Davey and Tammi Ellis

Why do we always assume the worst? We have a female, AKC registered, Golden Retriever who has been impregnated TWICE by the SAME neighbor's pet, which is NOT a Golden Retriever; he is a DACHSUND (Don't ask "how did that happen?" You don't want to know).

To say the least, we were not thrilled to find our dog pregnant AGAIN by "those" people's dog.

We assumed these people must not care about their own pet or other people's pets. Obviously, they would take control of the situation if they did care, right? Wrong!

Yesterday morning, the next door lady came to my front door. My immediate reaction was to not even answer the door. I was busy and already frustrated with "those" people.

However, I did answer the door, and I am so glad I did!

It ended up that she saw we had puppies AGAIN, and thought they suspiciously looked like their dog. She wanted to check to see if "it" happened again because she felt so horrible about the situation. Long story short, she offered to do anything she could to help find homes for the puppies!

When she left, I began thinking about the whole thing. I truly thought, "Shame on me!" I should not have assumed the worst of them. They actually ended up being very nice people, and they are very concerned about their pet and ours.

Isn't that just like us? Do we not typically assume the worst, especially when things aren't going our way? I took some things from that experience that I thought I would share.

First, it's not always about me!! As hard as it is to believe, people are not always thinking about me. They don't always have me in mind when they are making decisions. Therefore, if they end up doing something that rustles my feathers a bit, it doesn't mean they were INTENDING to hurt poor, pitiful me.

Second, whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? I sentenced these poor people to the dense pen before even considering their case! Had I taken the time to research the situation I would have found that they are actually decent people!

While taking this whole experience in, I realized how closely connected these principles are to our industry as real estate professionals.

Don't we as Realtors assume sometimes that people aren't going to respond positively to our services or suggestions? We fear the big "R": REJECTION! Sure, everyone fears being rejected, but unless we open up ourselves to the possibility of rejection, we'll never experience the opportunity of AFFIRMATION.

That old adage "honesty is the best policy" is generally accepted as "true" for a reason: because it is!! We don't need to "feel people out." Just be honest! Tell sellers why their asking price is too high (gently, of course).

I believe people will respect the fact that we're being honest with them. My experience is that people would rather me be honest with them than tell them what they want to hear, especially when "tickling their ears" will end up costing them.

It just goes to show that we never know what might be waiting for us just across the yard, around the next corner, or at the next appointment. My Golden Retriever and their Dachsund ended up making some pretty impressive offspring!

HERE'S A COUPLE OF THE PUPS!! PRETTY CUTE OFFSPRING, HUH!

How about you? Do you have an unusual "perspective" story to share? I'd love to hear it!

Tammi Ellis

EllisTeam Keller Williams Realty Owasso/Tulsa, OK

Tulsa's Still Hanging Tough

With all the hype about the economy, it is no wonder people are afraid to buy or sell homes. Although there is no doubt that everything happening on Wall Street affects the real estate market, it is NOT a make-it or break-it event. Actually, we're still doing well here in Tulsa. According to an article entitled "Rise in Home Prices Forecast" in the Tulsa World, "A study predicts Tulsa's housing market will see a 2.8 percent INCREASE over the next year" (Evatt, 2008). This predicted increase makes Tulsa the "fifth-strongest market in the nation" (2008). In that same article, Eric Fox said, "Lately, Tulsa's been performing well due to economic factors such as its low unemployment rate, its low interest rates and its favorable consumer price index" (2008). Mike Cotrill, chief operating officer of the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors, said, "We've had a consistent increase here" (2008). So whereas other markets in the nation are suffering drastically, Tulsa is still hanging tough. Be proud you live in Tulsa, don't believe everything you hear and see on the news, and go ahead and live out your dreams for a new home!

Thank you for reading our post. Please post your comments! We'd love to hear what you have to say. Remember, EllisTeam's goal is YOUR trust, YOUR dreams, YOUR way!

Sincerely,

EllisTeam

Davey and Tammi Ellis

Davey: 918-845-7503 Tammi: 918-346-5449

Email: ellisteam@kw.com Website: TheOwassoRealtors.com

Keller Williams Realty

References:

Evatt, R. (2008, October 30). Rise in home prices forecast. Tulsa World, p. A3.