The election is over, and it is my deepest hope that this country can come together to change things for the better for every one of us.
Rebuilding our infrastructure is the place where both our political leaders and we as real estate agents can begin working together to improve our country.
No matter what the results were from the Nov. 8 election, half of the country was going to wake up on Wednesday morning in a state of shock that their candidate had lost.
In his acceptance speech early Wednesday morning, President Elect Trump held out an olive branch to those who didn’t support him as he called upon the country to bind its wounds. He also asked for their guidance and help in unifying the country while outlining where this effort could begin.
“We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none, and we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it,” Trump said.
I am heartened by the fact President Obama stressed the need for unity in the country among Democrats and Republicans. As he told President Elect Trump: “I want to do everything we can to help you succeed because if you succeed the country succeeds.”
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren offered to call a truce to work with together with President Elect Trump. Senate and House Minority Leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have also expressed their willingness to work with him on rebuilding our infrastructure.
What the real estate industry can do
While D.C. tackles the infrastructure, there is much that real estate agents can do at the local level to improve their communities.
Some examples include working with Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together or at Realtor-sponsored events, such as Keller Williams’ “RED Day,” where its agents came together to improve their local neighborhoods.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) also has created a “Build a Better Block” program that seeks to transform downtown and commercial corridors into walkable communities that are vibrant destinations for both residents and visitors.
For examples of specific projects such as how to create a green bike lane or how to build a garden plaza, click here. To learn more about the grants, programs and opportunities available through NAR, visit betterblock.org.
Clean — the simple path to prosperity
When Singapore separated from Malyasia in 1964, it had no land, natural resources, economy or agriculture.
Today, Singapore has a surplus of $55 billion, an unemployment rate of 2 percent, and the average person earns $60,000 (U.S.D.) per year. Their leader Lee Kuan Yew attributed their success to one word: “clean.”
When Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg served as mayors of New York City, their efforts to clean up the city and remove graffiti resulted in a cleaner, better place to live, while simultaneously reducing the crime rate.
Real estate agents benefitting their neighborhoods
Agents from all over the country have participated in activities to clean up, upgrade and improve their local neighborhoods. Examples include cleaning up a beach, a park, a trail or a local waterway.
Others have helped neighbors who lacked the funds or the ability to install storm windows, paint or beautify their yards by trimming, planting and mulching.
Other projects include agents working with local church, schools and scouting groups to paint homes and buildings, rake leaves at a local park and repair or upgrade the equipment at a local playground.
Inman commits to Spruce Up Day industry effort
A few days ago, I approached Brad Inman and Amber Taufen about running a regular column where we can acknowledge real estate agents who are benefitting their communities by physically cleaning up, upgrading or beautifying their neighborhoods.
I am grateful to them for agreeing to lend Inman’s support for this initiative.
Our long-term goal is two-fold:
- To inspire agents to spruce up in their local communities by sharing the powerful results that other agents have experienced by engaging in activities that benefit their neighborhoods. More importantly, these simple actions can be transformative. For example, when one person on a street cleans up and plants flowers in his or her yard, others often follow. Here’s a list of 20 ways to Spruce Up.
- To create a national Spruce Up Day at least once per year where 100,000 real estate professionals come together the spruce up their local neighborhoods. Imagine how powerful this could be if we had multiple brands across the country participating.
Share what you are already doing
Many Inman readers are already doing amazing work to help their neighborhoods to “spruce up” on a regular basis. If you would like to share your spruce up initiatives on Inman, email me at Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com, and send along photos and/or videos.
Our plan is to highlight how agents can make a difference 365 days a year.
Our industry can make a huge impact in terms of bringing our neighborhoods together and improving the quality of their lives — let’s do it!
Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, author and trainer with over 1,000 published articles and two best-selling real estate books. Learn about her training programs at www.RealEstateCoach.com/
