Scheduling!
Today is ALL about scheduling.....scheduling contractors, scheduling landscapers, scheduling cleaners, scheduling plumbers. If it's house related then a real estate agent has probably scheduled it.
A real estate agent's job isn't always glamorous like showing houses in a blizzard or walking 100 acres when it's 95 degrees out, sometimes it's tedious and frustrating. Looking for a contractor/cleaner/plumber/etc., attempting to contact them, waiting for the return phone call, making more calls to other service providers, and trying to schedule a time that works for all falls into that category....tedious and frustrating.
Because we are professionals we have to be careful who we recommend to a client. I will only call, or pass on to my clients, service providers that I've used personally or are vouched for by other professionals, friends or family. Why? My reputation is on the line. Thankfully, the Elmira-Corning Board of Realtors makes it easy for agents to send group emails to the other agents in the board. This is an immense help and has helped me find a roofer for Painted Post, a plumber for Dundee, and an HVAC guy for Hector. Cooperation is a beautiful thing.But back to the tedious and frustrating aspect of today's mayhem. Tedious because of the search for the service provider and then the constant juggling of phone calls and schedules. Frustrating because only some of the recommended service providers will call the agent back and no returned phone calls means searching again and then more phone calls. Once we find a service provider who is available and schedule an appoint we still hold our breath. Cancelled showings happen and cancelled showings mean rescheduling a compatible time for potentially up to 5 people.....the service provider, the listing agent, the seller, the buyers agent, and the buyer....and when it's as busy as it is now that can seem like a Herculean feat.Why is this subject so near and dear to my heart right now? Because this morning I've been trying to coordinate a landscaper, a professional cleaning company, a contractor, and reschedule an electrician for 4 different properties in 3 different counties. Wish me luck!