Among other things, I’m a real estate agent and as such, I check the MLS (multiple listing service) every morning so that I can keep track of what’s going on in the market.

When I first got my license three years ago, hopping in to the MLS every morning was something I really looked forward to. It was fun to see the new homes popping up, and even more fun to find something that my buyers might like.

But that fun is long gone.

It’s no secret that there is a very low inventory of homes for sale throughout the country, and especially here in Rochester. It’s shocking to look at the MLS and to see so few homes dotting the map.

Of course there are people putting a positive spin on it, especially those involved in the selling side of things, but for most, the reality of the housing market is sad, frustrating, maddening, and possibly even depressing.

For many folks, the housing market is just something to read about on the news, or something to speculate about when gathered with friends.

But for other’s it’s far more taxing.

We’ve been told that the American dream is to go to school, get a job, buy a house, raise a family, and live happily ever after.

Debating the reality (or sanity) of that dream is beyond the scope of this post, but for many people. buying their first house is a big deal.

At the moment, the path to buying any house, let alone your first house, is very difficult (although not impossible).

I clearly remember getting married and scraping together enough to buy our “starter” house. It was as struggle, but the day we were handed the keys was simply amazing!

In today’s market, I don’t know how we would have done that, at least not without several more years of saving money and waiting around.

Not too long ago, one selling point for businesses trying to attract talent was housing costs. While some area’s of the country have outrageous housing prices, Rochester was always known for reasonable prices, getting a decent house at a fair price was fairly common.

At the moment, those days are gone. Prices are crazy to say the least. One has to wonder if that will make it more difficult to attract workers to the area.

Of course there are lots or other situations and stories and all that, again far too many for the scope of this post.

Whereas I used to look forward to my morning trip through the MLS, I find myself having to force myself to log in every morning. I know what’s waiting for me on the other side of that login screen, and many mornings I don’t really want to see it.

But I do log in. I do continue to send homes to my buyer’s while encouraging them to keep looking.

I continue to prepare my buyers so that they are well positioned to make an offer when they do find something they like.

Most importantly, I encourage everyone to focus on what they can control, and to let the rest go.

It’s easy to bitch and complain. It’s easy to give up. It’s easy to become negative and bitter.

I remind myself of that every morning! I have a choice!

I don’t know if the market will turn around. I have no clue what interest rates will do. I don’t know if we are in a bubble.

I don’t really care. I can’t control those things.

Instead I focus on checking the MLS every morning, helping my folks prepare to make the best offers possible, and to keep spreading a positive message.

Just because something is hard or takes time doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.