Like most young men in my twenties, I loved to go fast. One of 
my first cars was an Italian sports car that I ran up to 143 mph before it blew the manifold off the side of the block. It was exhilarating. Not long after that expensive repair, I took my motorcycle just beyond that speed. Whew! That was fun, but I must admit it was a little more intense.
You would think I had gotten that out of my system in my early twenties, but in 2006 I took on another speed challenge. While riding my bicycle through the Rockies, I headed down a long descent and realized that it 
was long enough to see just how fast I could go. When I crossed 60 mph I stopped checking my computer because of the shimmy in the front wheel. That was my last speed adventure.
Today, I have a set speed I let myself reach on my bicycle (40 mph), and I drive the speed limit most of the time. My sons actually think I drive like an old farmer, and we have a lot of them around here, and trust me, they don't break the speed limit.
What does this have to do with real estate? Lots, actually. I would love to sign contracts on Monday and pick up checks on Friday. That would be great. I think I've gone from contract to closing in one week two times. It's rare, maybe beyond rare.
In real estate, pace is always an issue. From showing, to contract, to inspections, to repairs (if any), to financing, to appraisals, to closing moves along at a pretty snappy pace. But, rather than being like an idiot catapulting himself off a Colorado mountain at nose bleed speed, it's more like driving an acceptable 5-8 miles an hour over the speed limit.
I think most Realtors I know would like to see the process move along a little more quickly. I know I would, but this is a legal transaction with major consequences if not handled carefully. Not that any of us are paranoid, but I've received many contracts with missing information. I've left a line or two out myself in my haste to get documents back and forth.
In the process of trying to get offers in, documents signed, "i"s dotted and "t"s crossed, it's easy to miss something, but if you miss something in this ride you can end up in court or without a commission or plastered all over Facebook and Linked-In as a "worst Realtor ever" post by a disgruntled client. Once that goes viral it's hard to clean it up.
So, for those of us who want things done now, how about this - not slow and steady, which wins the race, but how about just steady?
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