About 3 weeks ago, I received e-mails from 3-4 buyers saying that they were going to put their home searches on "hold" to wait out the financial crisis.  From the shortness of their comments to the tone of their words (not sure about my company's future;  may need to save more for a down payment; concerned about their credit, etc.).  There's no doubt that everybody has had an emotional roller-coaster along with the movement of the stock market!  Worry, despair, anger, panic, anxious, helpless ------these are all emotions that many of us (clients and agents) have experienced over the last few weeks.

In the beginning, I wrote back to my clients and said, "yes, I understand, you are making the right decision, hold off, don't sell your home; don't look for a new purchase".  Everyone I talked to was saying, "I'm cutting back on expenses... my 401K has dropped 25% ... I might need to continue working after 65 etc. 

Then it hit me; everyone was watching TV and reading the news about how bad it was;  like watching an exciting football game - your body reacts to the stimulus and your emotions go from "calm" to "panic" in a matter of seconds!

We're in difficult times but that doesn't mean that everybody needs to put their lives on HOLD!

Now I tell buyers, yes I understand your reluctance to move forward but this is a good time to buy - "what" they say?  - "Yes", I say, there are good deals for buyers - if you have saved for a down payment, and if you have good credit and if you find a home that you love, why not move forward? 

What if you are a motivated buyer who has a need to move (new job potential; retirement, downsizing, upsizing, etc.) why wait?  This is where we as agents need to do our homework - to provide the knowledge that the client needs, to answer all their questions and help strengthen the housing market!!

 Yes, I truly believe that the sooner buyers who are on the fence move forward and the sooner more sellers put their homes on the market, the sooner we'll get back to a more "normal" real estate market.