Day In The Life Of A New York Real-Estate Agent

1. 5:30am

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Wake up bright and early to get ready for the gym. I'm usually leaving the house by 5:45am to get to the gym by 6am ready to start my workout for the day. Why so early? If I don't do it now, it will never happen, because my day will inevitably get crazy!

2. 6:00am

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At the gym, ready to start my workout. If I hit it hard for the next hour or so, then I'll be ready to get home and start my day. The empty gym lets me easily find parking and do my workout the way I want. It actually sets up the entire day for me to get some exercise in.

3. 6:59am

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With my workout complete, I'm ready to head home and get my day officially underway. It's about 15 minutes back to my place so that I can shower and get dressed for the day. After that I usually make some breakfast (sometimes I just grab something on the way from the gym), and try to have a few moments of calm and walk my dog.

4. 8:30am

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I'm at my desk with a coffee in hand, ready to hit the ground running. My vitamins are sitting at my desk, so I pop a few of those before I'm ready to dive in. I grab my notebook and write down my to-do list for the day to help me focus.

5. 9:00am

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Ready to start my first task of the day, I start bathing together photos to send out to be rendered. Sometimes, residents still live in the property when we're taking photos of the space to list the rental. So we send them to an editor who can remove anything we wouldn't want uploaded on the listing. They can also help us adjust the photos to show what the space will look like after renovations if we're doing any.

6. 9:32am

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After the photos are uploaded and sent out, I'm ready to send out a few emails. This usually consists of following up with any clients or applicants. There are also emails from landlords and other general work related emails to attend to, so let's get these out!

7. 9:37am

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Getting interrupted by an angry email! Sometimes an applicant will send me an angry email because they missed out on a listing. This is usually because they took too long to reply to various information that was sent to them. So just putting on my best customer service voice (via email) to present them with some other options.

8. 10:05am

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Time for more photo rendering. This process can take forever, because you have to upload each photo and then go through and explain what you want done to each one to make it list ready. You also have to include examples of any furniture that you'd like added to the photos.

9. 11:28am

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Time for my second cup of coffee for the day. I won't lie, some agents take a little stimulant to get through the day. Maybe just something natural to keep them focused, but I usually just opt for a second cup of coffee and get ready to send some voicemails.

10. 11:36am

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Did you know that you can send ringless voicemails? It basically lets me sent out voicemails in batches to landlords to update them on the current status of things or if they have any vacancies without their phone ringing every time. I also reach out to homeowners in the area to see if they're interested in having their property value assessed.

11. 12:28pm

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We made it to lunch time! Depending on what else I have happening that day, more desk work or showings, I make a quick lunch at home or grab something while I'm out and about. Either way, I definitely look for something quick and easy for lunch!

12. 1:00pm

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The first showing of the day starts soon, so I get ready to head out. There's stuff I need to do at each listing, as well as keeping an eye on any emails that might come in. So I pack up my belongings and get on my way to the first showing in Manhattan.

13. 1:30pm

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Besides the in person showing, it's super important for me to know how to market the space as well. We already talked about the photo rendering, but this property we're showing is ready to go. So I bring along a videographer to capture some b-roll footage to upload online. I also make a few Tik Tok showings for the kids...

14. 2:43pm

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After we wrap up at that location, we jump in the car to head to the next spot. Once we're in the neighborhood, we make a quick stop for a bagel and something to drink. Honestly, this is the best part of my day as a New Yorker. Zabar's bagel for the win!

15. 3:15pm

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Getting ready for the next showing of the day! Honestly, this is my favorite part, being able to show people properties and find out what they're excited about. Making the social videos is also pretty fun, because it's fun to see how people online respond to the spaces.

16. 4:48 pm

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Part of the job is looking the part, so after my listings, I head to my tailor to get fitted for a few new blazers. A large part of making the sale is being able to present yourself in a professional manner. I work closely with a tailor and stylist  to create a curated but casual look.

17. 5:30pm

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I decided to step into a coffee shop quickly to grab a drink and send out a few emails. Running around the city is busy, but it's important to stay as up-to-date with everything as possible. I also use this time to check a few voicemails and make a note of anything I need to prioritize tomorrow.

18. 6:03pm

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I give my assistant a quick call. We usually try to keep this meeting earlier in the day, but stuff popped up for both of us. It's a meeting to recap the week and go over any priorities that will be needed. This is beyond just real estate, but it's also time to talk about marketing needs and strategize how to get more clients.

19. 6:23pm

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I hop on a call with my other colleague to discuss the call numbers from the week. The system can show us how many calls went out, how long people had to wait, and how many strong leads were generated from the calls! On average, we do over 400 calls a day!

20. 6:30pm

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I finish up the call walking and talking because I'm about to meet my friends at a bar to snag some drinks at the tail end of happy hour. It's rare that I get to go out like this, but I try to prioritize it when I can. It gives me a bit of time to unwind from the stress of the day.

21. 7:24pm

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I received a voicemail while I was out and about that was definitely not happy. An applicant lost out on a place they really wanted, and of course, they're ready to take that out on me! So I hop on the phone to try to explain the situation and what they could do differently next time. The call takes forever, but we finally reach a conclusion.

22. 8:00pm

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Time to head home. The day definitely isn't over, but I'm ready to sit on my couch with my laptop to send out my last few emails of the day and get things ready for the next day. A lot of people don't realize, but a job like this doesn't really have a start and stop time. There's always more work to be done!

23. 8:03pm

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On the way home, I check the social videos that I posted to see what properties are popping. Sure, a lot of the views and comments are from people who don't even live in the state. It's also a lot of people who aren't in a position to rent. But every now and then, we do see success from these, and it also gives the company good visibility.

24. 8:30pm

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Finally back home, I quickly change into some more comfortable clothes (and shoes) and take my dog for a walk. The dog walker checked in on her earlier, but being able to take her on a longer walk in the evenings is one of my favorite parts of the day!

25. 8:55pm

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After the walk, I come back inside. Maybe make a quick snack, but I know that I have some emails looming over my head. I'm pretty beat by this time of the day, but the job never stops! I grab my laptop and plop down on the couch to send out a few more replies.

26. 9:15pm

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Rounding out the day catching up on emails and voicemails. Sure these could wait until tomorrow, but they're also never-ending. So if I can get through a few and not open my inbox to hundreds of messages in the morning, then it's great for my mental health!

27. 9:43pm

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So the day started at 5:30 today, and here we are at almost 10pm, finally wrapping up. It was definitely a long day, and some days have more showings than others. A lot of days are filled with the "less fun" things. It's definitely a grind, but I love it. Time for TV!

28. 10:00pm

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I mindlessly scroll TikTok while the TV is on in the background. My FYP is full of property videos, and I take quick notes on my phone of anything that I find inspirational. See what I mean when I say the job never ends! I also mentally start thinking through what I want to focus on tomorrow.

29. 10:30pm

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Time to head to bed! Not every day is this full, but between errands, showings and office work, there's always something to do. Tomorrow is stacked with showings and then more phone calls and emails. My dog and I head to bed to get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

30. Conclusion

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The real estate agent life is no joke, especially in NYC. The market is super competitive, and you have to be on your A game and hustling at all times. It's all about the connections you make, being proactive in getting listings, and helping get people into great homes they're excited about!