Any plane to catch in 2009?

“What plane are you talking about? The previous one has just departed and the next one to Bucharest flies in the evening”. She was right. I looked around me, realizing that I was alone, standing in the empty departures hall of Cluj airport. I looked at my mobile; it was 08.00, 11 hours until the next plane, so no reason for stress. I sat down on a chair and dived into my thoughts…
So, I lost a plane. Why did this happen? Was it my assistant’s mistake? No. My travel agent’s fault? No. Anyone else to blame for this? No, it was all mine. I forgot the correct time and I was so sure and arrogant about the false hour, that I didn’t even open my mails, so as to confirm. A cold morning, I lost the plane to my destination… like thousands of investors lost the chance to sell their properties (in huge prices)…
This autumn was really dramatic for many of us. The World financial crisis knocked at our door and as banks stopped granting loans, the Real Estate market froze everywhere. In Romania it was already frozen, many months ago, but people were not able (or interested) to realize it. Most of them were too busy spending their profits, huge salaries, or expected millions in overestimated and overpaid goods. The last two years, a whole “army” of people decided that they don’t need to work so as to live, or if they will work, their (usually poor in results) effort should be compensated with huge fees.
This artificial world expired very fast. Now half of the investors around us feel blocked, prisoners in bad investments, which may delay their plans for some years, or change their lives forever. They lost the momentum; they didn’t sell when they could, when all people were begging them. They lost the… “Train” of big profits and they remained with properties which do not have a clear value anymore.
So, they lost the momentum. Why did this happen? Was it their consultants’ mistake? Not really, most consultants were just saying what the clients wanted to hear (and in many cases when you were daring to say a different, true, opinion you were losing the deal). The bankers’ fault? No. Who else to blame? The politicians? The Americans and their bubble? Romania as a country? Bad luck? No. the mistake was made by them and them only. They lost the chance because they got very greedy, thinking that they were more intelligent than all the rest (too bad all the rest had the same idea too)…
I “woke up” from my thoughts and entered in a taxi. On the way back to the hotel, I was watching at the renovated buildings and the clean boulevards, “the mayor is one of the best” I thought. I realized that I lost some very important meetings and a baptism I really wanted to attend. Nothing to do anymore… Nothing? Not exactly. I organized my schedule, worked in my pc and due to this work, a great deal was signed few days after.
2009 will be a difficult year for almost all of us. The market will remain blocked and the prices will return back to reality, disappointing the ones who lost the chances of 2008. Is this necessary bad? In my humble opinion, no. It is painful, but healthy; this is life in the end. People will have to accept smaller profits, more work and more respect to the others around them. And in this period, I search and find the biggest opportunities for investment, in real prices. These opportunities will become the success stories of the years to come.
Some of us lost the momentum. But Romania still maintains it. It is still one of the best places to invest, now in real values. But for this we need to work and search more. Are we ready?