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Will you survive in the new world of real estate? A test!

By
Real Estate Agent with BuyerHunt.com

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Will you survive in the new world of Real Estate? As the technological landscape changes, I truly believe that only those with a wide-open mind will prosper. Here is a very quick experiment by which you can evaluate your "trailblazing aptitude". 

 The Experiment: (Keep in mind I live in Phoenix, AZ.)

 Facts: Earlier today I purchased a ticket to Alaska departing tomorrow. I sit down to lunch with my wife and tell her "Honey, I am heading up to Alaska tomorrow".

Question: Is that an accurate statement? Or better yet, could it be proven inaccurate in any way?

 Now... how about this...

 Facts: Earlier today I purchased a ticket to Alaska departing tomorrow. I sit down to lunch with my wife and tell her "Honey, I am heading down to Alaska tomorrow".

Question: Is that an accurate statement?

 To most people the answer is obvious. "No, the second statement is not accurate. Alaska is North of Arizona, therefore you would be heading UP to Alaska."

 Right?.... Wrong!

 Both statements are very accurate, or very inaccurate if you'd prefer.

 Since your days in grade school, you have been conditioned to look at a map with North up and South down. But why does this make it a fact? A map is nothing more than a snapshot of the earth from space. Ask an astronaut if there is any directional compass in space. Space is void of direction... they'll say "no".  You could very easily turn a map upside down and have it be perfectly accurate still! North would still be north and south would still be south (but now south would be pointing upwards, and north downwards)... and both would still be defined only by their magnetic pull (which is all that matters). As Einstein put it... "isn't it all relative"?

 Now, of course, we must abide by certain standards and rules. It makes things easy and creates order. I can't show up fifteen minutes late to a listing appointment and excuse my tardiness with the excuse that I go by "Corey" minutes, which are actually a minute and half by world standards. It just won't fly.

This is simply an exercise in perception, adaptation and your ability to think outside the box. Authority does not create fact... it creates conditions, and conditions change.

Darwin wrote that in the long run, only those who can adapt and remain "fit" in a changing landscape survive. Trust me people, the landscape of real estate is changing... conditions are changing. Our friends at Google and Zillow are spending billions of dollars making sure of it. Might it be time to embrace the change?

  It is people's inability to conceive of "what will be" that thwarts innovation and progress, and ultimately leads to failure! Don't be among those who are left behind.  

 I must thank my wonderful friend, Ms. Katie Reid for some inspiration in regards to this post. What a wonderful muse she continues to be!

Lisa Hill
Florida Property Experts - Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Beach Real Estate

I think we all MUST have some kind of baseline standard (like a compass), in relation to up and down/north and south, for conversation's sake. It helps conversation to flow more easily.

Now as for changes in real estate in relation to Web 2.0, things will continually change. Business models change; life brings change, family numbers change, etc. Those are all parts of life where we must adapt. But unless we want to have unnecessarily lengthy diagloge in every conversation, I'm going to stick with north is up and south is down;) To analyze it further would exhaust me... actually, that's why the bible talks about God's love for us being as far as the east is from the west. It says that because when you reach the north pole, you can't go any further north. And when you reach the south pole, you can't go any further south. But there is no stopping point for east and west.

Back to the up and down/north and south, I think I'd use the direction the plane flies to determine if I went up or down, just to have a standard/baseline.

Just my opinion =)  BTW, my daughter just graduated last weekend. The statistics now say the average person will have 12-14 different jobs from the time they graduate, to the time they're 38 years old, just because of the pace at which technology is now changing.

May 28, 2008 01:32 PM
Anonymous
Anonymous

Thanks Lisa,

Mind blowing statistic... I just graduated 4 years ago and have managed to keep my same job thus far. Then again, it's my own company, so i'd certainly hope so!!!!! 

This wasn't meant to be a test so much as an "eye opener"... just remember that things can always be viewed differently by different people. 

Thanks for the comment! I wish your daughter the best of luck!!! 

May 28, 2008 04:29 PM
#2
Megan McGonigal
Integrity Real Estate - Northeast, MD
CRP - Cecil County, MD & Harford County, MD Real Estate

Good post. The job statistics are crazy. I am on my 9th and still a few years away from 38. Don't plan on leaving this one any time soon though.

May 28, 2008 04:38 PM