The Week Before Christmas -Realtor on the edge....

'Twas the week before Christmas, and in every listed house
Not a Realtor was stirring, not even my spouse;
The buyers were shopping for gifts at the mall,
But shopping for houses wasn’t happening at all.

The children were harping for toys of all kinds,
Without any care for these hard economic times;
And my broker in his office, and me in my car,
We were searching for clients no matter how far.

And then, out of the west, there came a great storm,
Driving the very last buyers to stay home and warm.

The phone sat there silent, no other agents did call,

My sellers were anxious, and yes… prices did fall.

My spirits were soggy, my outlook just grey,
I regretted I threw the employment want-ads away.

I sat and I played Bejeweled with my friends

Wishing this holiday season would simply just end.

When, what to my disbelieving eyes should appear,
But an economic forecast rosy, plump and so clear.
A bullish outlook for a turn in the tide?
I looked up on Google to see who had lied.

But there on the screen, so crisp and so white,

The report was quite lengthy and had charts to the right.

Data that analysts claimed proved their case well,
But naysayers warning ’twas too early to tell;

Unemployment is down! Confidence is up!

And retailers fighting for every last buck.

A whole month declared Black, as black as the ashes,

And cyber incentives emailed to the masses.

Online and in-store, daily deals were promoted

Malls stayed open late and cashiers stayed devoted

Economic confidence was boosted, retail numbers looked great

Perhaps housing would rebound, if it wasn’t too late.

Skeptical analysts snidely respond with a snear,
“The outlook is good, but things aren’t fixed yet, dear.”

The dollar is weak and the stock market soft,

Defaults are down, but houses for sale and foreclosures still rot.

Amid conflicting reports, good and bad news

Nobody really knew what side to choose.

“Tell us what it all means!” My sellers begged and pleaded,

But my crystal ball broke, so much caution I heeded.

“It means that the holiday market is rosy for now,

But don’t count you chickens or butcher your cow.

We have no offers in, no inspections are pending

But sign here please, our 6 month listing is ending.”

Oh Freddy! oh Fanny! oh, Federal Reserve!

What about all the contradictions we’ve heard?
From the bottom of charts to just out of the red
A happy Christmas surprise? Or is it just in my head?

A new tax incentive?  A reason for buyers to buy?

Give us more rebates, loose credit, or a sign in the sky!

Though the housing forecast isn’t spectacular or crazy

They say we’ve hit bottom …. well at least maybe.

As I sat at my computer, writing this blog,

I ate Santa’s cookies and drank his eggnog.

I thought about past Christmas’ and remember with pain

This happens every winter and probably will again and again.

So what can a weary Realtor hope for from heaven?

Perhaps a new business plan for two thousand and eleven!

How about knocking on doors, making snazzy new flyers

Holding open houses and finding new buyers.

Farming for listings and holding community garage sales,

Maybe talking with past clients, if everything else fails.

We must do what we can to help our economy recover,

Handle short sales, foreclosures and challenges one after another.

Then I realized again, almost one year to the day,

My worries and concerns will eventually fade away.

Buyers will buy when the timing is right,

So it does me no good to sit up and worry all night.

Finally I closed down my laptop, turned off the cell phone.

Then listened to my children in my own home sweet home.

I thought of our blessings, and then for some reason

I decided I didn’t really mind the less busy holiday season.

*adapted from Clement Clarke Moore's "A visit from St. Nicholas" by Kathryn Deem 2010.*