Extraordinary times require extraordinary thinking…
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
It would be easy to fall into the trap of believing that Christchurch post the Feb 22nd EQ is hopeless place to be involved in the real estate industry. According to the REINZ the number of transactions in Canterbury in April was 626, compared with April 2010 when there were 742, and April 2007 (the height of the boom ) 1,174. All pretty gloomy stuff. But there is always another perspective – take yourself back to the days immediately after that EQ – TV reports showing the harrowing pictures of collapsed buildings, desperate rescue efforts, and the only number people followed was the growing fatality list. If it had been suggested back then, that in the 2 months immediately following there would have been over 1000 sales, I suspect no-one would have believed it. Alternatively, consider the situation of the Japanese after the terrible EQ and tsunami in March – Christchurch is relatively unscathed in comparison to the entire towns wiped from the map – and that is not to forget the loss of so many lives.
Human beings have a remarkable ability to reinvent themselves, and recover from terrible adversity. We need to stop being confined by the old way of doing things – they may work, but that is not to say new ways may not be better and more suitable. The Christchurch CBD will be rebuilt, thousands will move into new houses – what the CBD looks like or where those houses are is not known – but it will happen. This is a journey – the destination is known, how we actually get there may not be immediately apparent, but get there we will. So we need to focus on the end result – eventually the way will become clear.
Similar thinking can be applied to almost everything. Children’s education is a great example – look at the schools that are sharing sites – it is a remarkable solution to the problem when all the logistics are taken into account. yet, in many other countries it is a standard solution to very crowded city life. I frequently hear or read parents complaining their children will be disadvantaged in upcoming exams. That is possible, but after the fact, employers will know and have gone through the same disaster. A candidate who can turn this to their advantage, talk of life skills this experience has taught them, is likely to stand a better chance of employment than one who can simply point to the marks they achieved at NCEA!
The property market – it would be easy to be the “rabbit in the headlights” – everything is just too hard, too damaged, taking too long! However, selling houses with EQC claims is commonplace, as are lengthy due diligence periods while all sorts of checks are carried out by prospective purchasers – given the extraordinary forces nature has unleashed it is quite understandable that people want as much reassurance as possible when looking to buy a house. As real estate professionals it is our job to help guide clients through the process – not be scared by it!
Those of us that are still working have an extraordinary opportunity – what we learn through this period of time will be invaluable – both personally and professionally. It is a cliché but “when the going gets tough, the tough get going!” To my mind, everyone in Christchurch who intends to stay and be part of the future, owes it to support the people with vision or come up with visions of their own – we may not agree, but if you have an opinion – voice it – otherwise you cannot complain about the outcome. In our day-to-day lives we must look for solutions, look to support those who have ideas – even if they are unusual – for most of us this is not a ‘normal’ situation, so we must adapt.
And finally, I look at the appointment of Roger Sutton to be head of CERA – he appears to be a man who looks for solutions to problems – his work in the immediate aftermath of Feb 22 for Orion was outstanding – he is just the sort of person Christchurch needs. The future is bright, if we choose to look towards it, rather than hide in the shadows of broken buildings.
“Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” Alan Alda, multi Emmy Award winner & star of M*A*S*H who overcame Polio as a child.
Well said Tim!