Happy New Year and all that jazz. Here are my predictions for the 2012 economy and real estate market.
The first third of the year (January–April) is going to feel like a Monday. At first you think, “Here we go again.” You slowly get up, shake out the cobwebs, put on the war gear, and march to the front. On your way, you remind yourself of what transpired the following week and review your “to do” list. By the end of the day (tax day) you look at what you have accomplished and what remains to be done. You are glad that you made it through without any big mistakes or problems, and hope the week gets better as it continues. It is not a bad day, but certainly not one that inspires hope either. Basically you’ve resolved last week’s problems and are now ready to proceed with a fresh start.
This brings us to the second third of the year (May-August). It is now Wednesday and you have made it to the hump. You are glad you have made it this far with no disasters, but recognize you still have some time to go. Despite this, hope is in the air. Once again, you have avoided any major problems and start to believe that the work you’ve done so far may bear fruit by week’s end. You’ve not only formed, but started to implement the week’s projects, and only time will tell how fruitful the outcomes will be.
This brings us to Friday, or the fourth quarter (October-December). You start the day with a fresh excitement, knowing that if you just knuckle down, you’ll get all you wanted accomplished by day’s end. Sure, some are heading out early, but you know this is an opportunity for you to get ahead by being diligent and determined. By midday you feel relief. Just like the loosening of the belt after a Thanksgiving meal, it may not be pretty but feels pretty darn good. You’ve set all your balls in motion and are just waiting to hear the results. By this time of the year the elections will be over. Partisanship will still be around, but sounds like the jerk who is still complaining about last weekend instead of looking forward to tonight’s antics. You start to realize that you probably won’t get everything you hoped for, but you got what you needed and realize that all in all, this was a good week.
Now, some of you may have noted that I removed September from this analysis. I did so for three reasons. First, September is a notoriously hard month to predict, especially in an election year. I’m neither Mayan nor Nostradamus, and am not even going to pretend to be. Second, both my birthday and anniversary are in this month. It does me no good to predict anything but good things for these days, and you are not going to get me down that rabbit hole. Third, September is the month of the State Fair. If you can’t ignore your problems long enough to enjoy a corny dog or cotton candy, you are beyond my help and should be consulting a psychology blog, and not a business one.
That said, have a good week—and a great year!
Caleb Smith is president and owner of Spire Realty Group LP. Contact him at [email protected].
