Inspired Real Estate For Today

It was one of those gorgeous winter days in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I mean really nice...not just the blue sky with nary a cloud to mar the brilliant sunshine, but the weather was actually WARM...which for the Midwest in winter equates to above 50 degrees!  It was a day in which winter seemed to be loosing it's grip although anyone who has lived in Grand Rapids long enough knows that she still has a couple more punches to throw.

As I prepared to go outside, I put IT on without even thinking.  IT, was my winter coat.  I climbed into my car in my semi-heated garage and drove out while enjoying the sunshine.  It did not occur to me to roll down the windows.  I just presumed it was too cold.  It wasn't until I got to the bank that I noticed a smiling lady about to get into her car and was jolted to realise she wasn't wearing a coat!  And...she seemed happy. 

In disbelief, I got out of my car and realised I didn't need a coat!  I had just presumed that I did simply out of habit.  I gladly deposited my coat in the backseat and walked free of several extra pounds that I've been carrying around for the past several months.

It occurred to me that to a remarkable degree, my automatic pilot response to putting on my winter coat is how we handle a lot about life in general.  It's easy to go through life with programed responses to all sorts of different situations.  Take the real estate market for instance.  For the past couple of years, everyone has been talking about how terrible things are and how homes are not selling.

Yesterday, I was asked if I had sold anything for the past 6 months.  I was shocked!  Of course we have; in fact in January 2008, the tally of homes SOLD by real estate agents with the Grand Rapids Board of Realtors was 18.9% higher than January of previous year...in fact it was the best showing of home sales for January since 2004.  Imagine that!

But unfortunately, so many people continue to walk around unaware of what's going on around them.  Somewhat like I was with my winter coat today.  Bad News has become like a Bad Habit which we pull on without thinking...just like our winter coats in spring weather.  Many of us have become accustomed to Bad News and in some ways addicted to.  We rush out to buy the latest rag about someones downfall or stay glued to the TV while the media chronicles the same awful story over and over.

Meanwhile, the sun has come out, the birds are starting to sing, the air is ripe with warm anticipation of spring, and...we're in danger of missing it...walking around with our old winter coats of negativity and dour statistics. 

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photo is courtesy of: audreyjm529's photostream on flickr.com