“Will My Blog Get Featured If I Praise Somebody?”

Since joining ActiveRain, some of my friends are now reading blogs featured on ActiveRain’s home page.  As we all know, there are plenty of Featured blogs that vent about, moan about, and complain about disappointing and discouraging real estate situations.  Heck … I’ve even contributed a couple of those blogs myself.  Real estate is a tough and challenging business right now and personally, I learn a lot from reading and sharing some of our "war stories."   And besides, every other industry has its share of problems, right?  So, are there less-than-stellar real estate agents out there?  Yes.  Do some sellers and buyers make us want to go home and wash down an entire pizza with a couple of pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?  Yes.  However, despite the few frustrating, amateurish, or mind-boggling people – I’ve encountered dozens of other real estate professionals who perform their jobs in the most conscientious and exemplary manner.  Maybe we can take advantage of our public forum and acknowledge some of these individuals once in awhile.  I’ll start.

My story is not about a real estate agent, or seller, or buyer.  It’s about a contractor I hired recently to resolve some long-standing maintenance and repair issues.  Every single day of the project, he was prompt, courteous, professional, and knowledgeable -- completing his work efficiently and competently.  He also cleaned up after himself every day!  Exceedingly impressed, I called his boss to express my accolades for a job well done.  I was reminded that even though there are some who make our lives and jobs more difficult – thankfully, there are others who make our lives easier, more productive, and a lot more enjoyable.

Why is this so easy to forget – and so hard to remember?  Maybe we can highlight some positive professional experiences deserving of our attention?  Perhaps spotlight someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty?  With all of the “dark clouds” in our business, I think it would be a great morale booster to promote our “silver lining” more often.  What do you think?