Brian Copeland

By Brian Copeland

If you are a young professional and have entered the real estate profession any time from 2004-2007, I want to be the first to congratulate you.

When you can no longer consider yourself a whippersnapper and Lady GAGA music is now playing on the Golden Oldies station, you can then say one thing proudly as a REALTOR®, “I’ve seen the best market in our time.  I’ve seen the worst market in our time.”

You’ve officially navigated both and come out on the other side stronger.  Remember, our defining moments arise out of adversity.  I thank goodness every day for that teacher who said I’d never make it past my first year of college.  I’m grateful for that boss who knocked me off my employment platform in my first job.  Soon, you will be thanking the passing economy for making you one of the strongest real estate advisers of your day.

While millennial generation agents will still be able to say the same statement, our generation will be able to say our training grounds were in these two markets.  Who wouldn’t want an airline pilot who was trained during the worst storms of the century simply because that was the time he got his pilot’s license?

I hope you will begin today, preparing yourself for tomorrow’s market.  It’s going to be amazing, and the consumers will know more than ever that a smart, savvy REALTOR® who has navigated these treacherous waters needs to be on their side.

Use the next few months to finish a designation like GRI or CRS.  Use 2011 as a time to get more involved in your local association than you ever have been before.  Use the coming weeks to school yourself on the legislative issues that continue to affect your and your clients’ future.  You’ll want to do it now, because the business you’re going to see in 2012 and beyond requires you to be at the top of your game.  I’ll see all my YPNers AT THE TOP!

Brian Copeland is a real estate practitioner in Nashville, Tenn. You can follow Brian on Twitter: @NashvilleBrian