Lately, I am hearing and reading about what real estate agents will and won't do when it comes to returning phone call, responding to emails, being available for clients and other agents. In a word: sad.
Some have indicated that they won't return calls after hours. Maybe I'm just old, but when did real estate have hours like banks and retail stores? Some have said that they differentiate between calls, emails, and questions of clients from those of other agents. Maybe I am just old, but when did the other agent in a transaction not become our client, too? Some have written that they only have 24 hours in their day. Maybe I'm just old, but when did a day have anything but 24 hours?
It got me thinking...all these blog entries and social networking comments about real estate and what some real estate agents will or won't do when it comes to returning calls, responding to emails and being available for clients and other agents. No maybe about it...I am old. To quote the wonderfully funny, Moms Mabley, when asked about old age, "You just wake up one morning, and you got it!"
I love being a Realtor. I enjoy seeing people achieve the goal of homeownership. I am proud of my small role in helping that to happen. It touches deep inside me when a five year old gets to romp in a big back yard after spending his or her first four years in an apartment with only a patio for outside playtime. I feel honored that a senior citizen selected me to help them downsize from their large two-story home into a more accessible one-story senior condo.
It costs me nothing to return an agent or client call at 9:00 pm. It doesn't prevent me from going to one of my grandkids' school events to respond to an agent or client email on my fancy wireless do-dad phone, before I take my seat in the front row. It doesn't impact my vacation to respond to a concerned agent or a nervous first-time home-buyer when I'm camping or traveling Tuscany. It's the nature of the beast and I freely decided to ride it.
So one day I just woke up in the morning and realized I'm old...old school when it comes to real estate. I believe strongly in professional courtesy between agents and brokers. I believe in being client-centered. And I believe you can do all of this without sacrificing time with family or friends. So here's my blog post and now I am going to go pickup two of my grand-daughters that live near me and we are going to go see a movie titled "UP" and we are going to have popcorn, soda and candy. The tickets are cheaper for the early movies, you know. Family time doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.
Hi Scott~ I can relate to what you are saying. Answering the phone and/or returning a phone call promptly is really quite simple to do. I don't get the big deal about doing it either. It's not like you have to drop everything and get in your car and go show at a moments notice. We are talking a phone call here, not that big of a deal. Just takes a few minutes and makes your clients feel like you are accessible and it makes them feel important!
Scott; Well said.
And well illustrated by how you are able to take advantage of the flexibility of this business by taking your granddaughters to an afternoon movie.
The flip side of that is that sometimes we work when it is inconvenient, and not where I would like to be.
I often recall the line in the "Godfather". This is the business we have chosen.
Scott, I am on the other side, what can be accomplished at 9 PM that can not happen first thing in the morning. While I try my best to abide by that, I know that there are exceptions to every rule. I learned early on in this business that if I answer my phone during dinner or late at night, the person calling thinks it is OK to always call me at that time. There is nothing wrong with normal business hours and trying to adhere to that. What ticks me off is an agent calling a 9PM to show a property three days from now or worse yet, that agent that calls from the driveway wanting to see the home immediately, what ever happened to appointments?
Scott...
Well, thanks to you I now feel old :)
TLW...ROAR!
God, this is a great post!I'm right behind you in the "Old" line. Nice Moms Mabley reference,by the way. In this industry, the one thing you hope for is that you can't get everything done in normal business hours. To me, one of the best feelings is the need to set my alarm clock to an earlier time. That's when business is flowing.
Scott, having been young once,albeit a very long time ago, I can tell you that this is not an industry that lends itself to "normal" hours. Unfortunately, we all have a time when the pate is bare,and the business spicket seems to be turned off. That's when those intrusive calls will be welcomed.
However, I too tend not to take calls after 9:00pm. But it's because I'm on the way to bed. The alarm is set to 4:30 now. I kinda' like gettin' old.
Hi Scott ~ I'm with you - I don't mind "after hours" (what hours? I work all hours!!) calls or try to limit my availability. The opportunity cost is too high in this business - I really think you do have to be available. Not to say I answer - or return - every late in the evening call that night. If it's not important sometimes it can wait until morning.
Liz
Don't get me wrong - I'm one to work into the wee hours of the morning doing mls searches, website seo, blog research, marketing, etc....
But as far as agent to agent communication or working directly with my clients - I wouldn't dream of calling or answering a call at 9PM. I'm their realtor after all - and (Jeff's right) there's nothing that I can do for them at 9PM that probably wouldn't be more efficiently done at 9AM. Maybe its new-age thinking, but my clients know I have a personal life as well as a business one. I can provide them an excellent level of service without jumping through hoops at their whim and don't think its necessary to be on call 24 hours a day and holidays.
I don't know if I belong to the young crowd or old crowd yet, but my plan is simply this: I absolutely love what I do, and I will answer any call that any of you will not take due to hours, plans, etc. If I am away from the business for any reason, my voice mail and email reflect that and they will know exactly when they can expect to hear from me. If there is proerty to show and I'm not available, there's always someone in my great office on whom I can rely (for a fee of course if the showing goes to sale).
I admit I'm a workaholic and nothing kills me more than the client that got away. I know it's not for everyone, but it's what I (and my partner, God love him) bought into when I decided to go into this business. A very productive agent from my old brokerage (he was a nationally ranked agent) gave me one of the best bits of advice I've ever heard: "Make sure they think you're the only agent in the business and the only number they need to call." Amen.
Well, the movie UP was a very big surprise and the time with my two grand-daughters was priceless. Now I'm back and I want to respond to all your fine comments.
Vickie: I agree that it is a simple thing to do. It's those simple things that keep it real.
Corie: How funny! I almost used that exact line from "The Godfather" in my post.
Jeff: Appointments? You have appointments in Florida real estate? Lucky you. Seriously, Jeff, I don't see your comments as coming from "the other side". I believe I had that same three day showing call you wrote about. Here's what I do when I get a call like that...I respond to the purpose of the call and after business is done I will (in a funny or light way) pose this question to the other agent, "Ok, (their name) my steak is cold and I just missed the ending of Bones, couldn't you have called me in the morning?" Surprisingly, most agents will laugh and apologize and say it should have waited til the morning. Only one agent (a diva wannabe more concerned about his monthly stats than his clients) ever reacted negatively to my approach.
The Lovely Wife: A lady in black with a cat-o-nine-tails in her hand could never get old!
Pat: Another Moms fan! Yeah! We're not old, Pat. Remember 100 is the new 50! I kinda like gettin' old, too. It gives you a certain freedom to say what you want to anyone you want and they don't beat you up or threaten to take you to court. Most just walk off, shaking their heads and mumbling something about senility. And your opening line!!! Wow, such praise. I'm humbled and that doesn't happen often. LOL
Elizabeth: I think the key word from your post is "availability". I don't work 24/7. I'm just not opposed to being available 24/7. After I drove my two grandkids to their house, I listened to my phone messages, checked my emails and reviewed my text messages. Only one required attention and couldn't wait until the morning. I called the agent from my car and the issue was resolved. I'm not a workaholic, I just try to remember what it was like for me when I purchased my first home. And no, it didn't have wooden wheels, and it wasn't pulled across The Great Plains by a team of horses.
Shaun: It's not new-age thinking, Shaun. It's the process that works for you and I would never tell you it's wrong. I hope from my blog post that you see that I do have a personal life. Every other year I take the month of September off and go to a country that I've never been to before. Well, to be totally honest I do go to Italy more often as not. I would like to share the type of call from an agent that I don't mind taking after 9:00 pm. I've had agents (novice and seasoned) call me upset, concerned, angry, confused, etc over a transaction and I would rather spend a little time at the moment working through to resolve something that might endanger the relationship and the transaction. For me, relationships in the business are the key to success for my clients and for me. If clients, agents, lenders, Escrow folks and Title folks are working together and communicating effectively, my work is a breeze. In truth, my motives are a tad selfish.
Thanks to all of you for taking time out of your hectic schedules to respond to my blog. I've learned a great deal from what you wrote and shared. The touches of humor from your posts were a true joy.
Troy: Never old, Troy. Let's say we are maybe Old School. Thanks for sharing your perspective on my blog comment. You had your nationally ranked agent and partner...I had my dad. His motto on business was simple but spot on for me: "Put your client first and all else will follow."
Let me add here that by client I do consider the other agent in the transaction a client, too. And "all else" means less problem transaction, satisfied clients, increased time for family and friends, and my trips abroad.
I need to address your point about others in the office. I have a great and talented team working with me. Talented and motivated people working with you makes all the difference in the world.
Thanks for your comments, Troy.