Even though I was terrified of flying I had always wanted to be a pilot. The contrast between my terror and the calm confidence displayed by airline pilots intrigued me. Back then it seemed to me that flying a plane is very dangerous work and that it would be quite easy to end up in a crash. I couldn’t imagine where pilots get their confidence from.
Whenever I boarded a commercial plane I would remember news reports of crashes, and I developed a little ritual of always looking at the pilot’s eyes to get a sense of whether or not he or she seemed prepared and focused. Even after each pilot passed my little test I was still convinced I could die, every time I took a flight.
Buying a home for the first time can be just as stressful and emotional as flying was for me, because you have to put yourself in the hands of someone who is supposed to be skilled enough to get you safely and successfully from one end of your transaction to the other. You need to be able to look your realtor in the eyes and get the sense that she or he is fully prepared and focused, and will protect you from the kinds of difficulties you’ve probably heard can happen in real estate transactions.
Discovering Where the Confidence Comes From
I had no idea what to expect during my first flying lesson. After talking with my flight instructor for about 15 minutes we walked out to the plane, he explained the controls, we started the engine, and before I knew it we were taxiing down the taxiway, and I thought to myself, “Pretty cool.”
But then the instructor asked me if I wanted to take off. “What the heck am I doing?” I thought. “Why would I want to leave the ground? Who is this instructor guy? How many hours does he have under his belt?” That old terror came roaring over me, but we took off anyway … and it was beautiful. Terrifying and beautiful at the same time.
After about six lessons I realized where that mysterious confidence I see in commercial pilots comes from. It comes from being prepared and from being properly trained. A pilot learns how to pre-flight a plane, understands the rigorous annual inspections of every plane by the Federal Aviation Agency, knows how to test all of the plane’s systems prior to take off and knows about weather patterns. Most importantly, pilots know that every activity they go through when preparing and flying a plane is on a checklist that every pilot uses, every time, because every single step is critical for the safety of the plane and its occupants.
Once you understand what a pilot goes through during training, realize that planes are thoroughly inspected and, that flight plans are prepared on the day of a flight—with a focus on weather, you get it. You realize that a good pilot is prepared and the plane is prepared because of the checklist system that prevents doing something dumb, like forgetting to put fuel in the tank or accidentally flying into a thunderstorm.
The Ron Howard Group Has Earned Its Wings
We know that you may be feeling anxious and nervous as you get on board to purchase your first home—maybe even terrified. We would like to be the ones to welcome you aboard and to show, every step of the way, that you are in good hands.
Without a highly skilled real estate agent at the controls, you can over pay, you could miss critical inspections or other due diligence steps that might cost you later, or you could end up with an inexperienced or under-qualified lender or title company. What you need is a realtor with the same level of confidence you see when you look in the eyes of that pilot who is going to take your life into her or his hands for the next 5 hours.
I’ve brought my experiences as an FAA licensed pilot into my work as a realtor. My team is fully trained, credentialed and experienced so that we can handle with confidence whatever needs to be done to successfully complete your real estate transaction.
We will take you from that uneasy feeling you get right before your plane starts rolling toward take-off, to a calm and steady flight and to a safe and smooth landing. We will be there at the end of your transaction with the same confident smile you will see when we welcome you aboard.
Contact The Ron Howard Group @ 410-814-2404 or email Ron @ ron@livebaltimorecity.com.