Sheri Smith, Broker Associate Camden County, NJ ~

I read several blogs this morning posted on various sites in reference to the new tax credit that MAY be available. Some words that stuck out were: Congress is working on, Great News, Anyone can Qualify, Anyone purchasing a home..Credit would NOT have to be repaid...$15,000 tax credit for anyone purchasing a home in 2009...etc. etc. The problem is that the information was being presented as if it were available, viable, source for home buyers! It is still in the working phase and could ultimately "hit the dust" so to speak.

The problem I see is the attitude that "everyone has probably heard". As in a earlier entry, I pointed out the mass amount of information available via the news media, internet, instant messaging, office water cooler, the local crossing guard, etc. etc. WE ARE SIMPLY BEING OVER BOMBARDED BY TIDBITS OF INFORMATION (some VERY incorrect) CONCERNING OUR CURRENT SITUATION OF THE HOUSING INDUSTRY!

When the recession hit in the 1930's, I feel one of the reason the country survived and each individual put their nose to the grindstone and concentrated on what THEY HAD TO DO AS INDIVIDUALS to make sure their family was cared for was simply the fact that they concentrated on their own problem and tried to solve it! We seem to be in a whirlwind of mass hysteria with the fear of not wanting to make any changes because we are not sure what changes will happen tomorrow! Did we ever?

My office is like a morgue. Those agents who enjoyed the fast pace income (some a VERY HIGH INCOME) of simply putting some paper work together to close a deal in the last five years are having a hard time getting back to the basics. I remember when interest rates were over 14% and guess what, people were buying and selling homes. I am beginning to feel these agents never knew the basics at all.

We simply need to stop all the rhetoric and panic. Get back to the basics of what makes our economy work so well...the middle class workers, including those in real estate. The instant six figure income no longer works. You have to work long and hard for it. And for those who overspent and overcommitted financially during those "twilight zone" years of instant commissions and fast money, I got news for you, the show has been cancelled!

I hope we can all settle down and concentrate on the client. Those who want to purchase and have the correct ratios for financing...and those who want to sell with the knowledge that if they bought their home during this "twilight zone" period... they may have to adjust their bottom line of expectation.

We will get through this. Depending on our Attitude...because

"Attitude is more important than facts.....

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think, say, or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.

It will make or break a business....a home...a friendship...an organization.

The remarkable thing is, you have a choice everyday of what your attitude will be.

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the actions of others.

We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can change is our attitude.

Life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we react to it." Annoymous

I hope we can all simply calm down. Speak to someone who is current with the situation, and receive only the information that is necessary for OUR situation! There is still mortgages available, there are still people selling and buying, and we all are not losing our jobs. We simply need to get back to the basics and stop using the credit cards!

It is hard to believe, but I am actually giving seminars to my fellow real estate agents on new programs and technology available to them from our main broker and our national affiliation. Now mind you, the reason I find this a little hard to comprehend, is the fact that I have been using these different tools since I first started in the business or as they became available with no second thoughts. I am not of the generation x nor the generation y group, but rather part of that baby boomer generation who was not afraid (for one reason or another) to take the plunge and learn. So I now bring in my overhead projector once a month, and explain to seasoned agents the various programs that will not only save them time, but are becoming part of the process in our office for being more efficient with the various departments. I hear moaning and groaning and "we got along just fine before all this" comments.

I sit back and realize I am witnessing the Darwin theory in action. Those who can adapt will survive and those who cannot will not. The strong will take over the weak. The weak will eventually disappear. We are being bombarded by information, mainly negative, of how the profession of real estate is changing and how agents need to change also. This is not the first time in history this has happened. There was a time when agents fought the whole idea of not carrying around books with listing information prior to having the MLS available online...there was a time when you had a regular master key to get into homes....there was a time when you could say almost anything to a potential buyer to protect the interest of the seller for whom everyone represented...there was a time when their were payphones and long playing record albums!

What I am trying to get at is the coorelation of available information and technology constantly being thrown out there where agents who are use to simply answering the phone for leads and putting deals together with no effort, are shutting down with frustration and almost a sense of trepidation. They are the negative forces in the office. They are the ones who sit and complain and wonder why someone else is doing so well...must be secret leads from the manager.

This coorelation of available information is also affecting the clients today via different sites on the internet. They use to have to go through a listing agent just to get general information about a home...they now know more than a lot of agents when they call on a particular piece of property and neighborhood. I especially enjoy working with this group...it is one of the reason I refused to be a substitute teacher for any grade lower than highschool...I like to have intelligent conversations!

I think we have entered into the realm of TOO MUCH INFORMATION and how does one process it all. The national news is telling us how the housing industry is nothing but doom and gloom, yet there are first time home buyers purchasing (with LITGITIMATE MORTGAGES) there are sellers who are selling their homes still having equity...We need to attempt to address this situation just like we EAT AN ELEPHANT..one bite at a time....one piece of information at a time...and the realization that the national news is not our local condition report.

Agents will do fine if they can simply take it one step at a time, and the clients will also thrive if they can find an agent who can disseminate all the details for them. We had a hard time adjusting to various changes in our society in the past, but we eventually all learned to do away with the outside plumbing. We just need to all take a deep breath and start one bite at a time to achieve our goals. Including real estate agents who need to improve their learning curve..and the clients who ultimately need an agent to put all the pieces together for them...Just like eating the elephant!