“May you live in interesting times,” as the adage goes. But fear not, this is not another coronavirus story.
I’m not in any position to comment on the virus, what you should and shouldn’t be doing, and what precautions you need to take. I’ll leave that to our medical professionals and experts. I do, however, want to take a minute during this challenging time and encourage you to do three things right now.
1. Give thanks, and be grateful
Each of us has something to be grateful for right now, whether that’s your health, your family, your friends or something else. Take a few minutes, be grateful and give thanks.
Make a list of everything you’re grateful for. Better yet, call your friends and loved ones, and connect with them on a deeper level.
For example, this interesting time has given our family an opportunity to hang out together more; we’re talking, watching movies and connecting with our kids nightly (and soon to be daily with school closed).
2. Exercise
During crisis, a natural reaction might be to abandon your daily fitness routine. Don’t do it! If you go into panic mode or get stressed out, it creates a chain reaction, and believe it or not, it makes your body more susceptible to disease.
Instead, continue your daily exercise routine (or start one). And no excuses — if you don’t want to go to the gym, do an exercise routine at home, or go for a run. I’ve been taking extra walks with my dog just to get outside more.
Exercise releases endorphins that not only make you healthier, but also put you in a better mood and release tension and anxiety.
3. Extend a helping hand
Take some extra time to call, text and email your clients and the people in your database to see how they’re doing. Offer to lend a hand. With respect to real estate, educate your clients and your database on the current situation.
I remember in 2008 when everyone went into panic mode. Those same people are now saying: “I wish I bought everything in sight.” In most markets, inventory remains extremely low, and interest rates are at all-time lows.
In a normal market, that would drive prices up substantially. However, if demand is low due to an unforeseen circumstance like this, that is precisely the time to buy as prices are lower than they “should be” under normal market conditions. Be sensitive to the situation while also assessing whether there might be an opportunity to work together at some point.
Lastly, take comfort in knowing that as with most sudden and unexpected events like this, this too shall surely pass.
And by the way, these are three things you can and should continue to do even after this situation is behind us.
I welcome your comments and thoughts, and wish you and your family all the best.
Danny Batsalkin is the Founder of the DSCVR Real Estate Network, the only complete real estate business solution for agents. Connect with Danny on Facebook and Instagram.
