Warp Speed and New Skills

by Terry Ballantyne

Chances are,  as we begin another and rather tenuous new year, you may be feeling disoriented. If it is  not  our Commander in Tweet that may have you nervous, or the rise of Lone Wolf terrorists, or even the threat to bananas from Fusamium Wilt, it is the sheer pace of acceleration the world is facing.

Consider this, when traders trade at the speed of light, it affects the market negatively so they built in a speed pump of 350 microseconds, to slow things down. * You may not agree, but if

350 microseconds is a speed bump, I need to adjust my speedometer. The idea of aging gracefully is gone. We are all lifelong learners now!  So many digital demands. So either let them go totally, ( and lose your grandkids completely) or learn to pick and choose consciously. And don’t feel like you are alone in feeling overwhelmed as we are all swimming the rapids of change, one nostril above the deluge.

As we cope with this ramp up of speed in every part of our life, our backstock of knowledge loses value, since it loses relevance quickly.  One can no longer coast on an old data bank of facts. Think about Hilton Hotels, They were resting on their laurels when Air BnB disrupted the industry.  In 2016 there were 68,000 commercial hotel rooms in Paris, and more than 80,000 Air BnB listings! *  Hilton had to scramble to up their offer.

Yellow Cab was as common a term as Kleenex, till Uber and Lyft rocked that market. Seemingly overnight, Yellow Cab was fish wrap.  They too were scrambling to offer something better, or become an antiquity.

Yet The Cloud,  that made all these changes possible,  was described by 51 percent of respondents to a survey by Citrix, could be affected by stormy weather !   There is a huge gap in our use of technology and our understanding of it because it all happened so fast.

So how does the real estate industry respond?  We have app after app to help you find a home quicker and provide more details about it.  But buying a home remains one of the most emotionally complex and fiscally challenging tasks we humans take on.  And to date, there is no big data to hold your hand, put things into perspective, ask insightful questions, or help feedback your fears so you can process them and move forward. That is the unique job of the qualified real estate professional. And a REALLY REALLY good one will tell you when not to buy, or to at least be sure you are  clear on the dangers of any given purchase you might consider.

But this extraordinary counselor and guide also has to devote hours to becoming adept at technology, mastering marketing tools that are ever more complex.  Aerial photos, 3D floorplans, wide angle lens, writing good copy, preparing homes for sale for maximum results, and then negotiating everything from getting a home inspection when YOU need it, to letting you know when time might negotiate better than you with a stubborn seller or buyer.

All this in a human package that also is raising kids, cooking dinner, looking at suspect homes, staying connected with past clients, digesting the financial picture in the world, keeping ahead of design trends:  all to give you competent advice.  It’s a job and a half!

If you need to sell, remodel, or downsize as you age, pick a great transition counselor disguised as a Realtor.  They will make it painless, profitable and full of insight.