A phone cradled in the neck or earbuds plugged in when on real estate phone call hold and waiting for the contact on the other end of the tin can and string.
Sometimes silence is golden as during the wait, other real estate chores are performed from the check off list created each action packed day.
Other times the on hold process where it is announced why not call back at 3pm when the call volume is the lowest, the wait time can be spelled out. To set expectations that the average phone call on hold time is a day and a half. Ouch.
But while you are waiting and have to half hearted listen with one ear while multi tasking with other chores in the real estate day, what you are being told on hold can get tiring.
When a bank has charmed you with the scripted loop and over modulated music bed that is worn, fuzzy and distorted to remember, don't forget. Over and over.
To ask about our whiz bang passport checking account that you should not leave home without. That will make your life better, put a spring in your step. A song, the jingle of the bank in your heart.
Marketing, real estate is a fast paced, highly developed sport of pitching the property sticks and bricks. The surrounding area that wrap around the listings with our real estate red, white and blue sign out front.
Ready, willing and able to be bought, enjoyed. But over selling, being a tad too pushy and in your face can cause the reaction a ME real estate professional does not want. Over kill and monotonous.
The onhold when it goes on and on like a slide show of someone's pretty boring vacation carousel after supper beans and hot dogs and the invite over to their home to sit through it. Again.
You can hang up. Email, go visit the local bank lobby in person or call back. But often you have been spending days, too much time each of them sending out SOS, May Day distress signals. Opening up the hailing frequency. To find out what is taking so long in the round-trip trip to the ME real estate closing. To find out what can be done to free up the log jam. Whatever is causing the please stand by. On hold that gets prettylike watching paint dry exciting old. What is the problem so when the update of the buyer and seller is done, the actual delay is known by all the real estate players in the triangle. And the steps taken to get the processor, attorney, appraiser, whoever what they need happens. That's what we do as service providers and ME real estate information gatherers.
But being on hold often with a bank or attorney or other entity needing more staff to handle the load, it makes you think about if ever your real estate buyer or seller was in the same position.
What are your feeding the on hold buyer or seller, caller at your real estate office? On and on about your accolades or testimonials? 
When the person waiting can get their dander up, a little hot under the collar when they don't want to be sold anything. Just provided with information quickly, efficiently by a real live person. Not directed to go online for what they need and made to sort through everything but the kitchen sink to find what they need.
The buyers and sellers of real estate property listings have a busy life too. Their time is even more important than yours, mine right? The option to be on hold, but not with the marketing message force fed, or asked to take a survey. When now would not be a good time to ask "how's my driving, etc" when a problem is getting bigger by the delay in resolution. Holding up a person when on hold....not a quality experience for the gal or guy left hanging, delayed, made to wait. Maine, she's big, beautiful and a lot of her to explore, discover anytime you can get away.
I'm Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
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