I am a bit of a media and marketing nut. As a writer, with a good deal of experience working with the media, marketing and real estate for a number of years, I have a tendency to read behind the scenes and I’ve learned to follow the money trail. My experiences has made me pretty much a contrarian.
I won’t go into great length here, it would take a book. But I can say, in my experience, the world starts to look a lot different when you look at it from who, what, where, when, why, how and so-what point of view. When we get past the sound bytes and the hype, a very different picture emerges. When we start asking who stands to gain by what’s going on, we begin to see another side of the story emerge.
We’re living in precarious times. That much is true. But for all the pain and suffering, wars and famine, you and I are experiencing right now, there’s a LOT of money being made. It’s not an accident. Inflation, foreclosures, job layoffs and the rest all happen for a reason. Those who ask the right questions and see what’s going on are making adjustments and will come out of this mess ok. Because, you see, everything is perception.
What’s the answer? Start asking questions and thinking for yourself.
When we start thinking like marketers, we can often begin to see solutions emerge. We start looking at what’s the psychological motivation, what are the hot buttons, who are the competition, who stands to gain, where’s the money, and what can we learn from those who have been this way before?
Real estate is a prime example. The market has been in a tailspin. Countless homeowners have lost their homes, countless more will follow. But wait!!! This is exactly the kind of market that fortunes are built on! Investors long for this kind of market because they can amass great wealth with very little investment. Right now, they can pretty much walk in and taken anything on the market for pennies on the dollar. And, they have lots to choose from at the moment. Are they worried about the state of the economy? Not much.
So, were does this leave us? Well, first off, we want to hold on tight. When everyone else is selling… buy. And, when everyone else is buying… sell!! That’s the wisdom of the ages, we forget when we’re busy listening to how bad the economy is. Those of us who act out of desperation will stand to lose the most. Those who get creative will weather the storm and those who make somewhat contrarian decisions will come out winners.
Many think they don’t have what it takes to buy right now, and that may be true. But with a little creative thinking even they can weather the storm. Market adjustments like we’re going through right now don’t last forever. The Great Depression did come to an end and this market will too. Good old fashioned creative financing might help. Looking for the win/win opportunities – where both buyer and seller will come out ahead – will solve many problems. Buyers and sellers, working together, can help stabilize this market and allow everyone to come back stronger than ever. it’s a good time to revisit concepts like sweat equity, owner financing, barter, and other methods that aren’t controlled by the money market, Wall Street and government. It’s a little bit more challenging to find solutions, today. But it can be done.
Forget the sound bytes. This is a GREAT market. You can profit from it too …
Buy, baby buy!!