How many times have you and your co-workers joked about your job description and the ever-present “other duties as assigned“. We all know that means that the employer can ask you to do most anything. At my former Marketing career, we often would say, “do whatever it takes to get the job done”, meaning we would work above and beyond our stated job description to get results.
Today was one of those “other duties as assigned” days. As with much of the country, we’ve had a fair amount of snow. A showing was scheduled on the home. There was snow that needed to be shoveled at the entrance. It’s as important to stage the outside as well as the inside.
- ScoobyDoo earmuffs – √
- Warm gloves – √
- Duck boots & warm socks – √
- Heavy sweater, warm coat - √
- Snow shovel & broom – √
- Blackberry in the pocket to call 911 – √√
I know … lots of you think we Realtors® lead lives and dress like they do on the home reality shows. You think all we do is unlock doors and drive fancy cars. And that we make LOADS of easy money. HA!!!!!
I’ve shoveled snow for many listings over the years. I’ve babysat their dog when they left for vacation and kennels were full. I’ve mopped floors when they left the home too dirty. I’ve kicked their beer-drinking buddy’s dirty underwear from the middle of the room to under the bed (ew-w-w-w) so it wasn’t visible during a planned open house. I’ve had to clean up hairballs when the cat decided to deposit it in the living room floor during an open house.
I’m certainly not alone in doing what is called for – lots of responsible agents do the same thing. We take our job seriously, and our job is to do what it takes to successfully market and sell our clients’ homes. Think about that the next time you watch a reality show with some chick in high heels driving a classy sports car being presented as a real estate agent.
My life and the lives of many of the rest of us are the TRUE REALITY. We work hard – usually 7 days a week, and many are accessible waking hours via our cell phones. How many other professions can say that!
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“If they only knew” could have been your alternative headline.
Unlocking doors isn’t always as easy as it sounds, like when the key is missing or you have to guess which door the key is for.
Fancy cars? Mine has “Colorado pinstrips”
I’m with you, we work hard for our money and I carry my own snow shovel!
Good comment on the key. I’ve often joked with buyers that the one thing they didn’t teach us was how to use the locks. So often you have to know the exact “trick” to get the door to open.
My Jeep is like a mini hardware store: hammer, screwdriver, pliers, tape (all kinds), Band-Aids, rebar rods (for installing signs in frozen ground), Stanley tape measure, tripod, reflective light w/cord, plastic ties … and a few errant french fries and candy wrappers.