Post-Christmas is time of reflection about the past year and anticipation about what lies ahead.  We  enjoy the unhurried, post-holiday time to complete a challenging Edward Hicks jigsaw puzzle (above) and wish that life were as simple as knowing that if you just focus and persevere, all the pieces will eventually fall into place.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the world were a “Peaceable Kingdom” where the wolf lives at peace with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6).  How do we find the balance between despair and future hope?  As humans, is our individual “fight or flight” instinct so strong that we are mistakenly suspicious of people who focus on community, compassion, trust and giving?

A couple of days ago we got away for an afternoon to watch Meryl Streep in the new movie Doubt.   Her character, Sister Aloysius, uses fear as her tactic to intimidate and control, but the priest played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman makes a pivotal assertion: “There are people who go after your humanity to tell you that the light in your heart is a weakness… don’t believe it!” Sister Aloysius makes harsh accusations against the priest without any evidence and, in the end, moves from her absolute certainty to her own doubt and eventual remorse, leaving a trail of destruction.

That same evening, at home, we also watched the colorized version of the 1947 classic Miracle on 34th Street about cynicism vs. belief and hope. Beyond the theme of Santa Claus, Miracle on 34th Street offers the affirmation that businesses flourish by putting the true interests of their customers above competitive self-interest  – I believe that.

Our nation stands at the threshold between cynicism, fear, suspicion and anger against those businessmen, politicians and regulators that got our economy where it is today vs. the hope that we, as a people, and with a new administration in Washington, will be able to get our economy back on course.  We are in a “crisis of confidence” where many will remain frozen, immobile in fear, while a few will have the clarity of vision to see opportunity and act.

Ambiguity is uncomfortable for most of us.  Courage to take positive action in the face of complexity is more difficult than inaction based on fear, on the one hand, or imprudent action based on blind faith in a fable on the other.  Experience and an insightful, intuitive sense of the market are necessary to steer the course and reach the objective of making a good move.  This is an art.

My goal as a friend and Realtor is to always put my clients’ interests first, clearly tell the truth, be caring and minimize the stress in buying or selling a home, as best I can.  This is the heart of the deal.

Selling a home in today’s market conditions requires unusual marketing creativity and negotiating skill in order to get the highest price in the shortest amount of time.  I call this whole process the “Art and Heart of Real Estate.”

Happy New Year,

Rick Bonetti, Alain Pinel Realtor

408-857-8800

mailto:rickbonetti@gmail.com