By Rey Post, Managing Editor & Associate Broker, Sotheby’s International Realty

The time between Thanksgiving and the start of the New Year is obviously full of celebration, time spent with friends and family, exchanging of gifts, and of course second helpings at the dinner table and endless holiday parties.

It’s also a time for reflection on what we have accomplished in the past year; those things that we would have done differently if given a second chance, as well as what we hope/need to do in the New Year in our work and personal lives.

More than one person I know has characterized 2013 as a “transitional” year when it comes to their respective business goals and accomplishments. In the real estate field, there seems to be general consensus that an improving economy contributed to buyers and sellers participating more fully than they were inclined to do in the previous year. Simply as a non-empirical observation – many real estate agents, title insurance experts, mortgage lenders, and other real estate professionals were heard saying that “it just felt better” to be working in the trade this past year.

For sure, we are still recovering from the economic meltdown of 2008, and with added governmental, mortgage-related, and other new procedural requirements that make any real estate transaction not for the faint of heart – diligence is the absolute order of the day for anyone who plays a role in the buying and selling of a home.

And if you are a home buyer or seller who contributed this year to a continuing of the “American Dream,” I think I can speak for everyone who plays a role in the business of real estate – we genuinely appreciate you! If it is a true statement that ‘as goes the housing market, so goes the economy,’ then it’s probably appropriate that we all send a symbolic thank you note to home buyers and sellers who reach the settlement table.

Perhaps it’s also appropriate during this season of thanks and happiness to take a moment to remember that the Founding Fathers of our nation envisioned a constitutional republic that became a place of liberty and opportunity for countless millions of people from all over the world. The ability to strive towards home ownership is a modern day by-product of this historic reality.

So, enjoy the holiday season, reflect on all that you can be thankful for, and don’t forget that second helping…you always have in your back pocket that New Year’s resolution to exercise more! For now – and until next month – I wish you good luck and fortune in “All Things Real Estate.”