Stormy weather...

Ok, can we just cut out the severe storms and tornados please. I cannot remember Ohio ever experiencing weather like this over and over in one year. But it brings me to a good subject that is appropriate to todays market... PERSEVERANCE.

Stories abound of families whose entire home was destroyed, their business leveled, their town devastated. But in all of these stories is the statement "we will rebuild". It reminded me of a classic line in Monty Python and the Holy Grail...

"Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one... stayed up! And that's what you're gonna get, lad: the strongest castle in these islands."

At the time I thought it was a very funny line in a comedy, but it really is a line about not giving up despite what others say or what happens. If you are in the real estate industry today not giving up is the most important thing. With rates up, NAR Settlements on the horizon, lack of inventory... so many things we are dealing with as an industry, it is expected that a lot of people will give up and find other jobs... but I am encouraging perseverance instead.

We have an amazing luxury, one that a friend summarizes wonderfully. "We are lucky enough to work with an essential human need. Food, clothing and shelter are the three big ones, no one has to buy jewelry or a new car. This gives us an advantage, there will always be people who need to buy or sell homes, always be people that need our help."

For anyone that is down about their business, worried about the market... don't quit. There are a lot of people depending on us as an industry, people depending on you to help them. Yes, there will be people who leave, but that means more people need the rest of us that remain. My advice...

• Remember why you got into the real estate industry. If it was just for a check than maybe moving on is a good idea, but so many of us love the industry, love helping buyers and sellers, love helping families achieve the American Dream. It is what we want to do, so we need to stay and do what makes us happy.
• Accept that we will have to work harder, smarter and more efficiently, have to accept some changes, and have to learn some new skills and practices.
• Remember who we do this for... people that need our help, that need shelter, that need our knowledge and advice.

It is not time to give up. It is time to stand up and do what we do better. It is time to stand up for our clients interests. This is the time to go to work and grow your business.