Being the President of the Chicago Association of REALTORS has been an honor for me. It provides an almost daily opportunity to advocate in the media for the industry and everything REALTORS do to try and make their clients lives better.

To me, that is really what we are all about: improving the city we live in (Chicago) by promoting property rights and helping people build wealth through homeownership.

Sometimes we live and learn, and today was one of those days. I did a recent interview with ABC (channel 7) about the many hurdles homebuyers confront when buying new construction in today's market. The interviewer was a producer who had a short list of questions about the challenges developers encounter in getting financing and completing projects in a timely manner. This is a very tough time for builders, and I admit, I am sympathetic and know firsthand some of the problems they face. I was brief and on message in my answers and felt I had made some good points on behalf of both buyers and builders in the taping.

The ABC7 special investigative report, “New Development Disasters," profiled two families who bought into new construction projects now in foreclosure. My message, albeit brief, was devoid of any meaningful content about what a complex, difficult set of problems confront all parties involved in these circumstances. Nowhere in the piece was there any offer of possible remedies or ways others might avoid a similar fate.

Someone in my position shouldn't appear insensitive to the challenges these buyers were confronted with, regardless of how they got there. There was no mention of the REALTORS who brought the deals together, how decisions were made, and scant note of the builders who saw a profit and their invested capital disappear in failed ventures.

Out of all of this, from the shortcomings and the less than perfect outcomes, are lessons learned and the chance to create improved business practices for REALTORS with a better result for the average consumer of our services.

Lesson remembered:

REALTORS are, by and large, good people trying to do the right thing for their clients, every day. Some days, especially now, that is a very hard thing to do. In the public eye, the expectation is very high, and we must demonstrate we know our markets and our product.

Lesson(s) learned:

A reminder there is a harsh reality to be faced when, whether through action or circumstance, we fall short in our efforts.

And, I need to work on my messaging in 10 second clips.