What Lies Clearly at Hand in Real Estate and in Life

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the stuff of life? Discouraged? Weighed down? The noise and negative news coming at us from every direction is enough to drive us to distraction and to cause us to despair. Rest assured, you are not alone if you sometimes feel overwhelmed by endless distractions and ceaseless change.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed by change and so many unknowns? Here’s a suggestion borrowed from Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. Carlyle said, “Our grand business undoubtedly is, not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” That’s pretty good advice. In a nutshell, rather than fixating on future things that you have no control over, concentrate on what lies clearly at hand.

What is Important Now?

When you identify what is important now, you can focus on the things that you can do now.  In other words, instead of fretting over future unknowns, focus on the tasks at hand — your inputs instead of your outcomes. So, what are the things that are important for you to do now? What can you do now to win the day?

When it comes to the real estate market, there are a lot of unknowns. Even as sales slow down in Hawaii, prices are still up from one year ago. In fact, prices have skyrocketed so much in the last two years, that even if prices go down 5-15%, they’re still up. Granted, contract signings are falling because of much higher interest rates, but the inventory level is still tight. According to Lawrence Yuen, the National Association of Realtor’s Chief Economist, we still have a housing shortage and a dearth of inventory, leading him to believe that prices won’t decline much. Especially in Hawaii.

But, who really knows for sure? And, that is the point. You don’t know and we don’t know, but we can all do what is clearly at hand. So, what lies clearly at hand for you? The answer to that question will be different for everyone, depending on circumstances. But, all of us can benefit from doing the things that are clearly in front of us now.

Moving Forward

If you want to buy real estate, what can you do today that will move you forward? Do you need to start on that budget? Call a loan officer or Realtor? Maybe you need to count your cash, explore adjustable rate mortgages or make a list of new neighborhoods? What can you do today to win today? Just today.

Perhaps you already own a home? Are you thinking about selling or remodeling? What lies clearly at hand? Maybe you just need to clean a closet, choose a new paint color, or change a lightbulb? This may sound silly and like a huge oversimplification, but truly, small steps in the right direction over time lead to big change. Good change. When you do the things that lie in front of you, you are not only rewarded with a sense of accomplishment, but you get a win for the day. And, daily wins add up to big wins over time.

If you want to win today and your future days, do what lies clearly at hand. When you unleash the power of twenty-four hours each day, day after day, you will live life well. And, isn’t that what we all want? To live well.

What Lies Ahead?

As for what lies ahead for real estate, we don’t know. But, we do now that what lies clearly at hand are our beautiful islands, our precious people, and a place that many want to call home. And, clearly that’s a win!