Could the News be Any More Depressing?

I would have to say that I am probably one of the most optimistic people in this business, but it seems that day after day more and more of my associates have nothing better to talk about than the Bad Market. I don't know about you, but my business has slowed, but it didn't come to a screeching halt. It's more like being in rush hour traffic...it's slow, but moving forward.

I admit, nothing brings my blood pressure to a boil faster than listening to a bunch of "fat cats" begging for Government Bail-out money one minute and then boarding their private jet the next. Honestly, if some of these "Executives" were paid appropriately...their companies could probably survive this recession. When I worked in Mergers & Acquisitions, one of the first things we did after purchasing a company in trouble was to evaluate everyone in the company.

Last night, I watched a golden oldie of a movie called "Office Space"...I laughed out loud through the whole movie...but the part that really stuck in my head was the interview that each employee had with the "TWO BOBS". They were the "consultants" brought in to make the company more "efficient". In the movie, "upper management" got some good laughs about the employees chosen to be laid off...but when the "Bobs" questioned the "Boss" of the division...not only did he not have an answer, but all of a sudden...it wasn't so funny.

If you haven't seen the movie, I really recommend that you take a night to watch it and then watch it again...it all starts to make sense in regards to why our major corporations are in the condition they are today. If you really think about it, success of any company is based on what I call the "Trickle Up" effect. Definition: Every Executive that I have ever worked for has always surrounded themselves with the "Best" people...so think about.

If the everyday employee is making the "supervisors" look good...and the supervisors are making the "department heads" look good...and the department heads are making the "Division Managers" look good...and so on and so forth all the way the ladder...then do the CEO's make the most money because their just better at manipulating people? Let's face it, I have personally worked with several CEO's that quiet frankly couldn't function without their "executive assistant" or as I was once called "glorified secretary".

I guess where I am going with this...is that if we, as Realtors can be held accountable for our business (are any of you getting "bail-out" money from the government)...then why does this countries "Big Business" think there should be a revolving door of "grants and loans" to save their proverbial butts every time they screw up? I have yet to find one CEO etc that deserves to make a 7 figure income...if our kids can eat generic green beans...why can't theirs? If our kids can go to public schools...why can't theirs? Why do we permit this type of behavior?

I watch the stock market tumble everyday...I realize that people are afraid of losing their jobs, but when we don't have our voices heard about injustice within our companies...we have no one to blame but ourselves. This recession doesn't mean that people have to forget about having a Christmas, it means that we have to show some restraint and buy "A" present for our children, instead of several expensive gifts.

It doesn't mean we can't afford a new home, it simple means that we have to purchase a home that fits within "our budget". While working for a major lender during this last housing boom, I saw product "loans" that were 125% / no money down / stated income / stated assets...now what kind of person do you think this kind of loan is going to attract? Did you have a couple of these Buyers? I once reviewed an appraisal for a Buyer that stated he was a "janitor" in Colorado...making $10,000 per month...I don't know about you...but if you could be a janitor and make that kind of money, why are those positions so hard to fill? But this lender did the loan...I'll give you three guesses on how this loan turned out...and the first two guesses don't count.

Look, most of the Realtors that received their license during the housing boom have amazingly disappeared recently...and I say..."don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya"...because it seems that these agents generally wined the loudest, yet did nothing to generate new business for themselves...there really isn't anything more unattractive than the look of "Desperation".

Now it's just us...the agents that have truly made a career choice and know how to weather the storm. We can go to bed at night knowing that when this crisis finally corrects itself...we will be rewarded for our efforts. I praise all of you that are in this for the long haul...it's not easy, it's probably going to get worse...and it might even be a little painful...but for most of us...we managed to survive the 80's and we can survive this too.

Do you think I've lost my mind? I encourage everyone to really get in touch with how they feel about what is going on around us...this isn't a "hate fest" and I'm not pointing fingers at any one person or company...but we all have a name that comes to mind when we are confronted with these issues. It's not going to fix itself, and frankly it doesn't appear that our chosen legislators are any wiser than you or me. So, let's pull ourselves together...encourage others to do the same and push onward and upward out of this mess.