In the mainland it is time to crank up your heating system. Here on the island it is time to crack a window at night and cozy up with a blanket. There is a certain chill that is in the air and with that the thought that the holidays are coming up very quickly. Do not worry, I will not be going straight to Christmas ALREADY. I mean for pete's sake people, let's try to at least get to halloween then let thanksgiving have its time. The holiday season does have me reminiscing on what makes them so special. What really makes them so special for so many? I came to the conclusion that it is the ritual. The holidays are a people, a feeling, and last but not least a place. I remember growing up, grandma's house was the constant location for all of the goings on. I grew up with a pretty large family (my dad being the oldest of 10), and every holiday that we had on my dads side had its own itinerary and schedule.
That was a major part of what made all the holidays special, but a huge part of each and every memory is my grandma's house. In my mind's eye, I see her huge dining room, with the Hogwarts-esk kitchen table. The entire room was one big table with galley seating all the way around it. A most memorable part of eating at her table was doing your best to not get a seat on the inside, because if we were sandwiched in and you wanted to get out for seconds or even to use the restroom you were at the mercy of whoever sat on the outside. They were the “keepers of the gate”..
This story and memory may not make you smile like it does to me, but I am sure you have a rolodex of your own memories involving the places from your childhood and holiday memories. A weird tick that I have developed since becoming a real estate professional is thinking about structures and buildings longer than most probably do. This is something that I am just now taking note of. Buildings, properties, zoning, and planning are things that you may not think about more than about 5 times your entire life. To me this is what I find running through my mind every day. This also makes me realize the emotional side of a home. A house is so much more than a monthly payment, a place for shelter, or an asset to most people. I encourage you, next time you drive by a subdivision and see the toys in the front yard. Or the couple tending to a garden, think about what those places mean to the people who live in those homes. Those homes that are filled with family photos, memorabilia, and possibly subpar art hung up on the refrigerator.
In the same token selling and buying a home is more than just a financial decision for most getting into real estate. It is the turning of a page or quite possibly the end of one chapter and the start of another. One of the first things that Ed, Principal Broker of the Island Land Company Inc., told me was that there is always a deeper emotional decision for buyers and sellers to make about their home. He instructed me to never push on this part of a sale, but to be aware of it always. The emotional side of a transaction is none of the agent's business, the agent is there to cater facts and consultation when asked only. These heavy emotions that arise from the real estate transaction are for the client to settle out themselves.
If you have ever had your emotions pushed on when you were financially making a decision how did that make you feel? If the decision was the right one to make you usually will hardly notice, but more evident in your memory are the instances where your emotions were used to get your pocket book open. That usually makes you feel a type of way. You feel betrayed, pissed off, and empty all at the same time. This is never how you should feel before, during, or after a real estate transaction.
My point of this week's blog is not to conjure up regret or bitterness towards others in the past, but rather to have us all appreciate the places that make our holiday season what it is. Whether you find yourself bobbing for apples in middle America, or catching waves as high surf season kicks back up. Be appreciative for what you have and where you are because we truly never know who out there would love to be in that spot. Mahalo as always, and by the way be sure to enjoy halloween AND thanksgiving. I promise you we will get plenty of time before christmas to start fantasizing about it!