Three pairs of pants...

The other day I was showing a buyer client a house and something interesting happened.

Because it was her second viewing of the house, she had a family friend who remodels homes for a living come along to give her his opinion. The home was very nice and quite a bargain, especially for a first-time buyer like my client.  However, the point of this post is not to discuss that specific home nor the offer we submitted.

While touring the home,  my buyer's friend made a comment that made us laugh initially and has stuck in my mind ever since - causing me to think there was more to it. 

We were in the second of three bedrooms when he looked inside the closet, which I think I can safely say was tiny by most everyone's standard. He opened the door, peered in with a surprised look (since it was so tiny) and quickly said "well, when these homes were built people only had but two pairs of pants. Not they have three." 

We laughed at this and I thought to myself that he was probably right --back in those days people had work clothes and maybe a nice Sunday outfit to wear to Church, and not much in between. I think somehow all of us lost sight of living simply over the years and in many cases, lived to excess.

I've been thinking about that man's little quip and how today's economy has maybe forced us all to reevaluate our lifestyles and just what is important. I hear a lot of people moaning and groaning about the economy and a lot of it is probably justified. However, I think some good can and should come from it --like the fact many of us are saving more and cutting out some of the excess from our lives. I believe things will get better and the real estate market will ultimately prove to be one of the best areas to invest in once again. In the meantime, I think we are all better off by focusing on the good things that have come out of these challenging times.