Vacation?  What's that.... In this hot market we will wait and take some downtime when things cool off.

Schedule a vacation and you will get busy.  Try to partner with an agent at your office so you can back each other up.  Or perhaps you might need to pay someone to cover for you while you are on vacation.

Find someone dependable to cover for you. You promise you will cover for that person later....

This is one reason most realtors are 24/7/366.  

This is how I go away and enjoy my vacations while business carrys on without me...

1. When you go on vacation, plan them for when you're annually slower, it's less stressful to leave. For me it's late February and early October when I go, twice per year.

2. When you go, GO! Do not check e-mauls, do not answer your phone...or you didn't go. How you ask?

3. You need an assistant to vacation proper. In the beginning I used a professional office & temp company, the last 7 years I have an assistant. Your assistant becomes your phone, e-mail and hub to other team members.

4. Arrange to have an agent you trust and would mutually do this for, help you. They manage your listings, they service your buyers.

5. I have a trade out with one agent that we watch each others listings; no fees just favor for favor.

6. I have a different agent, one I'm grooming to be my buyers' agent, service all my buyers. I offer him gas cards & percentages, depending on what occurs and what he actually does while I'm away. This can be a trade-out with a newer agent, but I find it motivates them more to compensate their time & fuel, regardless.

7. 3 Days before you go, have "expectations meetings" with your team: What you want each to do and handle while you are a way. And, what constitutes an urgent matter or emergency that warrants calling my bride's cell phone (mine is OFF the entire vacation).

8. 7 days before I leave: I do a group e-mail to all my clients, explaining who's covering them while I'm away and that I'm off the grid and I can't be reached by them, they need to call my assistant or associates covering me.

9. I give my Team a list of my active buyers, listings and service providers to call should a need arise or escrow open. My assistant knows, that when a problem arises she can't handle to  a deal is going to die a certain death, to call my manager, who's also aware I'm going away, supports my off the grid position and agrees to handle what my team can't.

10. My cell is off, no laptops on vacation. I give my wife's cell # to my manager, & assistant only. My TC, associates & clients need to funnel through my "gate keepers". I go and enjoy 10-14 days away with not stress. 

Oh by the way, been doing this for the last 5 years now, twice per year and I come back from Ireland, Italy, Catalina Island, etc. rested and it takes 20-30 minutes to get up to speed in a meeting with my team, at a pre-planned meeting I scheduled before I left. It's a lot of work to organize before I go, but vacations are enjoyed, uninterrupted and I come back to business as usual.

It Can Be Done!

What is a vacation?

it's difficult to be an absentee real estate agent.... 

I find when I go on vacation business follows me. You must seperate the two or you will come home but feel you need another vacation?

Jaretta Buckholtz, MBA Work with an agent in your office to back you up when you are gone. Ask your broker for help.

You're going to have to find the "ology" part of Real Estate Jaretta. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another but it can be done, scientifically!

You learn to limit time off when it is busy. VAcations are for the un busy times like over Christmas break and in the middle of winter. I like to partner with an agent when i am away and make it clear and in writing what they will do and what you will pay them for each task. 

If you can find another agnet who will cover for you and you can do the same for her you can enjoy your vacation.

This is a constant struggle - when I've taken time I generally do lose momentum, and often actual business.  But you need to take the time because in the end, it is your family that will remember most if you've kept your promises.

Not taking down time and having some fun and relaxation can increase your momentum.  Vacation time is an investment in your business.

As my Grandfather always said, "You gotta run your job. You can't let your job run you". Fortunately we're living in a Cyber World and you can pretty much take your job just about anywhere there's a hot spot and with programs like Docusign you can get a deal done while sipping on a Latte in sidewalk cafe in Paris. This I know because we've done it!

As someone else suggested, work with another agent in your brokerage. Or, like me, I just stay connected and have an associate do the leg work.

Congratulations, You are working for the number one firm on the entire Century 21 system!  Take this question to  youe office manager, they  will know who you could team up with and, or help you find the right mentor.

Team up with another agent to cover your business while you are away and you do the same for that agent. You have to get things in balance or it will use you up.

Both my daughters are agents at my office and if one of my agents is going away for a short vacation, they turn in the file along with any pertinent info so they can assist if needed.  I know this is not the norm, but we do it that way

I take my business with me, and I've been at this a long time. Nobody else is gonna do what I do, so I save myself the suffering expectations. I have an excellent assistant who watches my back.  I also am very selective as to who gets to go on vacation with me, especially over my month-long winter vacation. I can tell you who it's not. It's not the guys with fingers up their noses mumbling about details on a home they can't afford, you know, that white house on the block of some street they can't read. I rarely answer my cell on vacation, and I leave a message as to who else they can call.

Jaretta Buckholtz, MBA - your broker should help you with this - since you are new and do not have good friends at your office.

I have few colleagues I can count on for this. However, I still make sure things are going smoothly. 

Having a partner is the way to go!  You take care of their business when they go on vacation and visa versa.  

Partner up with another agent to cover eachother while absent.  Not taking a vacation to regroup will eventually damage your career, family, health etc.

Jaretta, we prepare our buyers ahead of time-especially the ones who are not urget so they won't call to look at a house while we are gone.   We arrange trade-off time with an agent to cover any business that can't be solved by the phone or by electronic signature services.  It is very tough to get away, but admire you for putting family first!

I took one vacation longer than a week once after 6 years.  Building a busines sis not a PART time venture.  Learn to take everything with you if you MUST go.  Nowdays, it is easy to stay in contact with clients.

You may or may not lose momentum, but it is good for you to take some time off.  Come back with freshly charged batteries and hit the ground running with a renewed Spirit! (pun intended).  That being said, I need to take more time off and do as I am writing!  Enjoy, sure you have earned some time off.

You've only been at it for 6 months?   You shouldn't be taking a vacation yet.

Or, pair up with another agent in your office that you can trust and have them help you.

i just post a similar question before looking at the new questions, great question Jaretta have a great month

Richard nailed this one!

They say if you do not have an assistant, you are the assistant.  I personally wouldn't leave my office for five days without a plan to have another agent cover my business --- the compensation for that work can work in many ways.