me. I’ll always have something positive to say.
