Real Estate Blog - Fighting depression on Active Rain OR Leading a Protest

Home : Blogs : Elaine Reese, REALTOR® in central Ohio : Olentangy Living

Fighting depression on Active Rain OR Leading a Protest

Like many of you, I've been working on my plans for 2009. 2008 was good, and I generally was feeling pretty good about 2009. That is until I read two recent posts.

First I read KK's post about a recent WSJ article. It was a somewhat out-of-character post for her but I'm glad she shared the info with us, because I had not read the WSJ article and feel that whether we agree or disagree with something, we need to at least be aware of what's going on around us. It got a little nasty, but Kristel wisely deleted those comments. I agree ... it's her blog, her rules.

Then I read Matt's 2009 predictions and was thoroughly depressed.

peace sign In my comment on Matt's post, I mentioned that maybe we need to start taking back control of our destiny (as Kristel suggests) by behaving as we did back in the 60's and 70's. No, I don't mean the Haight-Asbury portion of those times, but rather the attitude that "we're sick & tired and not going to take it anymore".

I know there are lots of boomers on Active Rain who remember those turbulent times. We were in our late teens and twenties then. For those on AR who were being born then or afterward, here's a synopsis of what was going on:

We were in what turned out to be an unwinable war. There was a draft then, so everyone with a son, husband or brother lived in fear of having their draft deferrment change. New technology for the first time, allowed us to "see" the war front within days of it happening. We saw the body bags that were being sent back and didn't like it. The protests began. College students were willing to face the National Guard and risk being shot or killed. I began attending OSU a couple weeks after Kent State and had to always wear an ID badge around my neck, or risk confrontation with the Guard that was posted on campus. Eventually the US pulled out of Nam. Regular people were able to make a difference with the politicians.

Martin Luther King began leading marches to gain equal quality for minorities. People were willing to stand up - frequently against fire hoses and guns - to support a cause they believed in. They wanted a piece of the dream that others took for granted. With much turmoil, regular people were able to make a difference by getting laws changed.

Women were expected to be mere maids, nannies, and servants to their husband's household. Our schools taught us that we didn't have the same opportunities as the boys, and gave us "homemec" and "secretary" classes so we would be good little girls. It was very hard to buy a house or a car without a man's (our husband or father) signature on the loan. Nothing was in "our name" alone. We were relegated for the most part to low-paying jobs - secretaries, nurses, teachers, clericals - that often "served" the men. Be pretty, stay quiet and heaven forbid, don't THINK. Along came Gloria Steinham who told us we could be equal and have the same opportunities. So we took to the streets, burned the bras, and said, "fix your own d*mn dinner". Regular housewives were able to make a diffence in changing laws and attitudes in the workplace.

There's been a lot of lamenting not only here in AR, but in the blogosphere as well, about the state of our current economy, the unscrupulous corporations, and unsavory politicians. I see much hand-wringing and "woe is me" kind of attitudes. People write about "coping" in today's environment ... how they're going to "adjust" to today's environment. No where have I read where anybody is going to work to CORRECT what is wrong. Now some of you may say that you just did that with your presidential vote. I disagree, because people voted for Obama HOPING he makes the change. You can't HOPE it will change. That's not taking ownership of MAKING it change. There's a big difference there!

computer blogger As bloggers, we have a lot of power. It's the new form of demonstrating in the streets and on the steps of statehouses. We don't have to face fire hoses or guns ... just people like the anonymous person on Kristel's blog, which is a far cry from staring down the business end of a gun.

If you don't like what's happening now, FIX-IT! Write about it (within our COE, of course). Do your part to make a difference. And if that doesn't work, maybe we should hit the streets ... with blackberries in hand.

Regular people CAN make a difference.

Come on all you people under 50... take responsibility to make a difference like your parents did. And for my fellow boomers, you know you've been saving those puca beads for just such an occasion.

Posted by Elaine Reese, REALTOR® in central Ohio on 01/03/2009 06:09 PM

Comments (39)

blogging, real estate market, ecomony

39 Comments on Fighting depression on Active Rain OR Leading a Protest

JAN

I agree, although I also want a little of those Haight Ashbury days back as well as the ability to make change happen. Did you see the movie "Milk?" I t is a good example of how things were done then, for the youngsters on this board.

Marcy

Marcy: No, I didn't see Milk. I'll have to check it out. Regarding Haight-Ashbury I didn't partake of that "stuff" because I was already the dutiful wife, mother and an excellent Susie Homemaker. :-)

It's hard not to take all this media and blog news to heart isn't it?? It makes some of us emotional. I think for some, that blogging their opinions on the matters of "coping" helps them cope with the situation. I don't know if any of us really know how to change the new economy we are in. Not unless we come together as a group to create major reform in government and real estate.

Sandy: Your last sentence is the key. That's what we boomers did to effect the changes.

If we are to hit the streets with blackberry's in hand and lobby for what is right, then we need to lobby for the rights of the Realtor. I thought I was leaving 2008 in a good way. Now it turns out that my buyers don't want to extend the buyer agency agreement and, (oddly enough), the listing for the house that they really like expired about a month ago. They didn't put in an offer because they had a house to sell (which is now sold). Thankfully I have a 60 day holdover on my contract so if they do put in an offer, my contract says they have to pay me anyway. I am tired of people thinking that my time is worth nothing. When you hire a lawyer you have to pay them anyway no matter what the outcome of the case. When you forget your appointment with the dentist, he sends you a bill. Why is our industry different? Why don't we demand an upfront deposit so that people can see this is a serious profession that deserves to get a paycheque for the work that we do and the hours we put in? I know I know, this negativity goes against everything it says in "the secret"! It goes against all of the "believe and you can achieve" messages I have been trying to program my brain with. And I know that the chances of a deposit for our services or "billable hours" in our industry is zero! But why? And how do we survive the gut wrenching, dream stealing, sick-to-your-stomach feeling when your hard work and effort gets you nothing but a kick in the rear!

This is the first time I have ever posted a negative blog. Forgive me. This commission cheque would have bought me a new small car for cash!

Patrick: we've all been where you're at now and the only answer is to try to move on emotionally. You have to or you'll go crazy. When I got into this business - coming from the corporate world - I asked some of the same questions as you pose and have never received an explanation. It's a mystery to me as to why this industry was set up so different from other professions. I would love to know the history behind it.

Elaine. I'm glad you asking for those under 50 to rebel!!! I'm still recovering from the 60s and 70s and don't have any more rebel in me. I completely agree though that some sort of action needs to be taken. We can moan and groan all we want but unless we are willing to back it up we are just wasting put time. I did do something this year....I voted democrat for the the first time in a long time. Viva Las Vegas!!!!! Oops wrong rally cry :)

BB: Somehow it doesn't surprise me that Bertha is still recovering from that era. :-)

It's the moaning & groaning that gets me, and blaming everyone else for our problems. As Pogo said, "we have met the enemy, and it's US".

Hope TLW got through her surgery OK yesterday.

Elaine - so much truth is what you say, here. And I think we can have tremendous power in making changes and encouraging those with the ability to impact significant change in regulations and more, through blogs, twitter, and other social media. But just talking about it is not enough, as it wasn;t years ago - there has to be appropriate action, and accountability by those in a position to impact these changes. TARP was put into place but who is really benefitting from this?

Jeff

I turned off the TV and Turned on a Jazzy station KUVO in Denver and read some blogs there were positive ones and the predictions from Bob Schenk's blog are very encourgaging

The inauguration of President Obama will change the attitude of the country from Fearful to Hopeful.

This attitude change will be the single largest reason the economy begins to improve.

The Federal Government Stimulus Packages will do nothing to help those currently in distress.

We will reach a "Tipping Point" where the desire to buy a home, will be greater than the fear of the current market.

There is great pent-up demand, and once the tipping point is reached, there will be a domino effect for home sales.

2009 will be the best year for Denver Real Estate sales since 2005.

Elaine, enjoyed your post. Never was a "Housewife" so I guess I was a Rebel with a cause. You might enjoy Tom Brokaw book "BOOM" if you haven't already read it. I'm well over 50, but I will hit the streets with you, as long as I don't have to wear net stockings, mini skirt or pointy toed shoes. Ann

Jeff: great comment - action and accountability! You got it!!!!

Jane: Glad you found a positive post. I don't believe in being an ostrich, but geez, I need to stay positive.

Ann: No, you don't have to wear those clothes. We wore peasant dresses, sandles, no hose, and no bras. Ah-h-h, now those were the days! I stopped being a housewife in '78. Guess why!

Hey guys, thanks for the gold star!

My gosh Elaine - hasn't the public become so very quiet since those days!? I well remember the struggle and the victories. Part of the difficulty I think is that with those born after 1970, is the sense of entitlement of always being given to - by own generation, no less, who were the very ones to 'insulate' them.

The current widespread crisesis perhaps a call for all to learn to stand on their feet, get into action and stop complaining.

Terrific post!

Deborah, yes, as I was writing this and recalling those days, even I found it hard to believe/remember that our own government brought out soldiers to fight regular citizens who simply disagreed with the gov't policies.

I agree with your assessment of the way we raised our children. Remember, Montessori? As kids, we were allowed to fail and suffer the consequences for that failure. We learned from those experiences and did what was needed to make sure we didn't fail again.

However, we raised kids that were sheltered from failing. We thought we were being supportive of them by doing that. I'm not sure that was a good thing to do because it created that sense of entitlement. They bought houses that were better than their parent's homes. They took out ARM's because they thought they would always get those promotions and never lose their job. Now that those "kids" are losing homes or jobs or investments, they're not prepared to handle it.

Guess we screwed up.

yes, turns out the pen is mightier than the sword---although we wouldn't be allowed to use swords...so blogging is the best outlet. Very nicely written post! Thank you!

Elaine- I hear you. I think that we underestimate your youth though. They caused the ground swell on the internet and now we all follow. There are blog posts written about asking for change and trying to call attention to it.

I myself have written more than a dozen. I have to tell you, these are my posts that get the least readership on A/R but it doesn't deter my effort.

I wrote and called to voice my dissent against the bailout. As we move further into the year my hope is that we will all band together in a meaningful way. In speaking with those younger than I, I hear the disappointment and mistrust for all things corporate, government, etc....and truthfully, this is with good reason.

I will always be hopeful.

I know kids that know how to save. That question what happened with the market in 2005. I will be introducing at least one here on A/R for my lemonade post on Monday.

The biggest mistake we can make is to have a displaced trust in our youth. I think, given the chance and the backing, they can lead the way.

People wrote, called and emailed their Congressman about the bailout in October. I read that it was 100 to 1 against the plan.

Congress approved it anyway.

Just a month later most of those Congressmen got re-elected.

The only thing that will change things is a massive uprising of the people. Some non-violent protests that could be effective is not paying taxes or withdrawing all of your money from the banks, or starting to use a currency that is actually backed by something and isn't controlled by the banking monopoly we call the Federal Reserve.

Without us submitting to their rigged system, they don't have power over us. If we continue to play by their rules, you can write and blog and email all you want and nothing will really be changed.

Mara - so get out your sword - er, blog!

Rebecca: I don't mean to undervalue the younger generations. That would be an afront to my own kids and granddaughters.

The purpose of the post was to remind people of the major changes we were able to achieve 40 yrs ago by standing up to the establishment. My fear is that people - young and old - will think the current issues are TOO big to try to fix. We can't wait for the politicians and CEO's to correct their ways, and unless we apply pressure to them, they won't feel a need to change the way they do business or to change their ethics. We need things fixed NOW! We can't wait for the next round of elections, to simply vote in more of the same. We can make it unpopular and unwise for them to maintain their corrupt attitudes. Looking back at what my generation did might serve as a reminder that regular people can use their voice to force new laws and changes to gov't policies ... if enough of us do it.

Tim ... well maybe the reason the "uprisings" in the 60's & 70's worked was because they were highly visible and well televised. Blogging and emails aren't visible or televised. You may be on to something.

Numbers do not lie and here they are, the economy for whatever reason will get better in the 2nd quarter of this year ( if you're in the stock market and it turns get out at the end of October, November at the latest. January of 2010 the stock market will head down and our temporary great economy will come crashing down.

Foreclosure and bankruptcies now will pale in comparison. The world economies will come completely unraveled because of all the so called stimulus and bailout packages. The Asian markets will help sustain the so called free markets, not because they want to but because they will have to. Even their citizens will be under so much strain that they will force their governments to help.

We have been headed this way since WW1 and it someone will have to pay up. 70 cents of every dollar we make now goes to support our city, state and federal; government as well as our non working people. It is unsustainable and it's just that simple.

JAN

I LOVE the thought of revolution! It is nigh time to get the attention of people who "don't know, don't care", that the rest of the universe does NOT have ridiculous pension plans, secret service agents for eternity, unlimited expense accounts, perks coming from lobbyists offering everything from exotic trips to cash under the table, and sell their first born, if it keeps them in office! There is no 'common man' or woman, for that matter, understanding the struggles we face to provide a life style that warrants the amount of time, energy and ingenuity we put into our practice of real estate and the desire to continue to be MIDDLE CLASS! I resent paying for EVERYTHING, FOR EVERYONE, and being deleted from the benefits of this outrageous bail out! Our buyers and sellers are being overlooked in the illegal dispursement of the TARP funds! Not to mention, how many of us would like to consider a refi to lower our expenses, pull out some cash to weather whatever this foul wind is going to leave in its path!

Yes Elaine, I certainly know Montessori - and generations that needs constant praise - not all wrong, but out out of balance, like free love, the drug scene, etc. There will always be failure. However, we learn - an awesome thing!

It is interesting that you raised the remembrance of the change achieved in the days of demonstration - I have frequently wondered about the deafening silence now, in a world far more affected by poverty and violence than back then.

In response to some of the comments - I have a hard time believing that widespread change will be effected at computer keyboards. We need to wake up to see that this is more than about regaining lifestyle previously held. Perhaps it is a small taste of what much of humanity suffers - and learning true values in life.

"As bloggers, we have a lot of power." Yes we do ... but the written, digital word can only go so far. The true exercising of that power will be in face-to-face situations -- talking with our neighbors and coworkers, meeting with city officials, organizing meet-ups and tweet-ups. Then we can see, hear and feel change.

Charles .... well, um .... golly gee .... I hope you're wrong!

Joan ... so we'll be seeing you on the steps of the statehouse?

Deborah ... your middle paragraph is well said, Regarding your last sentence, I've been hearing small tidbits that that might be starting to happen with people at least trying to return to their former priorities. I think some of that occurred over the holidays as people cut back spending or switched to fewer more meaningful gifts.

John ... I agree that ultimately it takes action, but blogging gives us a place to start to make the concept grow exponentially. For instance, with this post, the thought/concept has been planted in more people's minds than I could do in person. If each of the people who've read this blog, write their own opinion on the topic on their blogs, then they carry it further than I could do in person. As Deborah said, the silence has been deafening in past years, and as bloggers we can start the chatter. The media DOES monitor our local personal blogs to see what the chatter is about. It's a start.

Elaine I so agree with you. There are good rumblings from the grass roots here -- in Cleveland, I mean. I think you are right on the money. Remember the movie Network (I can't remember when that came out, but it was a while ago)? The line from that movie is 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.'

Great call to action!

I really wonder if, like we accepted electricity and indoor plumbing, young women today realize how different things were for women forty years ago. I'm hoping schools/universities are teaching these things. Like you said, looing back could really help us focus on where we were, where we don't need to go again, and maybe, where we could return to the active era of the past. You rock!

Remember when Floor was profitable, now Buyers just look on the internet - we used to have all of the information, now it's available to anyone with a computer. So lets make it positive, it really wasn't that bad in my area in 2007 there was 56 Condos sold in 2007 with a sales volume of $21,788,266 compared to 2008 with 44 Condos sold and a sales volume of $16,280,600 (of that 16 were short sales or foreclosures by investors in a Condo project that was way over priced to begin with. Which brought down the average price per square foot from $311 to $266 for 2008)

Carole - I just heard on this evening's news that Richardson pulled out of Obama's cabinet for something that is being looked into by his state (didn't catch what it was). And HE at one point was running for Pres. By nature of the money that is required to run for the various local, state and national offices, is it impossible for a politician to stay clean? Can't we expect more from them????

I've tried to explain to my granddaughters what it was like for girls/women "back then". The comments and attitudes we had to tolerate just to keep our job. They don't fully understand it. Then I told them how hard it was to get a credit card in my-name-only after my divorce ... with a $200 limit until I "proved" that I could handle money. This got their attention! :-) Now they send credit card apps to dogs, for crying out loud.

Jane: Whenever I run the numbers for my blog, I really try to look for the positives to report. I feel I don't need to add to the negativism. But I feel like I'm just one small voice and can't compete with what the media is reporting. We have to just keep trying to get the REAL word out there.

16 short sales out of 44 condos has got to hurt! Hard to put postivie spin on that!

Regarding floor time, I've been in the business only 10 years. So profitable floor time went away a year after I started when my broker set up a web site. They also took the office phone # off the signs, in favor of the agent's number. That stopped calls to the office but certainly helps us because the floor agent very seldom knew anything about the details of the property.

JAN

I am trying I am trying!! :wink wink: There is so much negativity to overcome in this world that it can be so disheartening at times!! You gotta keep the train on the train and keep a chuggin to win this WAR AGAINST NEGATIVITY!

Renee, there is hope. Just today I heard a couple difference newscasters mention some positive things, not only about our industry but other areas (attitudes) as well.

All the charts you do can help as well.

JAN

hadnt thought of blogging as a modern day protest march (demonstrating in the streets) , but it is a great way to look at sites like active rain and tools like twitter

James, and don't forget LinkedIn where you're more likely to reach people outside the real estate industry.

Great post. I may disagree with you on some points, but I think you are right on. Your line "Unsavory politicians" in my own opinion are the reason for many of the problems we face as a nation. Whether it is an unpopular war, illegal aliens coming over the border by the busloads, drugs coming over the border in a post 9/11 world ...there is money and power lining someones pockets in DC. That is why they no longer represent this nation, but only themselves. We need total reform.

Jim, thanks for stopping by. Yes, the politicians are a big problem, but the citizens voted them in. The problem is that our choices are usually the "lesser of the evils" ... which one is going to do less harm. That's not a good choice to have.

AUG

Wow you should update and repost.

Great Idea Missy! How is Ann Arbor Doing? I lived there in the 90's

Missy & Jane: I found it interesting to read people's comments now that it's 8 months after they wrote them.

AUG

Denver's July Resales were the Best of 2009, I actually had a decent May, June & July, but so far August is very slow. Here is a recent Article from The Denver Business Journal on Home Resales in Denver.

This blog does not allow anonymous comments