You know those days when everything you do feels repetitive and boring? You move through a malaise, and life feels like it is in grayscale, sans color or vibrancy. The small actions we take each day to keep the train on the tracks can feel uninspiring, making us want to sink deeper under the covers to keep the day at bay.

If truth be told, I have been in that place, especially related to my work. Now that is a shocking reveal, isn’t it? How many realtors do you see on various platforms speaking this truth? Not that many. Because there is a voice inside each one of us that sternly reminds us that WE are “our brand”, that people need us to remain positive, hopeful, and optimistic, that no matter what gets thrown at us by the market, by other agents and even our clients, we need to keep our chin up and a smile on our face. Well, this has been harder for me to do lately.

The market in Denver is shifting. After a decade of low inventory, we are now approaching a market in equilibrium where buyers and sellers have equal power to negotiate. Very few sellers are getting multiple offers way above list price with every contingency waived; a reality they all got used to in the post-pandemic years. Although interest rates remain high, buyers have more choice and are taking their time to make offers, and once under contract making lots of requests for repairs and concessions. All this is normal, because real estate is cyclical and any good realtor is communicating this with their clients, because we consider ourselves a resource outside of an active transaction.

I practice real estate because I get to provide a service that comes from a place inside me that believes every human deserves to live inside four walls that make them feel safe and inspires them to dream into reality a life beyond their wildest imagination. And yet, when I am in the heightened throes of everyday tasks, conversations quickly begin to sound transactional, and I feel commoditized and unappreciated. Even the best people can be careless and myopic when in the middle of a transaction, and often the realtor who is trying to help and communicate without an agenda, becomes collateral damage.

Let’s do better. Whatever our role is within a real estate deal, let’s keep at the forefront of our hearts that we are all people; that this is emotional and stressful, and if we work with those we trust, our desired outcome will be achieved with fewer battle scars. Let’s change the way we respond especially when the stakes are high, and lead with kindness. We can’t control the way others respond, but we can choose to change the way we show up in these moments. This world needs empathy and kindness now more than ever. And it starts with us.