There is no doubt that times are tough for many real estate agents and others associated with the real estate industry. I was reviewing some of the basic tenets of Buddhism the other night and couldn’t help but think of them in terms in of the grousing I have heard lately.

The Four Noble Truths Of Real Estate

• Real Estate Means Suffering
• The Origin of Suffering is the Client
• The Cessation of Suffering is Finding Another Profession
• The Path to the Cessation of Suffering.

1. Real Estate Means Suffering.

To be a Realtor means to suffer, because the real estate industry is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as open houses, fluctuating markets & interest rates, paranoid clients, and CHANGE. Because of this, we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression.

2. The Origin of Suffering is Attachment

The origin of suffering is attachment to commissions and the ignorance of other possibilities. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardor, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: reading too many “How to Make a $Zillion in Real Estate” books. Attachment also includes the idea of a "Realtor" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding Realtor in the cosmic scheme of things. What we call "Realtor" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

3. The Cessation of Suffering is Attainable

The cessation of suffering can be attained through getting a real job. The third noble truth expresses the idea that being a Realtor is not the glorified road to riches many believe it is.

4. The Path to the Cessation of Realtor Suffering

There is a path to the end of suffering – a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (Realtorism) and excessive self-mortification (Homelessness).

The Eightfold Path for Realtors is:

Right View – deal in reality = of the market, of your client needs, of your capacities & limitations. It’s about the client, not you.

Right Intention – Win/Win or no deal. Work toward what is best for everyone involved in the transaction.

Right Speech – knock off the exaggerations and spin doctoring. Speak like everything is being recorded for YouTube.

Right Action – be accountable for all of your actions. Don’t do anything your mother and grandmother wouldn’t be proud of.

Right Livlihood – negotiate those commissions.

Right Effort – Walk that farm, write those blog posts, call your sphere.

Right Mindfulness – Pay attention to the details, be conscious and aware

Right Concentration – be in the here and now with your business, focus on what needs to be done

Not all agents we know are grousing or suffering. We're having a good time, we're busy, we're closing deals, leads come in every day – and we know many other agents also having a good time. Ahhhhh Life – it's more about attitude and gratitude than events and circumstances.