This morning there was an inspiring story on National Public Radio explaining an instance when thinking outside the real estate box was extremely rewarding. A Californian developer recently sold 18 homes in less than an hour. How could such a thing be possible at such a time? A time when everyday we hear about how much worse the housing market is becoming. Well, they got creative.

They decided to auction off their lovely three and four bedroom homes, located in Gardena, California, starting at $500,000 - all in one day. This event sparked interest and caused a sense of urgency. It forced all interested and potential buyers to get off the fence and decide right then and there.

The auction was carried out in the typical, old-fashioned style with an auctioneer shouting out each raise in price until yelling the final “SOLD” to lucky bidder willing to pay the most. Out of 24 homes, 18 were sold. The houses went for 87 and 88 percent of most recent asking price. This was an extreme victory for the developers, as they had only managed to sell one over the previous seven months using the traditional selling methods. That’s over $10 million in one day versus nothing in half a year.

If there is any lesson for Chicagoland Housing Developers to be learned here it’s that when times are tough and something is not working for you for an extended period of time, it will likely continue to disappoint you and not work. Try something new. Or something old. These developers looked to the past for inspiration, and it worked. Just try something different. Be creative. Generate interest. Give them a reason to buy, and to buy now.