Was it really that long ago that “The Secret” was a national phenomenon?
You remember “The Secret”; the runaway best-seller DVD and book which purported to share a long-hidden truth to personal wealth and happiness.
Which was?
The “Law of Attraction”. In its essence, the premise was whatever we think about in life, both consciously and unconsciously, is what we get.
I was reminded of this while reading a number of media stories over the weekend. Among all the headlines of doom and gloom I saw “Home Listings for February Stayed Steady” in the Wall Street Journal. The story included data from a survey conducted by ZipRealtyInc.. Inventory in the 29 major metropolitan areas covered was down 0.4% from January. More significantly, however, when compared with February 2008, listings were down 14%.
In USA Today I read “Most Foreclosures Pack Into A Few Counties”. The story began by stating, “More than half of the nation’s foreclosures last year took place in 35 counties, a sign the financial crisis devastating the national economy may have begun with collapsing home loans in only a few corners of the country.”
The story included a map. As expected, the “sand states” of California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada were hardest hit. Minneapolis and St Paul? Foreclosures were up since 2006 to be certain, but ours were nowhere near the bloody statistics found in the snowbird states.
An additional graphic illustrated the rise in U.S. foreclosures between 2007 and 2008. How did Minnesota do? We ranked 27th out of 52, which was lower than even the state of Texas where legend has it, the economy is booming.
These stories remind me that it’s important when listening to the national media that in Minnesota, we have our own unique market. Our numbers are not Nevada’s numbers. And the good news is that MAR’s weekly market activity reports seem to indicate our market may in fact be improving.
Personally, I have never been as busy in my career as I am right now. More importantly, I have had several clients involved in multiple offers on properties in the last two weeks.
Perhaps it’s once again to concentrate on the lessons of “The Secret”. If we focus on what’s “bad” or “wrong” in the news we hear, we get more of the same. If we focus on what’s right, and the positive data, that is what we’ll attract.
Best of all, a mental stimulus plan of a little positive thinking wouldn’t cost us a dime.