Everyone met in 2024 with something in common, wishes, goals and dreams. The difference between how one starts the year and how one ends it depends on the path of turning a dream into a vision, writing it down as a goal and developing and executing a plan to achieve it. It doesn’t matter if that’s selling a home, buying your first home, moving up, downsizing, or buying a rental or vacation home. It all starts with a dream, a thought, or a “what if”.
When an idea presents itself, one must investigate it further, or shelve it. Put it to the test to determine whether it makes financial sense and weigh out the challenges and rewards. Everything carries a cost and a value. If the immediate answer is to move forward, great, even if it causes discomfort or a bit of fear, that’s normal. In the case of real estate, it’s always a big decision whether to buy, sell, change homes, or add a home. True dreams bring change and change isn’t always comfortable, but it’s still a dream worth fulfilling.
What makes a dream a goal? Write it out in specific details and envision the dream or goal as completed. Put a plan in place and write a date to reach the goal. What does that next home look like? What does it look like when you sell your current home? What is next? A larger home? Smaller home? What type of investment home would you like? If it’s a vacation home, where what size and what does it look like?
Once you put a date in place, write out the steps necessary to complete the goal. What team do you need in place to assist you in reaching your goals? What are the financial steps? How many days do you need to complete those? If there is a lender involved, what information do you need to gather to be pre-approved and close a loan? How long does it take to find a home? Do you need to sell a home? When the timeline is in place and the necessary steps are written out, the percentage of completion rises exorbitantly, and the fear and unknowns diminish greatly. That doesn’t mean there won’t possibly be some challenges or adjustments, but the path is established, and the way becomes much clearer.
A system to accomplish your vision is key. Turn your vision into a goal with a written plan that includes the date, the necessary items, and finances, a wise guide and a team to help make it come to fruition. Place it where you can see it every day, and then reach for that dream, which has become a goal, whatever that looks like.
2024 can be your year. Make the best of it and don’t let another day go by without making a plan to reach those real estate goals and dreams, along with any other dreams and goals you might have.
Deanne Nelson is the Broker Owner of New Key Realty in Nashville TN. Her passion for real estate started 17 years ago when she decided to pursue it as her career. She carries a license in both TN and FL. Deanne fell in love with Tennessee in the early 90s, moved here, and is a graduate of Belmont University. Deanne currently serves on various committees and is Chair of the Membership Committee at Greater Nashville Realtors. She intends to give back to the community by being a positive influence and impact within the real estate industry for the consumer and other agents.
