Most of us are pretty clear what to do when the light is green and when the light is red but it’s when the light is yellow that we can get ourselves in trouble.

Yellow means “CAUTION/WARNING/YIELD.”  It means CHANGE.

Real Estate is FULL of Yellow Light Decisions….

My journey with a new client always begins with spending about an hour getting to know them.  During that time, I ask tons of questions and collect ALOT of high value information. I learn what a green (must have it/positive), red (absolutely will not work/negative) and yellow (maybe this could work/not sure) light might look and feel like for them. Our journey together is going to have many more yellow lights than green or red and it is how we negotiate those that will define their experience.

For example, being an intuitive person Buyer Anne emphatically says, “I will know the house when I see it!” What if the clarity of “knowingness” never happens?  Then what?

Then there is Seller Sam who has received an AMAZING offer on his home. He begins packing his boxes. Then the buyer requests a list of costly repairs. He didn’t know that any of this was going on with his home because it all worked fine for him. Then what?

It is in these “yellow light moments” that circumstances can dictate behavior. Do we rush through the light or slow down and pause? How do we negotiate the unknown?

Today, the day before the inauguration of the next President, we sit squarely in a yellow light moment. It is in these changing times that we make decisions that can either aid or harm one another. In times like these, it may be more prudent to pause than go faster. May we all act with more kindness, clarity and patience than we ever imagined we are capable of as we step into the vast unknown of change together.