Attitude Matters... perhaps more than ever...

Well inflation is up, interest rates are up, housing inventory is down... and now we have had 2 banks fail and more may follow. If there was ever a day to stay in bed and pull the covers over our heads, today might be that day. Lenders have laid off tens of thousands of people, realtors are getting jobs or leaving the industry... what a time to be in real estate.

But guess what? There are people that are off to their best year ever, others having great years and for some of us business is booming. What id the difference between success and failure in this market? Could it be attitude?

• "They went with a different lender because our fees were $200 higher"
• "They decided to wait to buy until rates come down"
• "Everyone is dragging their feet... no sense of urgency"
• "People are giving away their services"
• "My clients have no chance in this market"
• "A deal just died"

These are common things to hear if you work in real estate these days. What do they have in common? Negative attitude comments that reflect a lot about the mindset of the person speaking them. How about what I hear from people having success...

• "One of my clients just had their offer accepted"
• "We lost out on that house but we will get the next one"
• "Just have to stay focused and work hard, there is business out there"
• "Wrote 5 offers, got two of them so have 2 closings next month"
• "It is a good thing if some people leave the business, means more business for me"
• "Can't get them all... I just need to get my share"
• "I got this"

Attitude matters. When a client asks how the market is and you answer "it sucks, rates are ridiculous" you probably lose a buyer. Answer "it is challenging, but I have clients buying and selling so all is good" and the conversation takes on a different tone.

The reality is that you need to work harder in today's market, and that is really hard to do if you allow yourself to have a negative attitude. A friend compares a negative attitude towards real estate to a tennis player walking onto the court thinking that there is no way they can win the match. A negative attitude almost guarantees failure.

So hoi\w do you stay positive? My advice is to...

• Accept that not every deal will come together
• Celebrate the one's that do
• Surround yourself with positive attitudes and avoid the Debbie Downers in your office / life
• Live by the motto "get another one" when a deal falls through
• Fire abusive clients... in this market we tend to take stuff from people that we normally would not take... fire them
• Do not get drawn into conversations about "how bad things are" but instead seek out positive ones

Your attitude rubs off on everyone around you, so be the positive attitude in their lives. Be honest, but be positive. When a client is negative listen and understand, but turn the conversation to the positives. This market will pass and you need to be one of those who succeeds so be positive.