Brooke Wolford

By Brooke Wolford

I have watched all of the changes occuring in real estate lately, and there’s a lot of speculation about what might happen in the future.

You see, real estate has been evolving over the past several years, and I, myself, have gotten sucked into all the drama. I remember spending hours on message boards and in online groups complaining about one thing or another, then getting drawn into other people’s complaints. I decided to step away and focus on what really matters – people who buy and sell houses!

Looking back over my history, from the time I began my real estate career I’ve come to notice one very important thing: everything changes. CONSTANTLY. Change is routine in real estate, and no matter what you do, you probably can’t – or shouldn’t – try to stop it.

If you can embrace change, you’ll be valued highly in real estate. You’ll be seen as a flexible and adaptable. This reputation can open up many opportunities. If, however, you consistently resist change, you’ll be seen as “part of the problem,” and you’ll get left behind.

The fact of the matter is that our jobs are hard. VERY hard. We have lots of complications and obstacles, and we always have to be on our toes. Yes, we have transactions that cause us to wonder whether or not it’s worth it, and then we have the easy transactions that make up for every bad one. Regardless of what you may think, we get paid well for what we do. Some of the most admired entrepreneurs have had to make sacrifices to get to where they are now. Why are we any different?

There’s never going to be some miracle advancement that is going to take place of the relationships we build. The fact of the matter is this: If someone is buying a home, they need us. We are the experts.

Welcome change as an opportunity. Focus on what’s important: Your clients. When almost 90 percent of buyers use an agent in their transactions, there is clearly still a need for what we do. It’s time to calm down and focus on them…because if you don’t do, someone else will.

Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with RE/MAX Results in Eden Prairie, Minn. Follow her blog at www.thehousingword.com.