Can you really step away from your real estate business for nine days without the whole thing falling apart? Taking time off as a real estate agent feels impossible when you’re a solo agent, but I’m here to tell you it’s not. I just got back from a nine-day trip to Czech and Austria, and in this episode, Katy walks me through every detail of how I prepped, who helped, what almost went sideways, and what I’d do differently next time.
If you’ve been waiting for permission to actually book the trip, consider this your nudge.
The Weeks Before the Trip
About a month before I left, I started feeling nervous. I have a part-time admin in my office who helps me with regular tasks, but I knew I needed someone else to step in for the bigger stuff while I was gone. I asked a newer agent in my office (newer to our office, not new to real estate) if she could help me, and she said yes.
The tricky part of taking time off as a real estate agent is that it’s almost impossible to predict what’s going to come up. I didn’t want to dump every possible scenario on her, but I also didn’t want her caught off guard. So I started a running list in my phone of anything that might matter, and I told her we’d meet for coffee a few days before I left to walk through it all.
The Coffee Meeting That Changed Everything
Honestly, until we sat down for coffee, I was anxious. After that meeting? I felt great. We went through my client list, my email system, and the specific situations I knew would come up. I showed her how I check property disclosures when buyers send me addresses, how I review new listings before forwarding them, and which appointments she’d need to cover.
I paid her a flat $1,000 for the nine days. When I got back, she actually said she felt like she didn’t earn that much. I told her you cannot put a price on peace of mind, and I sent it anyway.
How I Set Up My Business to Run Without Me
A few things made this whole trip possible:
- I scheduled three closings for the Friday before I left so nothing closed while I was gone.
- I gave my helper access to my email and showed her how I use my inbox as a to-do list.
- I had pre-written email templates she could use to respond to common situations (this is exactly why Email Templates 101 exists).
- I set up an auto-text response on my phone for when calls came in.
- I told my important clients I’d be out and reassured them they wouldn’t be bothering me by reaching out.
What Happened While I Was Gone
Almost nothing. And I mean that in the best way. My phone barely rang. I checked email in the mornings, responded to a few quick things, and went about my day enjoying my friend’s hometown, her family’s cabin, and a boiler system tutorial from her dad (with ChatGPT translating in real time, because her parents don’t speak English).
I took one phone call from a needy seller at midnight my time, just to get it over with so she wouldn’t know I was gone. My helper handled three showings, met an appliance person, met an alarm company, and kept my inbox tidy. That was it.
The Trip Home Was Where It Got Hard
I had nine hours on the plane home, and I planned to catch up on email. The Wi-Fi went out for the entire flight. An offer came in on one of my listings with a tight response window, and I spent three hours texting my helper from 30,000 feet, walking her through how to fill out my offer response template and get it to my sellers. The texts were going through in spurts. It was chaotic.
Then my layover got extended, I didn’t get home until 1am, and I hadn’t slept in 26 hours.
The Biggest Lesson: Buffer Days Are Sacred
Here’s what I’d do differently next time. I told clients I’d be back on Thursday, but I really needed until Friday or even Monday. I scheduled a final walk-through Thursday morning that I had to attend, and that’s where I got the news that one of my closings was falling apart because the buyer’s loan got denied the day before closing.
Thankfully, a family member stepped in with cash and we closed, but I was so tired I couldn’t even react. I just went, “okay.” Katy called me a little real estate zombie, and she was right.
If you’re planning a real trip, give yourself buffer days on the back end. Don’t let the slippery slope of “well, I’m physically here” pull you back to work before you’ve truly recovered.
You Deserve to Take the Trip
Taking time off as a real estate agent isn’t a luxury. It’s necessary. You have a job so you can have a life, and you have to actually live it. Don’t save your travel for retirement. Realtors don’t really retire anyway.
If you want more on this topic, we’ve got a few older episodes that walk through different angles. Episode 57 is on taking a single day off, Episode 102 is our vacations how-to guide, and Episode 331 features Kim Lafleur, who left her phone with her team while she went to Turks and Caicos (a level of bravery I have not yet achieved).
Now go book the trip.
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Music:
Straight A’s by Connor Price
The Good Life by Summer Kennedy
Be The One by Matrika
