When are you going to close for Christmas?
A discussion on our Arena forum was kicked off last week by a new estate agent, contemplating, for the first time, opening times over the festive season.
The agent is – or had been – considering shutting up shop on the 18th of December and re-opening on the 28th.
We rather liked the reply from ‘Disillusioned’ which suggested that the new agent must have either left the teaching profession or is lined up for a moonlighting job as Santa in a shopping centre.
‘Smile please’ announces they will be closing between noon on the 23rd and the 28th.
Another poster ‘PaulC’ will close early on the 19th and reopen on the 28th.
With a number of different posts on the matter, this is a subject close to EYE’s own heart.
This is because we are due to discuss our own arrangements shortly when we will confront the soul-searching question as to whether our readers need, want and deserve a rest from us, and if so will a longer rest be better than a shorter one.
So, what you will be doing over Christmas and the New Year?
Post here or pop along to the forum – which, by the way, is open all hours.
https://www.propertyindustryeye.com/forums/topic/christmas-opening-suggestions/
PS Southern chain Andrews is running its Christmas Cracker promotion again, aimed at persuading vendors to get cracking now with putting properties on the market.
It says that over the last few years, it has noticed a climb in traffic on its website on Christmas Day at 3pm. Instead of watching the Queen’s Speech, people are apparently trying out their brand new tablets and smartphones.
Rightmove reports another similar boost in traffic on Christmas Day.
Whether there will be anything new for property-seekers to savour after the Christmas turkey is another matter – but full marks to Andrews for trying.
Comments (11)
we will close on the 23rd at midday and reopen on the 5th,my staff will have the whole time off and all office calls divert to my mobile, last year I rented out a home on Boxing day but this year i hope i dont! if you get my meaning.
A merry Christmas to you all and Eye, I think you should take the festive break to help recharge your batteries like us Estate Agents and come back stronger.
For 25 Years I worked for a very large high street selling agent, we closed at 4:30pm on Christmas Eve and reopened the day after boxing day at 9am. The last for 4 years I have worked for an incredible independent family agent with one office only, (having left my other position when they only became interested in selling finance, and not houses, sorry I nearly went off on a tangent then oop’s) My Boss loves Christmas so we close at 11:30pm on 22nd, we all get treated to a festive meal and a present and then we reopen 9am 4th Jan.
The old reason for closing between Christmas and New Year was that solicitors did the same and there was no use in opening.
As a smaller independent we set ourselves up so that we could be available even when out of the office. So we will close the office at the end of the working day on 23rd, but work from home between 10.00am and 2.00pm on 24th, 29th, 30th and 31st and open as usual again on the 4th.
This means that we can have time with our families to enjoy the festive period, but be available should there be any major occurrences and can catch up and respond to anything we need to over this period, although we will have sent out a newsletter to all tenants in the interim period to curtail as many problems as possible of course.
There is also an emergency number outside of these hours in the event of a genuine emergency such as complete electric failure or water leak.
Of course it is also everyone else’s festive period so tenants are not going to want people traipsing through their houses with family staying and presents laying around either to be fair. I think it is about taking a realistic approach for all concerned.
I’d be interested to hear from smaller firms on the Lettings Management side. Larger companies can outsource issues to a central location, but if you’re a smaller Agent, what do you do when you are managing a portfolio of properties when it comes to Christmas?
One of the smaller guys near us has a work mobile that is on 24/7 and he gives the number to every tenant personally through December. He’s only got 30 or so properties but he is always on call for them. Now that dedication.
Sounds a bit like me at the moment! Thankfully some of it is diverted to a PA service so I can pick up anything missed via a message sent to my email.
Are agents ever really closed now…
Email leads can be sent to a laptop or iPad and calls can be diverted to a mobile!
That’s how we work on a normal day, so for Harwell Estates, it will be business as usual all over Christmas and New Year…
Close on 23rd and reopen on 4th Jan.
Close 2pm 24th open 10am 26th
Either not thinking of your staff or a one man band I would have thought. Either way as someone below has said, tenants/owners WILL be having a festive time with family and won’t really want strangers traipsing over the Christmas presents and interrupting their turkey sandwiches. I’d review your plans there!