Kevin-there will always be agents full or part time who don't get that being responsive is one of the best measures of success.  Whether it is with the agent on the other side of the transaction or their client.  It will be interesting to see how the shift in our current market plays out with part time agents.

Would you hire a part time Doctor or Attorney to take care of your ills??

No being a realtor is not a part time job. 

Patricia4realestate/Hampton NH Real Estate 

Good information. I think we all could learn something from this post.

Dwayne West

Solid source Realty

Kevin ~ My most frustration comes not from Clients, but from other Realtors.  I am full time.  This is my means of employment.  I take my job very serious.  But when part time Realtors wont respond to my calls, don't have any urgency to get things done.....it affects all of us!  I often feel sorry for Their Clients.  They are being represented by a part time person that needs full time attention!  And if you work part time at something, you get part time results.  Good Post Kevin!

Lets remember that there are really bad full time agents that do this just as often.  To me, that is much more aggravating.  I had an agent this past Fall call me back at 10:15 in the evening and she left a voice mail telling me she was very busy that day.  While we were waiting for a call back, my clients had an offer accepted on another home.  This ladies listing had been on the market over 200 days!!! 

I've encountered some very professional part time agents.  I was one of them when I started so I will always have an understanding for these folks, but people do need to see past the dollar signs and look deeper into the commitment and responsibility they are making to people who are buying or selling. 

In support of those that do not call right back or are as responsive as one would like, time and time again I get frantic agents that call time and time again on items that do not need immediate attention sometimes I wonder if they have nothing better to do than be paranoid that nothing will get done.

I know with our recent run up in licensees that there are many greenies out there and that it is important that we help them know what is important.

Take care!

RJH

RJH - Good point - and I am all about helping new agents - I am more taking the view that when it is important for a clear line of communication - it needs to be there.

Jerry - I know - and I tried to make sure I was not unilaterally bashing part time agents - I agree - some very good ones out there.

Renee - I agree - full attention should be the norm - part time or full time.

Dwayne - Thanks - I appreciate it.

Patricia - a very very very good point.

Cindy - I think come February there will be far fewer agents out there.

Thanks to all for posting - and please - I was certainly not trying to bash part time agents in general - I was trying to illustrate my point using some real world experiences I have recently had. 

I don't think it's a matter about being f/t or p/t but about professionalism. 

I started out in this business with another f/t job.  I couldn't afford to leave the IT profession (Pay was great) but wanted to begin a new career where I was working with people and not just sitting behind a desk.  After 2 years and really struggling (no sales) I made the big decision to work only a few hours a day in the IT world for a consistent paycheck and benefits.  I am now working f/t in RE and business is great.  With that being said,  whether f/t or p/t I always managed to return emails and phone calls promptly.  I prefer to answer the phone then let it go to voicemail when I am available.   Afterall we all have downtime hours or appointments with clients.

I believe you have to be in the game all the time to make this work.  Stacey talked about down time - I don't think so.  If you have down time you should be working a different angle - advertising, networking, something.

I think there are terrible full time agents and great part time agents, so it really comes down to work habits. An agent should be responsible for returning your call and professionalism.

I work part time as an agent and do very well.  I work at a law firm as a law assistant and Bankruptcy assistant also full time.  My schedule is full every day including weekends and holidays.  My days are flexible so I can handle real estate and law work as needed but I have been doing this for a few years and am fine with it.  I work about 15 hours a day but it works for me.  My real estate clients come from the law firm and I do not advertising for myself.  I sometimes get overwhelmed but seem to be fine with it.  All of my clients know how busy I am and still want me to handle their transactions.

Stella - It sounds like you have carved out quite a niche for yourself! Way to go - you are a diamond in the rough. I think I should have clarified my comments a bit in my post - for instance - I am dealing with an agent right now - she is part time - has presented an offer - agent put the wrong type of financing in the contract - can't get her to call me back - so I call the lender direct - find out the agent filled out the contract with the wrong type of financing - so all is well on that part - I get a counter-offer from the bank - I call to present it and try to get an answer and get this thing wrapped up before the weekend - the bank is on stand-by waiting for the answer - and at 10:00 AM this morning I make a couple of calls - and now - as of 7:30 PM - I have heard nothing back. I call her house - get her husband in the phone - she is working a double shift at Ruby Tuesdays.

It is just frustrating.

Gary - you are right - I think it is all about work habits.

Vincent - I agree with you - you have to always be on. Nice to have you back. 

Stella - It sounds like you have carved out quite a niche for yourself! Way to go - you are a diamond in the rough. I think I should have clarified my comments a bit in my post - for instance - I am dealing with an agent right now - she is part time - has presented an offer - agent put the wrong type of financing in the contract - can't get her to call me back - so I call the lender direct - find out the agent filled out the contract with the wrong type of financing - so all is well on that part - I get a counter-offer from the bank - I call to present it and try to get an answer and get this thing wrapped up before the weekend - the bank is on stand-by waiting for the answer - and at 10:00 AM this morning I make a couple of calls - and now - as of 7:30 PM - I have heard nothing back. I call her house - get her husband in the phone - she is working a double shift at Ruby Tuesdays.

It is just frustrating.

Gary - you are right - I think it is all about work habits.

Vincent - I agree with you - you have to always be on. Nice to have you back. 

Kevin - I knew what you meant.  I just wanted you to know that some people can do two jobs at once.  keep the law firm job for the benefits and the real estate job for the money.  I am very very busy and have to turn my phone off at 8:00 p.m. or it will ring until 12:00 a.m. if I let it.  I would be frustrated also if I were you.  maybe call the person's broker and get some answers.

But you know what is worse, is when full-time seasoned agents don't return calls or lack communication skills.

And I have seen part-time agents who are always available, even if they do have some sort of other job. I guess they know what type of other job they can do along with real estate. I don't think it is a good idea to try a career in real estate while working a 9-to5 job; just not enough availability or flexibility. 

To be honest, I think it is luck of the draw. Full-time and part-time agents both lack somewhere. 

Joseph - I agree - I personally think it is a full time job - I can't begin to think how I could do it part time - but Stella seems to have figured it out - so for me that reinforces what I think you are saying - sort of a luck of the draw - you either get Stella - or you get something else.

I don't think it matters if you are full time or part time.  What matters is how well you do your job.

I originally thought I was going to be a "p/t agent" since I am a f/t mom.  I don't think there is such a thing as a part-time agent, but that is defined only by the individual.

No matter what amount of time you choose to dedicate to this field, it's all about your work ethic.  If you take your work seriously, you will treat it as such.  I feel I owe it to my buyers/sellers to dedicate the time to get what needs to be done, DONE!!!  Nope, I'm not perfect, but there is no excuse for not following through.  That's why we have a thing called email....keep in touch with others!  I do a lot of my contacting also at midnight....by email. 

I originally thought I was going to be a "p/t agent" since I am a f/t mom.  I don't think there is such a thing as a part-time agent, but that is defined only by the individual.

No matter what amount of time you choose to dedicate to this field, it's all about your work ethic.  If you take your work seriously, you will treat it as such.  I feel I owe it to my buyers/sellers to dedicate the time to get what needs to be done, DONE!!!  Nope, I'm not perfect, but there is no excuse for not following through.  That's why we have a thing called email....keep in touch with others!  I do a lot of my contacting also at midnight....by email. 

I actually have buyers ask me if I do this full-time or part-time and when I answer full-time, they seem happy like I will devote more time to them.

Kevin, another great blog with great responses! I got into real estate after beginning a career in teaching as a way to make ends meet while staying home with our new-born son a few years ago. It was technically my full-time job, though I had obvious restrictions (and not enough work to justify the term "full-time"). From day one I've found it irresponsible for anyone not to return a phone call or e-mail in an appropriate amount of time. Our clients and the clients of those we deal with do not want to wait 6-8 hours or whatever for someone to get out of working their "real job". However, I've had just as much- if not more trouble getting responses from brokers, multi-million dollar producing agents and agents that also serve on boards and are in meetings quite often.

....and on the flip side, I- as a hard worker do not want to wait for YOUR client to get out of his job to put initials on a contract that he and you overlooked the first time you signed a deal. Instead of going to have dinner with the family, I'm stuck waiting until 6:30 for your guy to fight traffic--or whatever. I think your point is appropriate- if you cannot handle the position, please leave it to someone that can.....but often times, the clientele holds up agents just as much as anything else.

Indeed, if you are really doing your real estate business it is NOT a part time job! Lance

Yes, real estate is full-time. I answer my phone from 7 AM to 7 PM, and I promptly return all calls. If unsuccessful agents would just do those two things, they'd all be successful.

This is a tough business to get started in and I realize that some people will need another source of income when they are starting out.  I think the lack of professionalism that some agents exhibit has more to do with their education level, their ego, and their attitude, more than how much time they spend on the job.  

Some people are certainly capable of pulling off the balancing act, but when you know the other licensene is hiding in the bathroom or under their desk, doing real estate sales during hours at their regular government job, it can be a little frustrating!

Debbie - it definately can be a balancing act - but frustrating is an understatement.

Matt - I agree. I think I should have stated my case a little differently

Elizabeth - if only we all did the simple things..........

Lance - I can not imagine trying to meet my responsibilities to my clients on a part time basis - but some have figured it out.

Jim - You speak with the voice of experience.

Lanita - I often wonder if there should be two different Realtor designations - FT & PT.

Dawn - you are so right - the work ethic is the key.

Matt - again - I think I should have worded my blog differently.  

Being a Realtor is NOT rocket science.

I requires no intensive upfront training thus the low bar.

If it was a harder "job" they demographics of the industry will change so unless the bar is raised, may a college degree or a masters to be a Realtor, things will remain status quo.

Then, there'll be a different set of complaints!