In Touch Much?

The Hill says that the leaders expressed rage when Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) asked DeMarco if he’s ever met a homeowner who has suffered a foreclosure, to which he said he had not. – AGBeat

Huh…

So, in the span of about one month, I have had the, ah… privilege (that’ll work, I suppose) of witnessing two supreme gaffes in an interviewing situation. The quote above is galling, especially in light of our economy’s continued struggle, brought about by the utter collapse of the real estate market. Here, the director of FHFA, the regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is openly and freely admitting that he has never gone face to face with someone who is going, or has gone, through a foreclosure.

Now, being someone who learns more from other’s mistakes as opposed to other’s success, I will be the first to admit that one does not need to experience something first hand to know if it is good, bad, ugly or indifferent. I *really* do not need to put my hand in the fire to figure out it is hot. However, I did need someone who knew more about fire and had been burnt, to explain to me that fire will burn and be painful, if used incorrectly.

As a real estate agent, I have bought one personal residence and one vacant lot for me and my family. On behalf of my clients, I have assisted many in purchasing or selling their home. I have ten years of experience in this marketplace and industry. I am confident that I can guide my clients to a successful resolution of their real estate goals. It is my experience that allows me to speak with authority and confidence as to how my clients’ goals may be accomplished.

Imagine if I simply had a book, webinar or some other form of non-hands on training that I used to “advise” my clients. It would likely be a disaster. I would “know” the words to speak, but the application would likely be off on an individual transaction basis. DeMarco shows his disconnectedness with the issue at hand by acknowledging that he has never spoken with someone going through foreclosure.

[insert howls of rage here]

Round Two

The other instance of disconnectedness came from hearing about some folks wanting to be pastors. A question was posed to these folk that I thought would have been a slam dunk. “When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone?”

You know the answer.

It’s why I am writing this post.

Instead of raging about why their response was disconcerting, at best, I will allow an avowed atheist to answer instead: