Getting off on the right foot...

“Nothing changes if nothing changes.” (Unknown)- from Jack's Winning Words. That sounds like something Yogi Berra might have said, and like most Yogi-isms there is much wisdom in the words. Yogi did say, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." In life, none of us can really know exactly where we're going, but we can set goals and that at least gives us a sense of direction. I've set some fairly aggressive goals for myself in 2008, goals that can only be achieved with great success in the real estate market.

It would be relatively easy, given the year that we just came out of, to start off 2008 in a funk - down about the market and the prospects for the new year. I've decided not to let that happen. Sure there are lots of challenges in the market right now, but also lots of opportunities. As Yogi said -" In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." So, I'm going to try to focus on my practice and pay less attention to the theories about what's wrong with the market and the world.

I've got lots of people with whom I'm currently working to find just the right new homes. Some are looking primarily at foreclosures, some are nearing retirement and looking to downsize and some are just making moves into this area for work-related reasons or just because the Milford area is such a great place to live (or both). I also have 2-3 investors looking to cash in on the current down market. My advice, to paraphrase another Yogi-ism - "Buy a foreclosed house, if it goes up, sell it, if it goes down, don't buy it."

I have clear goals and a great resolve to reach them. I'm working with some great buyers and there's never been a better time to be looking for a house. My sellers have become realistic about this market and seem ready to sell, too. So, I start 2008 on a positive note, as I promised I would in my New Year's resolutions. As Yogi might have said, "If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be." I'll take things as they are and try to make the best of it.