The other day, I needed to contact my daughter on her cell phone and was totally frustrated by the experience. There is something about giving your child a cell phone to use in the event of an emergency, or to contact her when you need to and then not being able to reach them that really raises the blood pressure. It is simply maddening. There is usually a perfectly good reason...no service, dead battery, lost the phone, didn't hear it because it was in silent mode, or the "I was too busy" excuse.

And then there is the other type of phone dead zone...it's the one where you are trying to reach a real estate agent to get feedback on a showing or trying to set up a showing of their property. It makes me wonder why they are in this business. If you aren't answering your phone, how can you possibly expect to make a living.

If more clients would test the dedication of a potential agent before listing their homes, they might just reconsider and move on to someone who answers their phone. It seems to me that answering your phone should be a minimum requirement for listing someone's home. We owe our clients the ability to reach us promptly. It is really hard to answer property inquiries if you aren't reachable by phone. Consumers want answers now and if you aren't available, they will simply do business with the first agent that they can get on the phone. Are there limits that must be placed on your accessability? Sure, but they should be reasonable for both parties. How and when you answer your phone should be a discussion held early on in the business relationship. Both parties should voice their expectations and determine if they can work together.

In light of the challenges created by our current economy, staying in touch can mean the difference between being in business or being out of business. Want more business? Try answering your phone.

Like wise, trying to reach fellow Realtor can prove very challenging at times. I know we all need down time but there are certain Realtors you can count on to never answer their cell.