Steve Eckhardt's Tampa Area Blog

A recent poll done by Opinion Research Cop., surveyed 1000 U.S. adults and asked: "Do you think the financial press is making the economic crisis worse by projecting fear into people's minds?"  A WHOPPING 78% said YES.  If that is the case, why is it that almost every person we meet lately wants to talk about all the negative around us?  In my opinion, they are looking for reassurance. 

I attended several holiday parties and visited relatives, and I was asked no less than 50 times in the last month, "How is the real estate market?'.  Every time the question was asked, it was accompanied by a look of despair that suggested I had just lost a member of my family.  In every instance I replied "Great!" with a huge smile and then proceeded to give the reasons why (low prices, lowest interest rates in generations, huge inventory to choose from, etc). Believe it or not, 98% of the people I spoke to about real estate listened to what I had to say and walked away from our conversation with a much improved attitude about the market.  I truly believe that most people are out there looking for positive reassurance.   That's why my New Year's resolution for 2009 is to ATTACK THE NEGATIVE. 

I started two weeks ago on an article in the Walletpop section of the AOL website.  A blogger was commenting on a story about FHA loans and spouting off about how much the average consumer has purchased and what "they" can afford without giving any concrete numbers or data to back up his claim.  I have since "ATTACKED" over 15 random posts with actual facts and figures that refute the negative chatter on these message boards and blogs.  The funny thing is that only one time have I received a response.  The response was incoherent and talked about the fact that just because he "could rent a $500 a night hotel room does not mean that he could buy the hotel".  Don't let the negative continue to dominate the marketplace!  If we want to see a change in what is being said in our newspapers, on websites, and in blogs, we need to take the initiative to educate the public and the publishers.

With a degree in Economics, it's second nature for me to look for the statistics and the proof behind a story.  My 2009 business plan includes one hour a week of "Attack The Negative".  Know your market and know your numbers.  When the newspaper or web article reports that foreclosures "Increased 28% from the same month a year ago", make sure that they also report that only one in every 488 U.S. Homes are in Foreclosure, that this number was down 7% from the prior month, or anything else they purposely left out to sell the doom and gloom.   My glass is half full, is yours?