I haven't written a blog in several months. I have many excuses, but none worth telling. I have to be honest I have been working very hard to make a living in this real estate market. I can't complain the year could have been a lot worse, and it could have been a lot better. I know there are a lot of agents who can't say the same. I have been very fortunate to have been able to keep my head above water, but it hasn't been easy.

I hear a lot of complaining, and very negative things from fellow agents about how terrible things are. I am not discounting that, for many things are terrible. We are almost at the end of this year, and now is the time to take a hard look at how we did business. How did we deal with our customers when they wanted to list their homes with price tags that we as professionals knew would never sell? How did we spend our marketing dollars? Did we spend them to please our sellers, or did we spend were we (as professionals) knew they would have the biggest impact? Are we still sitting open houses in areas that we know don't do any good? Are we telling people what they want to hear instead of the truth, no matter how hard it may be?

I know I have changed the way I do business right down to telling sellers NO! I turned down a listing yesterday, because I knew I could not sell the house for the money the owner wanted, and I told her that. I also told her I could give her the names of a 100 Realtors that would list it for her at that price (but it still wouldn't sell). My advise to her was to not put it on the market unless she absolutely had to, and if she did she needed to realize what it's value is. She told me she appreciated my honesty, and I had been very nice about the whole thing too. I think when the time is right she will call me back, we'll see.

I have also spent a lot of my marketing dollars on me this year. By that I mean my business, I have gotten as much education as time and money would allow. I know that things are going to get better and when they do I want to be ready!! Things are changing as I am writing this, interest rates are down 1/2 of a percent. I'm ready how about you??