Coping with "Difficult" Times

This headline "Coping with Difficult Times" or one like it appears several times a week in some publication or forum.

What started out as a type of media mantra to convince the consuming public that the housing market was overbuilt, that lenders had made a trying situation even worse through questionable lending practices, that current homeowners would not be able to sell their present homes, that builders were "unloading" their inventory, and that essentially it was a housing market "free-for-all" has now so permeated the consciousness of America that real estate professionals are buying into to this negativity.

OK, let's quickly look at the premise: "difficult" or "trying" times. Name me a period in recent history when it wasn't difficult for at least someone in real estate sales. Oh, you cite 2004 and 2005 when people were just throwing money at real estate. Did we just sit back and get commission checks in the mail or did we have to look for buyers and sellers? Did we have to compete against other agents for business? Did we have to compete against other investment opportunities? Did we have a limited supply to work with? See, even in a so-called good market there were challenges.

So today, when people aren't just buying a home to flip, when lenders are taking a harder look at who'll they will finance, when properties are in foreclosure because several people bought something they couldn't afford, when people are expecting too great a return on the sale of their current home, when some builders are still selling off inventory because they're overextended and didn't adjust to market conditions quickly enough, and the media keeps reminding everyone of how supposedly dire it is, are home sales being made? Absolutely! Without question.

Now the only question is, do we want to step up to the challenge and participate or do we want to succumb to today's issues and chalk it up to "difficult times"? Oh, there's no guarantee that there won't be challenging, changing, or difficult times in real estate. In fact, that's pretty much a given.

Welcome to "difficult" times. Welcome to life. Wouldn't have it any other way. That would be too easy.

* For more information about my consulting and coaching services visit my website stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.