Real estate agents, positive attitude

**IggysListing** · 09-13-2007, 08:53 AM

Wake up call.
I hear too much from agents about bubbles, downturns, negative news,
blah, blah, blah.
You people should know better! It is your job to market property.
Do not buy in to a general malaise and help perpetuate the negativity
of the media and other naysayers. Remember, some of these segments
have an agenda.
Let me give you an example.
I own property at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I bought it years
ago when the values were actually depressed. The decision to buy was
a no brainer. The values started going up and skyrocketed soon after.
The stock market was down, second homes were popular (and still are)
and as I said, values had been too low. All of a sudden last year the
market slowed. Well, duh, it was time for a correction. The stock market
was up, too many people were speculating on rising property values,
etc.
All of a sudden, the agents faces were long, the atmosphere was
dismal and I am thinking, hello, NC is booming, Kill Devil Hills has been
ranked as one of the best places to live, etc.
Educate the public!
Even in NC many people thought it was a 6 hour trip to the OBX from
Greensboro. It is 4 hours. At least inform the people in your own state.
Now is a great time to buy. People still need housing and many baby
boomers are going to start migrating.
I always go back to the scene in the movie "It's a wonderful life",
where Mr. Potter is talking to Jimmy Stewart about all the suckers
panicking and how the 2 of them did not.
Wake up and smell the commissions.

**AAO** · 09-22-2007, 11:41 AM

Yes, I agree cent percent with ur attitude. A positive attitude is infectious, some of it wears on the person infront of you and that person carries it around spreading it everywhere

AAO

**Hannigan** · 09-22-2007, 12:32 PM

The timing of buying or selling is usually personal to clients.

[COLOR=black]I try to be upbeat and pleasant to work with, but I

**gjtrafl** · 09-23-2007, 08:39 AM

I just focus on the following saying in life... Your attitude determines your altitude. Never is this more true than in real estate.

**IggysListing** · 09-23-2007, 09:12 AM

Well put. Attitude is everything.

**Hannigan** · 09-23-2007, 03:27 PM

If positive attitude is everything, then fiduciary and integrity are nothing.

Market conditions have changed. Unlike 2002, I'm not going to be positive about a buyer-only client maxing out a negatively amortized pre-pmt ARM because "now is a great time to buy" in California, because I don't believe it. NC is another matter, of course.

I realize a positive attitude is good for brokers and agents, because brokerage is largely a self-promotion contest, and upbeat people do well. But the positive attitude cult that dominates our industry has become an embarrassment, better suited to multilevel cosmetics marketing than fiduciary and leveraged finance.

**IggysListing** · 09-23-2007, 04:13 PM

Please be more descriptive.
People are still buying and selling houses and real estate in California
and every state in the union. Of course there are always properties
that are not moving.
Accountability is one of my favorite words.
That goes for businesses that mislead, it also goes for individuals
that don't take responsibility for their own actions. No one is forced
to purchase a home in this country. The fact is, we all have a choice
as to where we live.
I am a weary of hearing a lot of whining. Not too many years ago,
things were really tough. We really have it made.
I am just thinking as I write this post, that the Ken Burns special
on World War II is coming on in a few minutes. A lot of people died
so that we can have the option to purchase a home.
I also think of the immigrants that have come to this country and
sacrificed by scrimping and saving their money to buy property and
start a business.
Once more, attitude is everything!

**Hannigan** · 09-23-2007, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by IggysListing

Please be more descriptive...

Unrestrained positive attitudes in our industry have been responsible for some hideous lending practices (mortgage lenders operate under the same license as real estate brokers in my state.) In conjunction with the securitization industry and their positive-thinking derivatization ideas, we have practically frozen global credit markets, motivating the Fed to lower overnight rates in the face of rising inflation.

[COLOR=black]Positive thinking, along with

**IggysListing** · 09-24-2007, 06:24 AM

All of a sudden I feel like a character in the novel "1984".
In "1984" words and language were twisted to produce new
meanings.
A positive attitude means that through hard work and perserverance
and because I am free to make a choice, I can buy a home.
An unrealistic attitude is that I can flap my arms and fly to the moon.
Positive attitudes are not responsible for the mess. Greed, lack of
scruples, and an uneducated public, etc are.