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I’ve been hearing something unusual lately around my office (Ok, it’s not my office. It’s my desk in the den.  And it’s buried in a gruesome combination of toddler’s toys, my wife’s disheveled stacks of paper, and a collage of sticky notes scarred with illegible writing). 

That sound is the phone ringing.

Don’t get me wrong.  My little business has been very fortunate out of the gate.  I’m blessed with good clients, and the bills that grace my mailbox aren’t pink, yellow, red or other shades of collection.  But it would be a bit Pollyanna to suggest that it’s been a great year for the title and mortgage industry.  And right now, my own little corner of the world is built upon that industry.

And yet, the phone is ringing.

The national media is beginning to murmur about “the bottom” or a “leveling out” of our economy.  But I’m not one to hang my hat on the intonations of the national media.  After all, we were all abuzz with Chandra Levy on September 10, 2001.  Generally, the media reacts, rather than predicts.

Yet, my phone is ringing.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s an economic indicator.  I’m starting to hear from folks across the title and mortgage industry.  Some are calling to say hello.  Some want to know if I know someone they’re looking for.  Some need a little writing.  Some want to kindly remind me that my beloved Indians are 2 and April in the standings.  Some want free registrations to the National Settlement Services Summit (hey guys—I may have to pay myself!).  But they’re calling nonetheless.

To me, this is akin to people emerging from the storm shelter (with apologies to the poor people of the Southeast) after the houses have blown away.  In the real world, that’s a time for mourning.  But in the business world…it’s a time to capture the field.

The small re-fi spike that has been encouraged by a historical interest rate (are we below zero, yet?) is real.  But how long it lasts is not for me to determine.  This has been a strange recession so far, and there’s no reason to believe it will start to behave in a fashion similar to previous down-cycles all of a sudden.  We may be in for another dip.  Who knows?  Indeed, what happens when the federal government buys Wall Street?  We will find out, sooner or later.

But for today, it seems like the wind is dying down a bit.  Even if it is just the eye, get outside and take in the scenery.  It’s different now.  How will you take advantage of it?

And I hope your phone is ringing more now, too.