I was just reading and commenting on Karl Christen's post Good offense is always a better defense. As I was formulating my comment, it dawned on me to make this post about what I have learned to avoid turbulence while flying and how it applies to the turbulence he mentions regarding the real estate transaction.

While the turbulence Karl mentions does not directly relate to flying, there are things pilots do to help avoid turbulence, or at least minimize its effects.  Therefore, the focus of this post is on what I do as a pilot and how you can use it in the real estate industry to avoid the items he listed.

I am sure that the vast majority of you reading this have been on an airplane at least once in your life.  And chances are that somewhere during that flight you encountered at lieast a small "bump".  Well, one of our goals as pilots is to minimize these effects, if not avoid them altogether.  There are a wide varieties of ways we accomplish this.

One of the pieces of equipment we use is radar.  Since a lot of the turbulence is associated with storms, we can see most of the storms on radar and based on patterns, movement, and other factors, we can deviate around these areas we believe will contain turbulent air.  We can also gauge how high these storms are using radar techniques and may even decide to fly over the storm altogether.

Believe it or not, you have a radar, so to speak, in your mind, training, and paperwork that helps you see the potential turbulence of the transaction.  It could be shown in the credit report, lack of supporting documentation, or right up front in the interview process.  I have talked with clients (and turned them down) when "issues" were realized just by how they were speaking and what they were saying.  There are some factors in the transaction you can somewhat see coming.

Pilots also talk with other pilots and with air traffic control to learn of areas of turbulence.  We refer to them as "ride reports".  We take this information and develop a plan of avoidance, or start planning on how to minimize its effects.  For flying, this may be a change in altitude or deviation off course.  If turbulence is unavoidable, a change in speed helps minimize its effects.  As I will mention later, there are times when avoidance is not available as an option.

In your transaction, as was mentioned in Karl's post, there are many people involved.  Communication is key to spotting these potential "turbulent factors" and working together to minimize their effects.  Since all parties are affected by the outcome, we want it to close as quickly and smoothly as possible.  However, if issues arise, slowing the process may be the best course of action even if it means not closing on time.  The goal for all parties is to close and do it as close to on time as possible. 

Now, what happens when pilots get caught up in turbulent air and have no other choice.  It has happened to me on several occassions.  You know, the flights that never seem to be smooth all the way to the destination.  We then slow down and try to minimize the effects to make it as smooth as possible.  We may even consider diverting to another airport (in cases of severe turbulence) or returning to the departure airport. 

As you go through your turbulent transaction, you have to factor in the best options.  Slow the process down and think about what alternatives are available.  Maybe it is a different loan program, or maybe it is a different house altogether (for obvious reasons this may not be good for you).  Take control of the transaction and direct it towards the smoothest route possible to arrive at the closing table.  You may even find that it is in everyone's best interests to turn around and go back (always keeping the clients' interests first).  By going back, I really mean cancelling the transaction and moving on to the next one.

Of course, as pilots, sometimes cancelling the flight is the best option.  If, during preflight planning, we see that the flight's safety may be compromised, we simply do not even leave the gate.  Even in real estate transactions, you may find that it is best to let the deal go or never even start it in the first place.

As you can see, there are some correlations to what we pilots do and what we, as real estate professionals, do to make the trip to the destination as quickly, efficiently and smoothly as possible.  The goal is for all to be enjoy the flight and want to come back.  For that to happen, though, we must plan, plan, plan, and continually plan as the process goes.  Pilots always have an emergency plan and so should you.