Now that this year's National Association of Realtors convention has packed up and left Las Vegas, real estate industry watchers are engaged in their annual back-at-the-office post-N.A.R. conversations of the "s0-what-did-you-think?" variety.
My first observation is that the mood at N.A.R.'s event was not nearly as downbeat as might have been expected given the state of many housing markets around the country.
That enthusiasm may reflect a disconnect between the trade group's perennially rosy outlooks and reality or the fact that Realtors as a group tend to project a professional bias toward optimism.
The happy-talk also could reflect the makeup of N.A.R. convention-goers in that Realtors who are truly feeling the pain of weak housing markets have neither the time or money to spend a week at a convention in Las Vegas while those who are able to attend are more likely to be part of N.A.R.'s massive leadership structure or well-established regulars who rely on N.A.R. events as an opportunity to combine networking with a tax-deductible vacation.