"Ridin' the Storm Out"
Let me start this off by saying that I have a few things in common with REO Speedwagon and their song, Ridin' The Storm Out. First of all, I live in the beautiful state of Colorado. This song was written by REO Speedwagon in the 1970's. The story behind the lyrics was that they were to perform a concert in Boulder, and had some free time and had decided to 
explore the mountains prior to performing. They really didn't know what they were doing and got caught in an afternoon storm. My other commonality is that I am from Illinois and I graduated from Illinois State University, located in Normal, Illinois. The band came together while they were students at the University of Illinois in Champagne/Urbana, which is located just about 40 minutes east of Illinois State.
The storm I speaking of, is the real estate crash. We all experienced the crash for the last several years. It didn't matter where you lived. Everyone was affected, from the small business owner to employees at major corporations, from renters to homeowners. The real estate market is cyclical. It does not discriminate. It has it's ups and downs. In order to 
survive in real estate for the long haul, you must be able to survive the ups and downs. Ride the storm out. And this last cycle, the "downs" were long and extremely debilitating for everyone. No one was the exception. Many real estate agents, lenders, inspectors and builders did not survive this last storm and had to look for other or secondary employment to be able to pay their monthly bills.
Real Estate is a relatively easy career to get into. An agent can make an extremely good living. A doctor or lawyer make a great living as well, but the education to finally be licensed, is extremely costly. And the cost of insurance for these professions, is pricey. Real Estate is a career with a high percentage of fall-out. After 5 years as a real estate agent, only 20% will survive 5 years in the business.
I rode out the storm and I survived. I was able to get through the lean times by making sure I didn't spend every paycheck I earned. I have always, and still do, save a percentage of every paycheck. The "good times" don't last forever. So in order to "Ride the Storm Out", one must be able to "Roll With the Changes" because "Only the Strong Survive". (All of these are REO Speedwagon songs!)
*photos by google*
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