Dane:  Funny that you should write this post right now.  I just posted a few days ago a post on pacing yourself that deals with this specific topic.  I hope that you don't mind, but I'm going to put a link to it here.  If you get a chance and read it, let me know what you think.

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc. 

Hi Dane (love your name), I don't have that luxury to say I don't work weekends, that is when I can show more properties to my clients who are busy at work during the week days (traffic here is a killer on the week days also).  It works well for me, I do take Sundays off.

Have a wonderful day!  Wishing you continued success in all that you do no matter what day or time it is!

LOL, when it gets busy or slow...we bend our rules. I think it also goes with the territory of Real Estate.

Thanks for the link in your blog Bob...off to read it now!

Dane, what a simple post that says so much.  This small but powerful change says that you truly understand the importance of meeting your clients needs.  Being adaptable is an important trait in growing a truly powerful company.

Lorinda, I have to deal with traffic here year round 7 days a week. If traffic were better here on weekends I might change my policy to work them! Oh, wait, I do sometimes work them!

Gary, thank you! It was a fun post to write as well!

Definitely, preparing a property for sale has a time crunch that makes it imperative to make ourselves available outside of 'regular' office hours. Now if I could just find a babysitter who agrees!

Hi Dane, LOL, I know what you mean.  I've done bids on Sundays, staged on Saturdays, consultations in the evenings...hey, I'll do what I have to do to get the work.  I do prefer to keep it Monday-Friday, though.  Hey, you do what you gotta do!  Have a great day.  =)

Absolutely Abby! And I have to say, you do a great job too!

Dane- I don't work evenings, except the times I have. I don't work Saturdays, except maybe two or three a month. I NEVER work Sundays, just a couple times, and I will NEVER EVER work on a holiday, except for once on Mother's Day and once on Labor Day! ;)

Dane, Congratulations...they say the first step is to admit it! Would be nice if we could put a "no weekend" policy into effect...But, it's spring and we gotta take it while we can. Have a great day, Kim

LOL, Elaine...perhaps you should stand up, beside me, and introduce yourself. The coffee is on the fold out table in the back beside the donuts!

Dane ~ I am working evenings and weekends so that I can get to the point where I can say "I don't work evenings or weekends"!

Kimberly, Thanks! Some day when I have oodles of work and employees I'll send them on the Realtor office hours jobs...telling them they have to 'pay their dues'!

Kathy, I thought that was what I was doing at one time as well!

I work weekends as well if it meets a customer's needs. In my case, I don't feel guilty about taking a day off during the work week to balance out. Too long without a day off can make you burn out quickly!

I'm with Kathy.  Unfortunately a lot of clients are only available evenings and weekends.  What's that old saying?  "No rest for the Wicked" - I guess I must be really bad (lol).  P.S.  Hope the C2 Presentation was interesting.

I always tell everyone that if you want to be in real estate, you can count on working evenings and weekends.  It's just a fact of life!  But think of how less crowded the stores are when you have time to run errands during the day.

This is the great thing about having a team.... I don't work weekends, but Susan, David and Bonnie do.... lol!

Yep, evenings, weekends, early morning hours, lunch hour consults so on and so forth.  Maybe one day it will be Monday through Friday... or maybe not.

Dane,  I'm finding more and more that clients ask me to come on Saturdays for consultations or bids.  It's not safe to visit clients after dark on any day of the week, but on Saturdays I'm happy to accommodate the client's request.  I learned a long time ago that making my client #1 is the best way to earn their trust as well as their business.  Some years ago,  my life actually changed dramatically when I made a particular client my #1 priority -- perhaps I'll write a blog about it sometime.

Hi Dane,

I wish we could be a Monday to Friday Business.  I do have a strict policy.. I do not work Sundays.  This is my one day of peace for the week.  What am I kidding.  This is when I am catching up on housework, laundry..ugh the list could go on.

Great post!!

Dane, I think you must have been reading my own mind when you wrote this post.  In the past few months I have found myself saying "I don't work evenings....OK, I'll be there at 6:00".  I am forever thankful for my understanding and supportive husband. ;-)

Hi Dane, I've come home early from a family holiday to accommodate a staging. We all do it, but I think we're proud of our level of service and dedication as well. We just want it to be common knowledge.

P.S. That last comment is funny - like a confession at an AA meeting. :)

Dane- Unfortunately in our line of business we have to accommodate our clients schedules. But I think it says a lot about the professional service we offer and our dedication.

Oh Dane! You had me laughing from the get-go! I don't work weekends either unless you count the weekend as Saturday and Sunday. :) Of course, I don't work Monday's either unless some one asks me to. This reminds me of a story we tell around the dinner table. We owned (for 7 years) a business in a Mall. We were required to be open all Mall hours which meant we were open 7 days a week. We finally overcame the difficulty after 3 years by hiring a manager and one part time employee. Part of our growth plan for our home staging business includes the equivalent of (someday) hiring a manager and a part time employee. At least then you only have to go running when there is an emergency -- which is usually only about twice a weekend. :)

Weekends? What are they?

I think I vaguely recall them. Nicely put Dane. My name is Adam and I am weekend worker!

Dane:  What's an evening or weekend?  Seems I'm open 24 hours a day!

Dane:  What's an evening or weekend?  Seems I'm open 24 hours a day!

I tried to hold true to that policy too...for about a week.  I work all the time, I never stop.  Sunday, I try to save as my day, but I always seem to squeeze some work in there sometime.  That's the problem with having an in home office.  It's like a magnet.

It always has cracked me up when I hear new Realtors saying they can't wait for the day they won't have to work nights or weekends...WELL um...when are the clients off work?  Usually nights and weekends?  SO...don't get into a nights and weekend industry if you want nights and weekends off.  It is a nice plan, but not very realistic unless all your clients are cops or firemen with weekdays off.  You made me laugh.  Cute post

Hi Dane,

I think we need to be like rubber bands - living freely and lightly with flexibility!

All of us need some boundaries and margins.  Just like a car battery needs to be recharged, we need to do things that recharge us. 

We also do need to be available to our clients.  Service with a smile is what they want!

As a stager, you provide service to people who want to sell their homes with quality and quantity!

It's much easier to say we work all the time except when we are sleeping...of course, all the nights I get up at 2:00 and write a proposal or answer emails doesn't count! Kym

Hi Dane.  Remember to learn discernment.  When I sold real estate my broker told me to put me and my faimily first.  Too many times she sacrificed events with her family for a client who turned out to be a flake and not hire her.  When she kept her priorities in order the business came.  I followed her advice and never once regretted it.  Once in a while we have to break the rules, but remember, you and your family are ALWAYS first.