Copy for Real Estate Guide Column for 3-20-09

REAL ESTATE PATTERNS
By Ken DuVall

WORDS OF WISDOM

There’s not much good news again, except for the stock market rally. I’m hoping, as we all do, for some decent news, but in the meantime here’s a nice anecdote for you this week instead. Enjoy.

From 2004, it’s called “The Builder”. An elderly carpenter came to his employer and told him he had decided to retire. He and his wife weren’t wealthy but they could get by OK. The boss was very sorry to see his good worker go. He asked him if he would build just one more home as a personal favor to him.

The employee agreed but you could see that his heart was not really in it. For the very first time in his life, he compromised his integrity, resorted to shoddy workmanship, and used inferior materials. It was indeed an unfortunate way in which to end his career. He would soon come to regret it for a long time.

When the carpenter finished the home and the builder came to inspect it, he unexpectedly handed him the door keys and said, “This now your home now, my friend. It’s my gift to you for your many years as my faithful and valued employee.” What a shock! What a shame! If only he had known that he was building his own home, he would have done it so differently. Now he and his wife would end up spending the rest of their lives in a home he had built none too well.

So it is with all of us. At important points in life we sometimes just don’t give the job our best efforts. Think of yourself as a carpenter, and your life as a home. Every day, you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall in your life. These are troubled times. Do the right thing. Live with no regrets. Be proud to sign your name to everything you do. It’s the only life you will ever build.

Attitude and performance is everything. It’s the rent we pay to validate ourselves as occupants of Planet Earth. Without a doubt, life is a do-it-yourself project. It deserves to be lived with dignity and honor. Don’t cut any corners. They’ll just come back to haunt you. Pay your righteous dues. Choose wisely, build carefully, strive for excellence, and have a good life. So be it.

Ken owns Ken DuVall & Associates, REALTORS at 3rd Ave. & Mangrove in Chico. Ken was the 2001 President of the Chico Assn. of Realtors and the 1995 Chico Realtor of the Year. See Chico MLS listings and all my columns at www.KenDuVall.com. Call Ken at 345-3700 for all your real estate needs. Free consulting.