When new opportunities present themselves, are you prepared to recognize them, and trained to make the most of them? When I was a boy, my father told me a story that relates: The landlord of an apartment building, woken in the middle of the night with complaints from freezing tenants, struggled for several hours trying to get a big old boiler heating system to come back to life. Exasperated, he finally called in “Bob the Boilerman” to repair the beast.

In my travels as a consultant and speaker, I hear plenty of conversation about what’s happening in the real estate market and why. Of course it’s important for all us to have this understanding as well as an educated opinion on what’s coming next. Unfortunately, too many people are so focused on the negative and unknown factors, they’re overlooking real opportunities.