This passage from scripture captures the essence of prospective. Moses had sent the spies out to the promised land and he was interested in their report. Only two had a positive report, Caleb and Joshua. During this time of great financial upheaval, I ask myself  "how is the land, is it fat or lean?"

My response to this question is going to set my course to either a successful and profitable real estate career, or one of failure and  disillusionment. Fear is rampant in the marketplace. Buyers are afraid to get involved in a purchase and sellers are worried they can’t sell. Throw in lenders who are overly cautious, and you have the perfect recipe for inertia.

How is this inertia overcome? By education and understanding. Buyers need to be shown why it’s a good time to buy. Sellers need to be shown how they can have a successful outcome to their sale. Lenders need to be shown the path to profitability.

All of this will take courage, faith and conviction. Those start with me, the real estate agent. If I’m missing just one of those three, I can’t possibly expect a buyer, seller or lender to trust my judgment or advice. So I must constantly ask "where is the opportunity?" People will trust me if I am courageous, faithful and act out of conviction. I believe I can change their lives in a positive way, but they need to see it from my prospective.

In my market, I can’t see lower interest rates or much lower home prices. It’s the best time I’ve ever seen to get into a real estate transaction, but will the buyer and seller have the courage to do it? Will I have the conviction to educate them on it? Will all of us have the faith to move forward and and experience success?