Sdrealtor, I actually think that realtors with a conscience, such as you, are having a harder time justifying their professions. It’s difficult to be a contrarian on your own product.
The housing runup was caused by greed, loose lending, and the powerful influence of the realtor lobby. The public believed the realtors who said prices could only go up. A realtor in Poway told me that last week: prices in Poway cannot fall, because people love the Poway schools.
As I said before, a person with a conscience must use all kinds of denial tactics to convince themselves they are doing the right thing. So in your case, you believe a house is a collection of emotions, and you can only connect with neighbors if you pay your monthly payment to a lender rather than a landlord. If you admitted that renting a house is superior to buying a house, in today’s market, then you wouldn’t be able to do your job. So you cannot admit that.
A house is not just a home anymore. As millions of people are about to find out as they face foreclosure. A house has become a financial instrument of devastation to personal lives.
As far as my personal time, and spending too much time on the keyboard, I probably do :). You’re right about that. My two weaknesses are reading and running. But I’m also a social butterfly, and dote on my family. This morning, my husband went to work 3 hours late, so he could spend the morning with me. Enough for the personal stuff. I regret that I feel the need to defend myself.
I do like having you on this board, sdrealtor. I hope we didn’t chase you away by asking some tough questions.
Best wishes to your child, and I hope you can stick around. I for one won’t pick on you any more. I think you’re working hard to provide for your family, and that’s honorable in itself.