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I wake up at 5:30 am and lay in bed thinking of what is pressing on me. It’s usually not the dog or the weighted blanket, but what I failed to get done the night before, and how to apologize.
Guilt gets me up at 5:45 am. I make coffee and sit with my laptop reaching out to clients that I’m thinking about. It could be buyers of homes, or land that I have listed recently, or clients that are looking for their dream property.
This is my time for chatting via email or text, strictly no calls. It’s too early for that! This is my quiet time with my wife and dog. The only sounds you hear are typing and the swoosh of sent emails. I also stay away from forms, contracts, data, escrow/title, or any other “real work”.
I have one more cup of coffee while still in my slippers. I usually read something relevant in the news or online, so I can chat with others about what’s happening in the world. Sometimes if I have time, I stick my head down the ‘rabbit holes’ that online subjects take us. Usually, that ends with me at my desk with a need for digging deeper into contracts, deadlines, forms, or research.
Then I get ready for my day. I start my official workday by 7:30 am. This is when I start on CMA’s, pictures, listing paperwork, marketing. By now, the 3rd cup of coffee is at my desk.
I grind during these hours until noon or my first meeting. I have my head buried in photo galleries, listings, answering questions, and getting feedback from other agents.
My core-mission is to sell homes, which seems pretty simple to the average person. However, it is a huge commitment and can be exhausting. There are no days off, even if I’m on vacation. This is imperative to what I do. I need to be available to the buyer, the seller, and the property.
I make a quick bowl of oatmeal and the 4th cup of coffee and say hi to my daughter and wife in the kitchen. By mid-day, I’m running out the door with a to-go 5th cup of coffee to meet with clients, hold job interviews for listings, and showing homes. Many days I’ll sit at the seller’s kitchen table, and get offered coffee. I was raised by strict parents and was taught to always accept an offer unless it was drugs, so I have my 6th cup.
Then I drive my route to show homes, fill flyers, tend house details, meet my photographer, or look at properties and projects. This goes until 5 or 6 pm with no stopping unless it’s for gas, a cup of coffee, and a bag of nacho cheese Bugles.
This is my time to get my list of things done as efficiently as possible. I look forward to this time because I get to see people and homes… and the Bugles. That’s what I signed up for. People. Not Bugles.
I head back home for a quick dinner and chat with my family, trading stories about our day. Then, back in the office with my last cup of coffee. I finish up making calls, answering texts, and replying to the numerous emails that have come in throughout the day. I go over offers and discuss terms and research properties.
I try to stop working by 10 pm, but usually, there are still outstanding questions and emails to get back to. During this late work time, I stay healthy by finally drinking a glass of water at my desk.
I usually finish my day by relaxing and watching a show until 11 or so. I go to bed, usually in a caffeine-induced haze that puts my mind at ease. As I lay my head down, I feel proud of the day I had, full of helping others and doing something I’m good at.
I’m tired, but I love what I do. It’s exciting and different every day. I feel thankful for my clients and proud of what I do. Satisfaction puts me down to sleep until I open my eyes in the morning, feeling guilty and thinking “coffee”.
JP DeBoer, Real Estate Broker
Windermere Real Estate/CIR
(360) 631-1484
JDeBoer@Windermere.com
http://www.HomesByJP.com
