Madison Wisconsin Homes and Real Estate: Healthy Real Estate Markets and a Passion for Peace

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Healthy Real Estate Markets and a Passion for Peace

When I am most at peace with the business of real estate, my approach to the circumstances of the day is guided by writings of people such as Thomas Merton and less by the ways of business gurus. For a few years I've kept my eyes open for Merton's Passion for Peace, Reflections on War and Nonviolence, copyright 1995. Last week the book finally found me. It was out of place on a shelf (probably discarded by a person when something more intriguing found them) and I scooped it up. Compiled from Cold War year writings by Merton, the peace reflections are relevant to me for processing the conflicts of today in government, politics, my business, and my daily interactions.

Memorial Day weekend is an appropriate time to dedicate myself to practicing principals of peace and looking for areas in my business where I will be aware to apply healthy actions. I can see that some of the changes are well underway in my life and I know those changes have made me a more useful person to the consumers who trust me. Areas I am paying attention to:

Results: Sales by the numbers are detractors. To determine anything to be Good or Bad by the volume of business I do would be an indicator that my thinking is stinking. Fixation on results by the numbers leads to coercion.
Coercion: Affordability Indexes are tools of coercion when applied to home ownership for me. I am not licensed to sell investments and when I reduce a home ownership idea as a financially viable alternative I have crossed into an area out of my expertise. A tool in the hands of an unqualified person may be a damaging weapon.
Calculations: Plans and schemes to anticipate a person's reaction are tools to put me in charge of manipulating situations to my benefit.
Patience: Allowing people to make decisions on their own time, based on their own values, and accepting the decision keeps me at peace and puts peace into the lives of other people.

I know I do not have a monopoly on peaceful business practices so when I say I consider this real estate economy to be healthy, it's not just from my perspective. The level of activity is allowing people room to think, time to rest, and opportunities to consider other's points of view. A frantic pace is not either just good or just bad, but a pace of patience and understanding is peaceful.

Wishing you a peaceful Memorial Day, with gratitude to all who gave their lives so that I may live another day.

No comments:

Post a Comment

If Not Sold in the First 30 Days, Successful Sellers Conceded The Price

Through Mid-September, thirty seven percent (37%) of 126 home owners who sold in 2010 sold without making a single price concession. They typically attracted a buyer within 40 days of going on to the market. These successful owners conceded little on price as they sold for about 97%-98% of asking price.

Those who counted time on the market by months or even quarters eventually sold for an average of 91% of their initial asking price. Price reductions improved their success opportunity. Once their price was reduced to a price favorable to a buyer, the time on the market was short--about 34 days from last price change to accepted offer.

See September 20, Buyer Enticing Pricing

Disclosure

The source of data: South Central WI MLS Type of data: Single family homes and maybe condos and maybe other Areas: Madison and other areas such as McFarland, Shorewood Hills, Middleton, Maple Bluff, Oregon, DeForest, Cross Plains, Dane County, Fitchburg, Verona, did I say Middleton? Dates covered in these blog posts: January 2010 and continuing.

All comments are the relatively well thought out opinions of Tom Meyer. Those opinions are not necessarily shared by Restaino & Associates, other brokers, or the national, local, or state associations of Realtors... in fact, they may be significantly different.