If you call your hair cutter lady, or fella, and he or she is on vacation when you call, you ask the receptionist when he/she will return, and then you schedule an appointment for that time. If you call your Realtor person because you have a real estate question or idea, and you find out that he or she is on vacation when you call, you generally just call the next person in line because, after all, what good are Realtors? Well, unfortunately, I think they’re awfully important, and good ones make things better while bad ones, well, they make things worse.
Vacations for Realtors are generally non-existent. I vacation, sure, with my phone ringing the entire time and a fear of what I’m missing wrecking any supposed peace of mind I’ve left to find. While it’s true that a Realtor can go shopping on a Tuesday afternoon because they feel like it, they also must show houses on Sunday mornings because they have no choice. I have weekday freedom, yes, but a day with appointments and emails and calls is never a day of freedom. When those days are seven days a week, 364 days a year (most people won’t call on Christmas- MOST), well it’s a recipe for angst. I’ve often said I’d trade the haphazard workday freedom for fixed weekend freedom, and while I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon, the idea of a weekend off does appeal to me.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I will be on a short- very short- vacation. I will be with my wife and kids, trying to be Chet, while likely being Roman. I’ll do my best. I’ll catch some fish. I’ll eat some camp fire hot dogs. And when I return, I’d like to think I’ll be energized and bursting with renewed vigor, but I know I’ll just be sunburned and tired. See you Saturday, if you can wait that long.