Football, Baseball & Real Estate Metaphors

Multiple Lines of Scrimmage

In football you wear a helmet
In baseball you wear a cap.
In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.
In football, you invade enemy territory.
In baseball, the object is to go home.

--George Carlin, "Baseball vs. Football"

I don't know about other Realtors, but to me managing a busy real estate practice feels like overseeing multiple, parallel football games -- on the same field (hopefully touch, not tackle).

Each line of scrimmage corresponds to one deal, with a Buyer and Seller (and their Realtors) on opposite sides.

And like each possession, each real estate deal starts at one end zone, and ends up (hopefully) at the other.

In a smooth deal, it takes a handful of big plays to cover the field.

In a bumpier deal, gains are eked out a few yards at at time, grudgingly.

Good fundamentals --"blocking and tackling" -- are key in both football and real estate.

And just like in football, a good real estate "quarterback" minimizes fumbles, interceptions, and other unforced errors.

P.S.: the one metaphor where baseball is better than football? The one about the "object being to go home."