Home : Blogs : Peyman Karami : BROKER LA INC. - MORTGAGE & REAL ESTATE BROKRAGE

what to do with my listings when I am going to vacation?

I need to ask your ideas what I have to do with my clients and their listings when I am going to vacation. In my opinion, real estate does not have any vacation and my clients are always on the first place. In nowadays, we have enough tools to keep connection, to contact with the clients: phone, e-mail, and text messages, fax...etc. The main point is I will still working even tough I am out of country because of keeping my clients happy, my listing active and being on the market. On the other hand, I can make my vacation exactly like a vacation which would be only fun and no contact with the real world, no clients, no real estate and period. Thus, what should I do and how I can "kill two rabbits with one bullet" or in other words, how to manage my job with my vocational time and how can I get back into market quick and start working after my vacation?!

I need to ask those who are more experienced in real estate, who are longer time in real estate market and what they do in vacation time? When they go and how they manage their listings? Is it good idea to do not have any listing at that time?

Posted by Peyman Karami on 06/16/2007 10:34 PM

Comments (34)

vacation and listings

This post has been included in California Information Los Angeles County, CA Information Los Angeles, CA Information

34 Comments on what to do with my listings when I am going to vacation?

JUN

2007

You need to work with someone who can cover you while you are gone. Before you leave, make sure all your clients know who will be handling your business while you are gone. Introduce them in person or by phone.

You really need to cut the ties while you are on vacation or what's the point?

I have a few trusted and experience associates and we "cover" each other when one or the other is traveling. While not a "team" in that sense, we cover for each other and can relax knowing that the client is handled. and yes there is a fixed percentage that is paid if a deal is "written" while out of country/town

I have 2 agents that watch my business when I got out of town. If I am with my best friend it is another agent. If my best friend is staying home, she watches my business/clients when I am out of town. Just let them all know you will be out of town and that so and so will be taking care of them until you return on X date. That way they know who and for how long.

We trade duties back and forth so there is never any payment involved. It works out well!

My husband has a friend who is a 'wanna-be-Realtor'...he is actually a REAL Realtor but he doesn't act like one. He left today on vacation, has one listing, I asked the other day when he and my hubby were visiting what he was doing with his listing while he's gone...his comment 'nothing, I'm tired of the phone calls from the seller, the house is not getting shown, and I don't really care'...my mouth must of fallen to the floor! I could not believe that someone who calls himself a Realtor could act in this way! I asked him, 'what if an offer comes in while you're gone', his comment...'oh well, it will just have to wait until I get back in 2 weeks'. JEEZ, Of course after he left my hubby turns to me and tells me I put too much effort into my busines!

Peyman,

Ditto on Tim's comments about having someone cover and introducing them in advance.

I also mail out a letter which arrives about the second/third day I'm gone, just reiterating the same thing. It says something to the effect: dear m/m seller, As a reminder you know I will be out of town until...and so and so is taking my calls. blah, blah, she/he's a very detailed person and I know that blah, blah.. I'm also enclosing another card for (blah blah) for your convenience.

That way your clients always know who's minding the store. Be sure to take your vacation, everyone needs time away and I don't think there is ever a perfect time for everyone.

I agree that you need to find someone that will cover for you. When I am on vacation, I still check my phone and email but the rest is handled by my back up. I need and am entitled to a vacation...so are you!

You need to have an associate or two that can support your listings/clients while you are gone. Not necessarily a partner, but someone whom you will payback in kind in the future.

The best solution is a licensed personal assistant who is already familiar with your listings and your customer base. If you can not afford a a full time licensed personal assistant, hire one part time.

If you cannot afford a licensed personal assistant, definitely have another qualified agent who you trust and trade their time in return for your time when they want to take off.

I agree with what most of the others have said. When you go on vacation, you should have an arrangement to have someone take care of anything that comes up that needs immediate attention.

I have a fellow colleague that I trust completely cover 100% for me. And I do the same for him when he is gone. I really try to not work at all when I am gone, I feel I owe it to myself & my family. This summer though I will be taking an extended vacation and I am sure there will be some things I need to take care to make sure I am not losing future business of as I will be gone a bit longer than usual.

I have a TEAM to cover for me, however, I do let them all know personally I will be out of town and to call Betty. She only calls me when it is absolutely necessary so I can really have some time away from the day to day. Before I had a team, I would cover for another agent and then she would cover for me. We wrote long, detailed lists of each buyer and sellers so we could help them out they way they deserved to be treated.

I have assistants at my company that will cover for me while on vacation by showing my listings and other property that my buyers want to see. The showings get booked through my office. However, I will be checking my emails and cell phone calls because it will make me more at ease while on vacation. If I didn't check my calls and emails then I would be on edge that I missed someone.

LIke most of the comments on here, I'd say it's a good idea to work with a team. Have them cover you when you're on vacation and return in kind when they have to skip town

All the best!

You need to have someone cover for you.

Inform your clients that you will be going away on vacation.

"school" the person covering for you on important issues that may arise while you are gone. Give them the "low-down" on your listings, maybe even take them over to look at the homes if possible.

Peyman, I think you got the picture! A trust colleague is what you need. You have to have time off to recharge your batteries, so find someone you can trust, let your clients know you are going on vacation and let nature take it's course. You can't work everyday!

I am getting ready to go on vacation and had that same thought. As a new agent with just a couple of listings and am scared because I was told everything sells when you are on vacation :)

Good question and great answers! I myself will be going on vacation soon and now you have given me some good ideas!

A good working relationship with someone in your office is imperative. If you do an excellent job for your clients when you are here, they will typically entrust you to provide them with an appropriate "fill-in" while you are gone. Better yet, they will respect your need for a vacation, and happily "make-do" with whomever you leave them with.

I had to leave town for a about a week for a family emergency. It was unexpected, and I literally dropped 7 active escrow files into my brokers lap on my way out of town. Although I corresponded with each client on my way out, and connected with my broker when necessary, he literally picked up where I left off.

Plan ahead a bit, and you will find that life can seamlessly carry on without you. Enjoy your vacation!

JUN

2007

Considering I just got back from a weeks vacation in sunny Mexico, I will let you know how I handled it.

I told all my sellers that I would be going out of town and will return on X date. I will be emailing agents for feedback for any showings and will follow up with sellers via email until I return. Any offers that come in can be handled via email and fax from my hotel.

On all voicemail messages I left clear instruction that:

1. I will be out of town until X date and that I will not be checking voicemails or returning calls until I return. I will however be checking emails multiple times per day so please email me at xxx@xxx.com

2. If you are an agent, all listings that show active in the system are active, please follow showing instructions.

3. If you would like to submit an offer, please fax to xxx-xxx-xxxx (my efax number that goes directly to my email)

4. If you have an emergency and need to speak with someone on my team, please contact XXXXX.

Wouldn't you know that my partner received dozens of calls per day to check availibility and ask questions about showing instructions that were clearly detailed on the listings. I received hardly any emails all week.

talk about following directions!!

Find someone you trust in your office and introduce them to your clients and let them know that they will be doing everything with your listings while you are gone. But, make sure they understand that your temp replacement will be able to get a hold of you if something should need your immediate attention.

Shouldn't be a problem - I've done it twice now and if you have the right help in place long before you go, your clients will understand.

Great question to ask. I'm fairly new and wonder what to do as well.

All of the above are great pointers and great advise. I'm one of those weird ones....I haven't been on a vacation for four years and if I do I would do all they (above have suggested)

I would have to ask myself how I would want to be treated if I were the seller and my realtor was going out of town? I think the answers come quite naturally after that. Have a great vacation. Best of the best to you.

The idea of getting someone to cover for you is the best way to go. Last year I did a trade with another agent. I covered for her when she went and she covered for me when I went. You absolutely need someone o the ground.

All of your clients belive you deserve a vacation. Just not when you are selling their home.

Hopefully there is an agent in your office that you can enlist to stand in for you, if necessary. The "if necessary" part is not what it used to be, however. Nowadays, I can handle most matters related to my business via cell phone and email. Sure, I restrict my access to cell phone and email when I'm out of town to maybe an hour a day, and my phone message and auto-reply indicate that - but I am the first contact; IF something comes up that I can't handle - signatures on a contract, for example - then my stand-in agent handles it for me after I present the contract highlights over the phone to my client. You can work out the compensation in advance, such as a flat fee, a percentage, or just trading the service for each other.

It depends also where you are going on vacation. I'm currently covering for an agent friend who is vacationing in Europe with limited phone/email access not to mention the time difference of several hours. Find another agent that you can trust and ask him/her to handle your listings while you are gone.

That's what brokers are for. They will look out for your listings in your absense for a small adjustment of the fee split. Or, have an office mate be the contract in your absense for a percentage.

This business is very moble. Just tell your sellers the time you will be on vacaction and how to reach you and if a contract comes in you will call them. Go and have fun, lifes to short not too.

http://www.yourehomes.com/

I myself was wondering what to do, although I'm not an agent I do get calls and people don't want to wait. Funny that while reading your post and comments I thought of the perfect person that I can trust! Thank you! And congratulations on your feature.

While we were at a conference in February...we kept a commercial listing alive, re-listed and got an accepted offer on a property and got a listing that we signed upon returning home...to the tune of over $2 million in sales. We do have a trusted "business baby sitter" in our office that ckecks our voice mail and if need be will show a property or do whatever we can't do from a distance. Lots can be done by phone, fax and internet of course...Be VERY CAREFUL who you entrust your business to....when I was first liscensed, I had to have major surgery and asked my manager for recommendations for someone to watch my business. She gave me names...I chose one. I was sort of "unconscious" for 3 days and not able to take calls. I used to save old voice messages in our paging system so that I could easily retreive phone numbers. The person watching my business...went back into my voice mail, listened to old messages, called a buyer...and Sold them a house ! When I found out after the A\O what she had done I was flabbergasted and then to make it better...The manager asked how much I was paying her....I told her I didn't know what the office policy was for paying thieves....The thief is now an assistant manager and we are with another broker...BE CAREFUL !

real estrate takes no vacations, but you are human and need one yourself! I had the same opinion for years and consistantly would stay in touch even on vacations. After several years I broke down though. You need to recharge and you will be more valuable to your clients if you do periodically. Either hire a good assistant or work out an arrangement with another agent in your office. You need the break!!!

Absolutely have someone cover for you!! I have an agent in the office and we have an agreement that we handle each others files when we're out of town. He she gets something of mine under then I pay her 20%. If she works her ass off and nothing comes of it, I will take her to a nice dinner :)

Good Luck,

Logan Chierotti

www.ColoradoHomeHelper.com

I agree with everyone's advice. Most definitely get someone to cover you. Your vacation is supposed to be just that.

JUN

2007

One thing you don't want to lose while you are away is your potential leads. Through the latest mobile technology, Goomzee Connect, a mobile marketing service that uses a text message based platform, provides the opportunity for real estate professionals to capture leads 24/7. By sending a text message containing your property's unique ID code assigned by Goomzee, consumers will instantly recieve a text message in return, containing all the information about the property that you want them to know. This message could consist of the important features about the property that people want to initially want to know. In addition, you, the agent, can choose to recieve alerts of the inquirty via text message, email and also through an online database where you manage your Goomzee campaigns. If you are out of country without mobile service, jump online and see if anyone has inquired for information about your listed property. This way, you can follow-up with them when the time works best for you! If you are on vacation, change your message and let people know you will follow-up with them upon your return. Or you can assign your alerts to the person you entrust with your listings while away so they receive your alerts. Another benefit would be if your flyers run out while you are away, consumers can still receive information through texting your property. And the best part is that they actually walk away with your information in their phone. They can look back at it anytime! Let us know if we can provide you with additional information. Your vacation time is important! Let us know if you are intersted in learning more.

Best of luck! - Erika

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?