While scrolling through Facebook a couple of days ago, I ran across a funny post. It was a picture of a frazzled salesman — crazy hair and disheveled clothes. I can't remember exactly what the words said, but the idea was that everyone in any kind of sales can identify with the year-end push to close deals.

I guess that's true in real estate, too. As an agent, I compete with myself each year to better my performance, and some years, it seems like a race to the finish.

But at the beginning of a new year, when we're all pledging to make fresh starts in all kinds of areas, I'm not really thinking anymore about the number of closings I had last year. What's on my mind is what each one of those closings represented to the person or family I sat with at the closing table and what I learned that will help me next time.

See, real estate transactions almost always accompany big life changes. That's what's at the heart of each story I hear from a new client who wants to buy or sell a home. Sometimes, the changes are happy occasions, and sometimes the circumstances are difficult. But either way, on the other side of the transaction is a fresh start, just like the beginning of a new year.

I appreciate the honor and responsibility that come with being a part of each one of those fresh starts. I hope my colleagues do, too. Whether our clients are buying a tiny rehabbed property or a selling sprawling luxury retreat, we need to keep in mind the magnitude of the transaction to the client, both in terms of money and experience. Because while, for real estate agents, the next transaction is just part of the job, for clients, it could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

With that said, I'd like to thank each of my clients who, in 2018, allowed me to be a part of their fresh start. I'd also like to thank all of the real estate professionals who help me make it happen each day. I value each and every one of those relationships and wish you a prosperous new year.

If you are planning to buy or sell real estate this year, I'd be happy to be there for your fresh start, too. Contact me anytime at 540-739-0442 or rpayne@mkbrealtors.com.