While many hunkered down during the pandemic, real estate agents across the country made homeownership possible for millions of Americans.

Whether your candidate won or your candidate lost, the real winner of any election in our country is democracy itself. The right to vote was exercised by a greater percentage of our populace than most anytime within the last one-hundred years. That does not mean everyone will be happy with the result. The hope is that everyone pulls together within an era in which we all seem to be more divided than ever.

Because we are all fighting the same threat, COVID, getting the majority of the country pulling in the same direction would seem to be in order. If we were attacked by another country with bombs, we would fight together. Today, the threats come in the form of cyber-attacks and infections, some of which are originated within our country and others from outside our borders. If anything, last week's jobs report was a reminder that many Americans are still suffering economically because of the pandemic.

In any fight there are heroes. Certainly, our first responders have been heroes in the past year. But there have been many other heroes who have stepped up, doing everything from feeding the hungry to making sure those that are elderly were able to vote. During this recession, we also would like to salute the real estate industry. While many hunkered down during the pandemic, agents across the country have made homeownership possible for millions of Americans who have taken advantage of record low interest rates. In doing so, they have filled the needs of those whose circumstances changed because of the pandemic. It’s through their hard work that the burgeoning real estate market has helped the economy rebound faster than anyone had expected.