It is very rare that I meet a seller who is most focused on the profile of who buys their home. Mostly, it's all about the money. Who will pay the most, who or what will benefit them most financially. Regardless of what we might believe, at the end of the day most humans have a survival gene, and that gene usually compels people to focus on what is best for them. Fiscally too. Some call this selfish, others call it practical. Most humans possess both traits.

A colleague noticed a huge art installation billboard in West Chelsea, New York, along the beautiful Highline Park simply stating the word AMERICA. Crossed out are the A, R, I, C and second A to leave simply "ME". AMERICA. Are developers, sellers and landlords being selfish in their quest for that which maximizes their financial gains, or is this simply practical, human nature? Yesterday I was watching one of those mini-clips on Instagram featuring the latest trend: 90-second financial clips by finance-influencers. The message was clear, don't be bashful, afraid or embarrassed about wanting more money for yourself. Yes, we live in a capitalist society, but I would argue that many people around the globe strive for increasing self-enrichment too, even the very wealthiest amongst us.

Fiscal gain is an integral part of our world in real estate. Many home buyers are often more focused on the potential value gains of their property purchase, myself included! Human nature strives to advance fiscally, and these days we are bombarded with messaging about the very wealthiest 0.01% of this planet 24/7. The desire for "all the stuff", lifestyle, power, freedoms and yes, fabulous homes, is fueled non-stop. Those who cannot afford a $75,000 car, and should not buy one, often buy one anyway. Displaying perceived wealth is exacerbated by social media in our FOMO-driven world. To many people how others perceive their wealth is their measure of success.

I am not drawing any conclusions on this subject, I'll leave that to you. What I am saying, though, is that this is a very loud, clear message to real estate marketers: the desire to maximize profits, achieve gains, and anything and everything related to fiscal gain, is something we need to instill in our dialogue with consumers - including tempering unrealistic expectations - as this may matter to them even more than we can imagine or they might like to admit.