No Day is Typical

Many of our clients ask us what our typical work days look like. The truth is, we don't really know! This is especially during busy season, which has definitely started and will continue until the holidays when the market tends to slow just a bit. Each day is different and often unpredictable, so when we think we are headed to the office at 8:00 a.m. for a quiet day of paperwork, marketing plans, and catching up, we could end up with a new client showing houses on the other side of town or playing phone tag with a lender or inspector all day on a currently pending transaction. Part of the fun of this industry is that no day is "typical" and we truly have to be prepared for anything, but we thought it would be fun to take you through the day of one of our busy agents!

Monday:

5:15 a.m - Wake up and check email and text messages. Make a mental note to respond to all this morning.

5:30 a.m. - Have coffee and work on email responses until it's time to wake the kids for school.

6:00 a.m. - Shower and get ready for work. Round 1 of waking the kids.

6:30 a..m. - Once kids are awake and moving, prepare lunches and make sure all homework and after-school gear is packed. Receive the first text of the day from a buyer with some questions.

7:15 a.m. - School drop off at middle school and high school. Heading to the office.

8:00 a.m. - Arrive at ERA office. Chat a bit with colleagues already at the office and then get to work.

9:30 a.m. - Finish responding to emails from overnight. Begin working on thank you/follow-up calls and emails from Sunday open house guests.  Hosted 2 open houses that were well-attended, so I have about 13 groups to reach out to.

10:00 a.m. - Receive a call from a buyer regarding their home inspection tomorrow. Update calendar for meeting with the inspector at the property tomorrow morning at 9:00 because buyer cannot meet with him.

11:00 a.m. - Work on social media updates, including Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Instagram. ERA has stressed the importance of connecting with clients and community via social media, so I am making an effort to really put some work into it!

12:45 p.m. - Head out for a quick working lunch (returning texts, emails and calls) before driving to the west side of Evansville to meet with a seller. Also schedule and post some social media content on both Facebook and Instagram.

2:30 p.m. - Listing presentation with a retired couple who want to downsize. After a home tour and my presentation and discussion about marketing their home, we discuss numbers and their needs in the sale. I get the listing so we make plans for me to come back tomorrow evening to take pictures for the listing.

4:30 p.m. - Leave listing appointment and respond to 3 texts and a voice mail received during the meeting. Many agents strictly adhere to no phone calls during meetings with clients. We want to be sure our clients know they are our top priority.

5:00 p.m. - Stop by the office to file the new listing paperwork. While there, I go ahead and respond to several emails I received during the listing presentation (I definitely try not to do anything other than voice calls on my phone while driving -- safety first!).

6:15 p.m. - Arrive at home and help with dinner and homework. Play outside with the family for a bit since it's so nice outside!

8:30 p.m. - Receive a call from the buyer's agent on one of my pending listings. The buyers want all the custom curtains and decorative window treatments, even though it wasn't in the contract.

8:35 - 9:45 p.m. - Spend the next hour or so going back and forth between my sellers and the buyer's agent to negotiate these new terms. Once we reach an agreement, I write up an addendum for the purchase agreement and send to the buyer's agent for signatures. During this time, we go through bedtime routines as a family.

10:15 p.m. - Watch some of the Tri-State local news (have to stay current!). Receive text from buyer's agent letting me know he received the document and will have it signed and back to me tomorrow.

11:00 p.m. - Check email one more time in bed and. Make my to-do list for the next day on my phone -- scheduling a closing for next Tuesday is at the top of the list, along with getting a new listing finished and active on the MLS.

11:15 p.m. - Good night! It's been a busy, productive day and tomorrow is shaping up to be the same!

As we discussed earlier in the post, there is not necessarily a "typical" day, but this is a great representation of what we do each day as agents. Real estate is becoming a 24/7 business and we have to be able to work for our clients anytime, anywhere while still maintaining balance to be with our families, volunteer, and even have a little time to rest and rejuvenate! What is your day like? We love learning about our clients' and friends' career. Share with us some things you do throughout your workday!