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VACATION CHECKING IN!?

We take a 4 day Long Weekend every 3 months and one 7 day trip somewhere every year. My question to you as real estate professionals....do you check your messages and emails while on vacation? If so, are you now divorced because of this? HAHAHAHAHA Just kidding.... My wife and I have an agreement that I am allowed to check messages in the am while she is showering but not at all during the day unles there is a pressing issue.

Posted by Peter Kima on 06/13/2007 10:03 PM

Comments (11)

vacation, email messages

11 Comments on VACATION CHECKING IN!?

JUN

2007

Hi Peter:

That's a fair agreement. I've been selling in Colorado Springs now for about 12 years and I cannot seem do discipline myself NOT to check...and you know what happens. INEVITABLY some pressing issue DOES come up every time we are away. Sometimes it can ruin a whole day or more of the vacation if it's a seriously worrisome issue...if you manage a team for instance, you KNOW someone is going to get knee deep into something while you're gone.

What I have noticed lately, though, is that after November, when I became deathly ill and was hospitalized, my priorities changed DRASTICALLY. While I care about business...nobody asks for their closing schedule in a time of crisis. I have noticed that most successful and calmer, low stress agents COULD CARE LESS IF THEY ANSWER CALLS ON VACATION.

I'm GOING to try it this year. I will let you know if I succeed. THIS year it will be harder than ever because we own our own company now.

Vacations need to happen and boundaries are the only way that we can get away...

That can get tricky... When you go on vacation do you have someone taking your calls or responding to your clients? or do you just leave an auto reply on your email and an out of office VM on your phone?

Dude this is easy. I leave the COUNTRY 3 times a year. As I walk down the jetway to the plane I turn the Blackberry off and stick it in the suit case. Upon return to the states I turn it on. I give all my associates and clients at leat 30 days notice and I leave on message and out of office response whom to contact. You have to have associates that you trust and of course you do the same for them. If you dont you are married to your desk and a cranky old person

Pete,I always work on vacation.I am away this weekend (starting today) and have returned calls and e-mails already!

JUN

2007

I like your strategy. Set a certain time each day to listen to voicemails, etc. As long as your clients know you are away, I agree that vacation should be a vacation, not a time to work!

If you have a good friend who can check messages and you can do the same, and if you have the friend call you in emergencies, that is the best way. We are on call 7 days a week, so we need a vacation without too many interruptions. I know an agent who takes 2 days off a week, and does not even check messages.I believe the office can get a hold of him if needed.

Thank you to each of you that responded. I do have an associate that can handle any new business while I am gone (on a referral basis). I do the same for him.

Happy vacation to all of you this year.

JUN

2007

The only time I do not take calls is when I am on the golf course or out of the country. I will check my messages though. We also check email as often as we can.

JUN

2007

My laptop goes everywhere with me, even on vacation and I always check my e-mail several times a day. In addition to this I check out web site and any leads it has generated. This is a 24/7 job and if I take time off, it is a half day! Then another half day, but always a couple of hours in the evening or early morning to catch up with the web.

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