JUNE 20258 By Matthew Holbrook, CEO, Action Property ManagementWHEN TRUST IS GONE: WHY CHARACTER IS THE CORNERSTONE OF REAL ESTATEThere was a time--not so long ago--when Americans, by and large, believed in one another. In 1984, nearly half of us thought most people could be trusted. Today, that number has collapsed to a sobering 25%. This data from the General Social Survey lays bare what many of us already feel in our bones: the social fabric is fraying. But one cannot pull a thread without tugging the whole garment. What happens to a society when trust comes undone?A recent YouGov poll from 2024 found that more than a quarter of Americans fear that civil war might erupt within our own borders. This isn't merely paranoia. It's a symptom. We are a nation that increasingly sees enemies instead of neighbors. Add to this a 2023 study that analyzed billions of social media posts and confirmed what most of us sense: polarization is not just rising--it's calcifying.And so the question presses in: where does this leave us who work in real estate, a field that, ironically, depends entirely on people?In our profession, we are often tempted to become focused on things--brick and mortar, design and amenities, return on investment and market trends. All of these matter, but they are not the center. They are not the sun around which everything else orbits. We miss the heart of real estate if we do not recognize that we are, first and foremost, in the business of people. The human element is not a variable to manage--it is the North Star by which we must steer.Nowhere is this truer than in the realm of Homeowners Associations. HOAs often serve as the punch line of neighborhood jokes--and the criticism is not always unjust. However, behind cynicism is a deeper issue. The average homeowner doesn't mistrust the HOA because they dislike order; they mistrust it because they mistrust people. They fear being dictated Matthew Holbrook
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