So What is a Change-Over Day Really Like? in Ocean City, New Jersey
Working on a Saturday has become quite natural to me after 17 years of it here in the resort community of Ocean City, New Jersey. But there are two or three or more different kinds of Saturdays. Throughout most of the year, Saturdays may mean a "9:30 AM to 12:30 PM Open House" where you meet interested potential buyers and answer questions and talk about real estate; it could also mean spending some time in the office ... called "up time" where several agents are required to be in the office on a particular Saturday. Finally, one often takes buyers out to see sale listings on Saturdays ... a time when they are able to make a fast trip to the shore.
But the "change-over" Saturday during the summer rental period is always the most demanding "up time." In the morning hours you have rental tenants checking out which can often mean "renewals" for the next rental year, or a review of problems with the rental unit, etc. By noon or 1:00 PM you start to get arrivals even though they are unable to check into the unit until 2PM. That often becomes a tense interaction. You also receive a variety of phone calls all day long on Saturdays.
After 2:00 PM the rental tenants start to arrive which means a careful process of checking them in, giving out keys and other informational handouts. Often you have a key problem with the unit or some other type of issue with the rental unit. About 4:00 PM you start to receive phone calls from those tenants who won't make it here by closing time (5:00 PM).
The "up" agents stay through closing ... the other rental agents stay until their tenants check in, or sometimes they open doors for the rare late one. The goal during a change-over day is to try to get out of the office about 5-5:50 PM. But often it has run to 6:00 and later. The last goal for the evening is to be certain to stay on the island. During these top five rental weeks, a good rule of thumb would be to remain on the island from Friday evening through Monday morning. Dap
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