I've quickly learned there is no true vacations in the mortgage industry. So at best I let my clients know I will be away from my desk or out of town but, will monitor emails/voice mails and responsored may be slightly delayed. My personality type makes it difficult to delegate responsibilities to another loan officer in my absence. I'm a work in progress!

I will talk with active clients about my plans.  Rarely am I out of phone range and if I am generally not for too long.  My longest out of range is a camping trip for 2 or 3 days.  Then I put it on my VM what I am up to and an auto responder on my e-mail.  I will also talk to lenders and other agents I am working on something with.  

If I am taking a long trip, which is rare, I have coverage for my clients and prospects and make sure everyone knows. I still check email and respond if truly need. For short hauls, no one knows I am not around becuase of the technology. But I make sure I have someone to help if something comes up that I cannot address remotely.

No....we are aways in touch by cell and if need be have a back up agent to

show a listing.

Yes I tell my clients and these days it is not a problem because of cell phones and emails. They can always reach me.

I don't go on vacation a lot, but I do make one big 2 week trip overseas every year to visit family. I absolutely tell my clients I'm going and when. And no one ever resents it, in fact they usually go out their way to tell me I deserve a break. I start notifying my clients about 4-5 weeks prior to leaving of my plans and then remind them again about one week before. They know they can always email me or call me while I'm away if needed (most choose to wait for my return).

Yes, I let them know.  Depending on why I go away I have coverage from one of my agents.

"Vacation" is just not in my vocabulary. That means that I am not out of touch at any time, even if I may not be there physically. Except for showing properties, there are just few times when I am missed. Luckily, everyone else is busy as well, so meeting face to face meetings are rarely needed. 

I am fortunate in working in an office that I feel very comfortabe knowing my people will be taken care of.  I am also extremely fortunate that Rain Silverhawk and I help one another out quite often.  Many times up front I tell a new client of our relationship and that they have the advantage of 2 even though I will be taking care of them for the most part.  As far as telling someone when leaving, I only tell the ones I am working with at that particular moment.  Mark

I have a lot of help - my team is great at helping my clients when I'm away, but my clients always know when I'm away, and know they can still reach me with anything they need - I still have my phone on me and respodn to emails a few times/day. 

I have always used associate agents to handle business when I am unavailable. This is the benefit of having a team.

I do let my clients know when I will be out of town. The other two agents in my office help me with my business when I'm gone, and I do the same for them. 

VAcation?  Yea, I have taken a few.   I have a couple agents that work for my company.  My clients know they can E-Mail me anytime, and phone me, but I will not always answer the phone.  The agents in my company will take over my clients if I or they need.

I am mobile ready at all times.

Yes, and I have another agent cover my business.

I actually handled all the paperwork for two successful offers last year while on vacation. Ya gotta love Docusign!

I walked in the office one morning and found an Associate upset.  His Buyers made an offer on a home while he was on just a three day getaway nearby.  I said you told them you were going on vacation?  I then said what lesson have you learned from this?  He said his Buyers told him they felt like he had abandon them.  They happen to stumble upon a home, and was afraid it would be sold by the time he returned.  They told him they were so sorry for making an emotional decision.  Technology today affords us to be away without our Clients knowing we are away.  Rarely do I need to have a backup Associate to cover for me when I take a break.

I do alert my clients if I will be out of town but as many of the responses noted above, agents are rarely out of touch.

When I go on a vacation where there's limited Cell/Internet service, I tell my clients who will be covering my business while I'm away. I also spend time to brief my fellow agent about my clients. We do this for each other and it's worked out fine for everyone.

If I need to go anywhere longer than a couple of days, I partner up with another agent in my office to help with anything that may be upcoming.  Showings, signatures on documents, etc.  I can still be reached via phone or e-mail, but I always want my clients to have someone that can be met with.  Most of the time it isn't needed, but you just never know what can happen.

Of course I would notify clients I am working with that I will be going on vacation. At the same time, I have very capable individuals in my office that they can work with, and the agent I assign to my clients to will have the full scoop on what is going on with their search, transaction, etc. Then, I also let my clients know that I will be available by phone, text, or email if some emergency comes up. I try to do as little business as possible to enjoy my vacations, but I have done multiple transactions while on vacation, and it has never been a problem. I always have enough time off to enjoy my vacation, and am also very lucky that I work in a fantastic office where everyone helps everyone else.

Most probably, I'll still have an access to my smart phone. So, I'll be able to manage the questions or any issues my clients have. I also have a team, someone will always back me up.

Clients are always informed when I leave town.  I partner  with agents who cover for me when I travel.  In addition, I'm available by phone and frequently check-in from my location.

I have another agent , sometimes two, handle my business while I am away. I always prep clients at least one month in advance so they are aware.

I seldom tell them in advance, but I may do so while on vacation if it appears appropriate, and then only if something needs my immediate physical attention.

I have others who will handle the physical attention part.

Debbie,

Two schools of thought here...in the olden days before all the new stuff came out including the Internet, we had in place 2 excellent agents in our company as part of our team.  When we would leave for Europe or any other faraway destination, our clients knew and felt comfortable in contacting them if something came up.  One caveat is we never left when an escrow was open...

The other is to hide the fact and spend you vacation time dealing with all kinds of things that were not of an emergency nature. I remember seeing a fellow agent on the beach in Hawaii answering his cell phone and taking copious notes, etc...

Take the road that make most sense to you is my answer, but remember vacation meas to vacate. A

I take winter, summer and Super Bowl vacations every year. What good is money if you can't enjoy it with family and friends? My clients know my vacation schedule immediately when they become clients. So in emergencies, my clients can always call me, yet I haven't had a single call during any of my vacations. 

Always let all my clients know well in advance with a reminder a few days before leaving and also have someone that will cover for me, to handle any unexpected things that come up.

Yes, I tell them. I have coverage and I do minimum work while on vacation. The agents I leave my business with are awesome!  I check my email when I can and I returns phone calls when I can.  I love vacation and I love seeing new things so I'm pretty busy exploring while I'm away. Life is too short to work around the clock. I work with people who respect my personal time.

We don't take lengthy vacations.  They're usually 3-4 days at the most.  I have a team of 9 other agents that can handle our stuff when we leave, and we do tell our clients.  

Hmmm, I guess it hasn't come up as I haven't taken a vacation in 7 years. I would probably call on one of the 3 agents that I cover for and they would gladly repay me by covering. The last time I took 4 days and went to Montreal a deal started to fall apart and I was on the D____ phone for hours. I paid more in roaming fees than gas. (not complaining.... well maybe a little but I could have let it die)

Yes historically I have told them that I will be unavailable. I line up an agent to take over if homes need to be shown.

Yes Debbie Reynolds I inform them.

It's a good idea to be transparent - and as long as you have someone to take care of their needs, nothing wrong in it.

I tell my listings and current clients. Such as in 2 weeks, i will be available by email, and have a designated agent taking my place for showings, inspections and such. I make my own decisions from where ever i am though, technology is great. 

If I have active transactions going on, I let everyone involved know when I am on vacation. Most of the time, we are able to handle anything that comes up through email/fax/etc. Hasn't been too much of a problem.