what do realtors do all day between showings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They do the listing work: photography, MLS listings, schedule open houses, sometimes host weekday open houses for other agents.

They network a ton, both within the community and with other agents.

Then they do the contract-related work with regard to accepting/countering offers. Ours helped out with stuff before closing (she was present at the inspection, she went in and measured for appliances, she helped us find contractors).

I think it's a job that ebbs and flows in terms of workload: in the high season, they are very busy. In the winter, they have free time.

This is what I think too. There are definitely a whole host of jobs, particularly for those who are self employed, where you aren't on the typical "1st shift" office hours. So yea, sometimes they might be at home doing laundry or going to the gym or shuttling their kids, because their "work" that day is at night, or carried over to Sunday, etc.

[Anonymous]

A lot of work and a lot of hours. This is not a 9-5 job, it's 24-7, every holiday, every vacation, free time with your kids, etc. Seriously. People want to look at homes when most people are spending time with their families. It's fielding phone calls, questions, negotiating offers and going on listing appointments at dinner time when you could be eating dinner with the family. It's continuing education for anywhere from 15-30 credit hours every other year per jurisdiction, so someone licensed in DC, MD and VA that is for each state. It's 30 pages of contracts that need to be completed and then following up with every aspect of the contract - home inspections, termite inspections, repairs, staging homes, meeting with appraisers and lenders. On top of that people are selling homes and need a sounding board. Often times it's due to death, divorce, new baby, downsizing, so a lot of emotions at play.

[Anonymous]

I imagine most of you guys who think that this work is easy have never run your own business.

[Anonymous]

My day:
9:30 drop kids off at school
10:00 emails and return phone calls
11:00 drive to clients work to pick up check
11:30 - 1:00 lunch with a potential vendor
1:30 pick up kids
2:00 grandma comes over to watch the kids
2:30 showing
3:15 pick up keys from a closing
3:30 check post office box
4:00 home to check emails again, set up showings for the next day and communicate with clients who I haven't had a chance to talk to since the 10:00 window
6:00 - 7:30 hang out with kids and neighbor
7:30 -9:00 dinner, family time, put kids to bed
9:15 drop off check to client and pick up keys
10:00 - 12:00 run comps, collect previous rental information for an investment property, email client offer to purchase to review.
12:00 - 12:30 DCUM and then bed.

Today was a very light day. I'll do it all over again and more tomorrow. Different stuff, same grind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I imagine most of you guys who think that this work is easy have never run your own business.

You don't run your own business. You hang your hat under a brokerage. The broker runs his own business and you are an employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I imagine most of you guys who think that this work is easy have never run your own business.

You don't run your own business. You hang your hat under a brokerage. The broker runs his own business and you are essentially an employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My day:
9:30 drop kids off at school
10:00 emails and return phone calls
11:00 drive to clients work to pick up check
11:30 - 1:00 lunch with a potential vendor
1:30 pick up kids
2:00 grandma comes over to watch the kids
2:30 showing
3:15 pick up keys from a closing
3:30 check post office box
4:00 home to check emails again, set up showings for the next day and communicate with clients who I haven't had a chance to talk to since the 10:00 window
6:00 - 7:30 hang out with kids and neighbor
7:30 -9:00 dinner, family time, put kids to bed
9:15 drop off check to client and pick up keys
10:00 - 12:00 run comps, collect previous rental information for an investment property, email client offer to purchase to review.
12:00 - 12:30 DCUM and then bed.

Today was a very light day. I'll do it all over again and more tomorrow. Different stuff, same grind.

So essentially you spent 70% of your time as a courier or chauffeur?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My day:
9:30 drop kids off at school
10:00 emails and return phone calls
11:00 drive to clients work to pick up check
11:30 - 1:00 lunch with a potential vendor
1:30 pick up kids
2:00 grandma comes over to watch the kids
2:30 showing
3:15 pick up keys from a closing
3:30 check post office box
4:00 home to check emails again, set up showings for the next day and communicate with clients who I haven't had a chance to talk to since the 10:00 window
6:00 - 7:30 hang out with kids and neighbor
7:30 -9:00 dinner, family time, put kids to bed
9:15 drop off check to client and pick up keys
10:00 - 12:00 run comps, collect previous rental information for an investment property, email client offer to purchase to review.
12:00 - 12:30 DCUM and then bed.

Today was a very light day. I'll do it all over again and more tomorrow. Different stuff, same grind.

So essentially you spent 70% of your time as a courier or chauffeur?

Yes, I do!

Today so far:
9:20- drop off kids
9:30 - showing
10:00 - put sold sign on listing
10:30 - 11:00 coaching call
11:00 - 1 - Pay bills (work and personal).
Now - getting ready to send out revisions to an offer and then go pick up the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I imagine most of you guys who think that this work is easy have never run your own business.

You don't run your own business. You hang your hat under a brokerage. The broker runs his own business and you are essentially an employee.

Entirely incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I imagine most of you guys who think that this work is easy have never run your own business.

You don't run your own business. You hang your hat under a brokerage. The broker runs his own business and you are essentially an employee.

Entirely incorrect.

We are our own business. We receive a 1099 and many Realtors incorporate for tax purposes. We receive no benefits as employees do. We pay self-employment taxes. We pay for all our business expenses and have nobody to reimburse us.

[Anonymous]

Another agent here.

We also do our own marketing and prospecting. If that's not running your own business well shit I don't know what is.

Hanging your hat under a broker who is running THEIR business doesn't mean we sit back and wait for a broker to tell us what to do, to give us clients, to market our names. That is 100% on the agent. So it is absolutely indeed, running your own business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My day:
9:30 drop kids off at school
10:00 emails and return phone calls
11:00 drive to clients work to pick up check
11:30 - 1:00 lunch with a potential vendor
1:30 pick up kids
2:00 grandma comes over to watch the kids
2:30 showing
3:15 pick up keys from a closing
3:30 check post office box
4:00 home to check emails again, set up showings for the next day and communicate with clients who I haven't had a chance to talk to since the 10:00 window
6:00 - 7:30 hang out with kids and neighbor
7:30 -9:00 dinner, family time, put kids to bed
9:15 drop off check to client and pick up keys
10:00 - 12:00 run comps, collect previous rental information for an investment property, email client offer to purchase to review.
12:00 - 12:30 DCUM and then bed.

Today was a very light day. I'll do it all over again and more tomorrow. Different stuff, same grind.

So essentially you spent 70% of your time as a courier or chauffeur?

Yes, I do!

Today so far:
9:20- drop off kids
9:30 - showing
10:00 - put sold sign on listing
10:30 - 11:00 coaching call
11:00 - 1 - Pay bills (work and personal).
Now - getting ready to send out revisions to an offer and then go pick up the kids.

OMG - I'm an agent, and this is the worst. Can't imagine this being my day. I wish. It should be so easy....

[Anonymous]

Well, it was just my morning. The real fun begins when I have my kids with me, AND I'm trying to work at the same time. I take calls during nap. Text, email and other computer tasks while they color or watch TV. My day flips flops back and forth between kids and work all day. I only have 12 hours of child care during the week + the time I can convince my mom to hang out with them (probably another 5 hours/week).

I do a lot of work after everyone is in bed for the night. That's when I'm researching MLS, inputting listings, editing photos, marketing, writing up offers, etc. I have very little relaxation time where I get to just zone out. Almost no TV, a little internet browsing, and some fun activities with the kids here and there. Life of a mom and business owner.... (and YES, an agent is running his or her own small business, even if they are working under another broker)!