Good-comforts of home

Bad-no office to meet people in, no quiet place to think when negotiating, no credibility in the community,no overhead (ok that was good).

I started out in my home working for an office 60 mi away. But everyone in my area kept asking where my office was? It was a credibility thing for me because I am in a small town. May not be that kind of public perception problem for you.

I actually am in my office very little as I am in the car ALOT but I do enjoy having an office.

I've been licensed for 5 yrs and started my own brokerage 1 year ago. I realized that the way i work I don't need to have an office, or even a broker to administrate my deals.

Having never met a client in an my old brokers office the previous 4 years was a key factor in deciding to go solo.

It really depends on how you work.

Home office pros:

get to work in your pj's

home for the kids

low overhead

ultra convenient and efficient

cons:

get to work in your pj's

no networking

cabin fever

I was with a very large Prudential in New Jersey we had to go to functions and also do floor time and have meetings I was there for 16 years. I miss being with the other agents, but I love being with RE/MAX for the past 6 months. More freedom and more money. In New Jersey you are not permitted to open an office from your home, you must have an office. A Broker has to be in charge during the usual business hours. The REC checks up on you. This is how RE/MAX became so powerful here.

Steve and I are partners in business and in life.  We have a home office where Steve does all of his work.  I go into the office to work each day.  I find being home too distracting - I don't like it.  I need to do laundry..clean up, etc.  Steve loves working from home as he finds he is more productive here.  I like the office environment and having coworkers to talk to if I choose.  The one thing about working from the office is getting drawn into all the office drama - or having people who like to chat when I am trying to work.  I would get cabin fever at home though.  

I do work at home some evenings.  I usually relax in the evenings by watching tv and doing work on our website.  A home office is also convenient when our 8 year old is sick or has a day off from school.  You can still get things done and be with him.  

I love having the option of both.  Storm days are great for getting extra paper work done!  We have had clients meet us here and at the office.  Our house is five minutes from work so it's not a big deal.  But being able to fax something from home at midnight is pretty convenient.  

That's my take on it!

Carol

Everyone pretty summed up my feelings. Like Carol, I have a hard time getting stuff done at home -- too many distractions like the couch, the fridge, and the back porch.

I don't *need* an "office". If only I were just more motivated to work from home. There's nothing I can't do at home that I could do in an office.

We're pondering converting the extended bay of our garage to an office. It would only be accessible from an exterior door. Means I'd have to get dressed and "go to the office". That may (or may not) make just the difference I need.

As for meeting clients, we rarely if ever meet them at the physical office. Believe it or not, we usually meet new clients at Starbucks. They have wireless internet access, so we just tap into that if needed. Clients seem to like it, I don't think it's as intimidating as meeting them in our office -- more like "neutral territory".

Great question!

Excellent topic! I started out with an ultra hip C21 office where I was Manager- you know the fancy desks, lot of art deco, top of the line computers, secretary, the whole 9 yards. When I decided to go "solo" I was terrified of not being able to live up to the expectations in terms of appearance. Well needless to say it's been 9 years, working from my home office and loving it. Hard? Yes. Takes discipline? Yes. Miss the office environment? Yes. But I would not change this for the world. I am much more profitable, sales have gone up every single year, my credibility within my area is excellent and my kids love it. My husband and I work together so this is perfect. Have more time for the kids, the house, the pets, the boat. I can't complain. Hey even in Puerto Rico things are not that different, I still have to take the fear out of some of my colleauges whom are thinking of doing the home office thing. It's really not a matter of the physical office, but more of each person's work ethics, the service and how professionally you priject yourself. It's not only selling houses, it's selling your image as well.

Greetings to all from Puerto Rico.

I love working out of my home. I found that I am much more productive at home than at an office.

* I don't have to get dressed unless I want to or if I have appointments

* I can talk to myself while i'm working and not having someone ask "what did you say?" :) :) :) :) (You know you all talk to yourself while concentrating REAL hard on something)

* No office drama

I don't miss having conversations with anyone because I get that here :)  I do talk to other agents that I have befriended and I do go to board functions.

My broker has 5 offices and soon to be opening a 6th. One of them is less than 5 minutes from my home. But our offices are all there to meet with clients, use the machines and have class time (if desired). But we consider ourselves a virtual office. A client cannot just walk into any of our offices as there are no receptionists etc. They are all key coded and on the rare occassion that I do go to the office I "might" find another agent there. Most of the time I don't. I really enjoy working from my home office. For me it is what I have done for years as my former business was in the computer field and I worked it from home as well. Frankly, I don't care for the whole office environment myself. I can do anything I need to do right from here and like was mentioned above I mostly meet with clients at a neutral location as well.

If my broker told me I had to come into the office everyday I think I would find a new broker. If the state said I have to have/be at an office everyday I would quit real estate.

I did plenty of work today. Even created some new relationships with new clients. I brushed my teeth and took a shower but I got to do business in my shorts, t-shirt and no shoes. :) Not that I don't like getting into my business attire. I just didn't feel up to it today. So I didn't and still accomplished my goals for the day. What a dealio!

I prefer working out of my home. Yes I have access to an office 24 hrs a day but  I really have no need to go there.

I started with a Coldwell Banker office back in the early 80's and the office was more like a gossip coffee shop.  I think half the agents there at that time were just there to socialize.

The home is the way to go for us, although it seems to sometime seem like you are working 24/7. Our office does have space if you choose it, however I just like to use it to meet up with people.

I am a realtor on the go and where ever my phone goes, my office goes too.  I have all my phone numbers in it, my fax is an e-fax forwarded to my phone, email is forwarded to my phone and my next upgrade will have documents and the MLS on my phone.  This is important since there is no secretary or team to cover for me and I need to be ready to conduct business wherever I go.

If you want a location for my office, it would be my home first and my car second.  I love the flexibility of doing my job whether I am at my computer, picking up kids from school, or buying groceries.

I just recently hired on with a new broker, in part because my old broker only had one office that was more than 40 miles from my home (and selling area).  My new broker has 4 offices, much better name recognition and the ability to meet with clients (at the office) no matter which part of town they are located.

Even though I work out of my home office most of the time, I found that if you don't have a presence in the community clients will not take you seriously.  I have lost several good listings to agencies that had a larger presence in the neighborhood.  Many clients still perceive that the agency, not agent sells the property.

I am in the office once a month and that is about it. I work mainly from my home office (THE RV) I lost my in-home office to my now soon to be 3 year old. - LOL.

But I have never met a client at the office. If I don't know the person, I will meet them at a local coffee house and sit for 15 minutes getting to know them and to see if I want to work with them. I advise clients I interview them as much as they are interviewing me.

I've actually told 2 buyers this last year that I didn't think we were a good fit and gave them some other contact information and moved on.

I've worked to hard to work with people I don't think I will get along with.

Todd

I had made a commitment to myself at the beginning of the year to go into the office everyday if only for an hour or so thinking it would help me stay focused.

What I found was the more I went in, the more I wanted to go in. Being a relatively new agent, this was the best move I could have made!  

The exposure to other agents, title companies, lenders, home inspectors etc. has been the best learning experience I could have asked for.

I now share an office with another agent and my business has definitely benefited!

Just like sharing ideas with other P2 members, sharing ideas, watching, listing, and learning from other agents has been "priceless".

I've been working from a home office for seven years now and can not see why you need a brick and mortar office in this day and age. I meet sellers at their property - I meet buyers at the showings and write contracts on the spot.

I joined a company last year that celebrates my career choices and rewards me for building a nationwide team as well. In Florida we are able to do mortgages as well as the real estate sale and since my company is also the fourth largest lender/broker in the US I am able to make additional cash.

If anyone is interested in find out more about my company, just visit my website at: www.LearnToEarnMore.com (copy & paste in browser if necessary).

You can build a team nationwide in both real estate and mortgages and get paid every Friday even if you don't personally close a deal. In just two short years we already have over 1,000 agents - we're currently licensed in 36 states plus DC in real estate and 48 states for mortgages. We are not a franchise - we're the only wholly owned real estate brokerage nationwide.

Go to the website for more info: www.LearnToEarnMore.com

I didn't realize before reading this post that I was the odd one out.  On occassion I work from home in the morning (snow, hurricanes) but I go in the office daily & yes I meet my clients in the office. I guess having worked in the corporate world for almost 30 yrs before getting into real estate, I am so conditioned to get up & dressed and go into the office which is about 10 minutes from my house.  Getting dressed for the office motivates me more than staying home in casual clothes and puts me in a business mindset.  

I also do floor time & we get walk-ins as well as calls. I had a walk-in this afternoon & we went out looked at 5 rentals & came back to my office for the paper work before submitting the offer.  We have 2 conference rooms, a full kitchen & even toys for the kids, but I find meeting my clients in my office rather than at another location puts them in a more business mindset and they look at me as a professional rather than doing real estate as a parttime sideline. As this is how most fulltime agents in my area do it though, clients expect to visit your office.  

I also find the interaction with other agents has helped as I've heard about listings coming up & gotten my cleints in first. As we get @ 80 listings on average on the list Broker Open House days & since our area is large you can't possibly see them all. After visiting Open Houses we share information about homes we've seen with others in the office who MAY HAVE missed seeing a property. I've had agents come up to me & ask if I saw a particular house that they saw since it sounded like something one of my cleints was looking for & I've done the same for others.

I guess it comes down to what works best for you and was is the norm for your area.  

Holy Cow...no spell check here.  Blogging and Blackberry nightmares for me.  Well, I am a "Chatty Cathy Doll".  10 years ago I started with COLDWELL BANKER and was strongly suggested we have an office desk and show up regardless.  I managed to learn a lot from others, listen in horror to some of their stories and try  to avoid their pitfalls.  I also found the biggest dilemma for most was where they were going to eat lunch that day. I often found myself helping the agents with computer problems and found my time was mostly unproductive. After a year, I started working from home with 2 small children and a third on the way and somehow I was more productive.  Oh.. people are nicer to a pregnant REAL ESTATE agent.  Well it's now 7 years later (and fourth child is now 3 years old) and it goes both ways...sometimes I need to get out of the house and be with my colleges regardless of work. Sometimes I am on a marketing roll and up way too late so it's a full jammie day.  Best thing is I HAVE OPTIONS.  And that is the best thing you can give yourself in life.

I'm sure the Brokers out there would love to eliminate the office buildings, huh?  Alot less cost!  Unfortunately, I don't see that happening.  There are several schools of thought I have found as to how websites function for agents.  Personally, I think they function as a 24/7 virtual office for customers and should be designed with that in mind.  A place to get info, leave a message, get some brochures, etc.

The brick-and-mortar office holds tremendous value in meeting with colleagues and customers.  Something I don't want to be doing at home or in a public place.  The whole internet dialogue reminds me of the early 90's and brick-and-mortar stores going away.  It never happened, and in fact those stores expanded.  That's because retailers learned quickly that consumers use the internet as a supplement to shopping.  It is an enhancement to one's buisness, not a replacement.  

I actually tried going with a newer Broker who has no office building and focuses tremendously on the website and internet.  It was a nightmare in many respects.  Meetings in Dunkin' Donuts, IM's through Google, parking lot meetings, etc.  I have an office at the house, he has an office at his house, and I felt like if holographic technology was available . . . we be doing that.  It was too Star Trekish (if something can be that) too me.  

Kathy West

Thanks for this post. I've been working from my home office yet feeling a little guilty for not "going to work". I enjoy the comfort at home and am more productive there than at the work office. If I need help or need to talk with fellow agents, they're just a phone call away. I'm eventually planning on going completely mobile (updating my cell, getting a Tablet, fax, printer, etc). Working in the brokerage is very distracting, lot's of noise and running about. I like to work with some music on low in the background and can't hear it there. As for clients, I'll meet with them wherever they feel comfortable.