At Home or At the Office?

Paula, I am in the middle of this exact same thing! Should i work from home, should I even have an office? My home is too far from any sort working location. my office – no productivity (too many people/distractions), my home – too far, not perfect productivity…. hmmmmm But yes my broker thinks I’m crazy for not being at the office and he thinks that I will suddenly be some super agent if I was there 24/7. I definitely laughed at the picture, and I’m very jealous of the chair!

I have worked from a home office for 4 yrs and now run my own firm from my home (yes they do allow that in my locality). I ifnd that I am MUCH more productive/efficient with my time. The largest gripe I had with the office I did work in was the lacking of working equipment. The copier, printers, and computers worked intermitently and there was no urgency to fix them.

Besides, a home office offers (or can offer) SO many on-site perks that traditional offices just can’t: private restrooms, laundry facilities, full kitchen facilities, and (my favorite) garage parking :D.

A vote for home office:
no travel time, or gas or parking issues, no restaurant food, your own bathroom, no clothing issues, no jackass you have to have in a nearby room (well maybe), private use of all equipment (no waiting, all settings your way), no security issues (believe it or not, more than a few students over the years have had them in large offices).
What you give up:
a potential for social interaction with your office peers.
However you must have a self-starter mind set and some discipline…
Just my thoughts:)

Steve – I have all the same thoughts about working at home and security issues are definately one of them. I don’t really miss the social interaction. It almost always turns into a whining session about how bad business is or a gossip session. Discipline is definately required.

Chuck G, “Both is good”…

I am a huge advocate for the home office, after all if you need to meet a prospective client for an introductory meeting you can always use a conference room at the brokers location. Several years ago my broker’s office manager asked why I didn’t spend more time around the office. I told her that there was no one in that office that was going to list their home with me and no one that was going to use me as a buyers agent so other than turning in closing documents or picking up a check, there is really no reason for me to be there.

I have done both, and would say that most people are more productive in an office environment. But it’s mostly in your head. To most people, associating work with home is a bad thing, they come home to relax not work. If you get in the real work mode from hoem, when do you stop working. For me, I found out that you never stop. So after working from home for 2 years, i’m going back to working in an office.When I come home, work initiated by mw will stop. I’ll still answer the phone and help people when they ask, but my lead generation will stop when i walk throug the door on my house.
Just my 2 cents
I work in a very successful Keller Williams office, and the most productive people seem to work from the office. They do have an office at home, but they spend time in the office every day.

Hey Paula,
Love the photo!
Here’s the weird part about the home vs office discussion: Other than the thirteen people ahead of me in the comment farm, most agents still prefer the traditional bricks and mortar business model.

I have brokered a company since 1989 that offers a blend of virtual and traditional models. Agents work primarily from home but can use our multiple, boutique offices any time they would like. We offer great splits and maintain a robust culture. On paper, it sounds like a no brainer. But it is still an uphill battle to bring agents over from the traditional shops.

It seems that many agents, even in today’s mobile environment, prefer the safety net of hanging around the water cooler and complaining about the market. Old habits are slow to change.

I have both, but only within the past 18 months did I take out space at our office. I thought that I wanted to be more comfortable, have less distractions, etc., and thought that I could have that at home. In many ways I do.
BUT…there is no substitute–for me–for the synergy created by a positive office environment. I have gathered some great info here on AG, but the information I’ve gathered just by being part of conversations around our office have been invaluable.
There’s also something about the professional feeling of dressing up and going to the office. For me, it helps. I think that your office needs to be a positive place, however. I walk into some offices here in town and feel like it’s a library or a morgue or a junior high gossip hall. I couldn’t work in those environments.
For me, I need the energy of my office…of course I’m writing this in sweat pants, a stained sweatshirt, and my dog by my side in my home office. Nice to have both!

I wrote something very similar here a few months ago. Brokerages don’t have anything to offer agents like me. I have a social life outside of real estate and do not need to belong to an office for social reasons. I have everything I need at home. We don’t really have floor time and things have been changed so that expenses that used to be picked up by the brokerage are now our problem.

Elaine – Your hours sound like mine; of course, I only close the top of my laptop – it really nevers goes off. I do enjoy being home in the mornings, pj’s, coffee, checking email, phone calls, etc. it’s comfortable and a great way to start the work day.

Mack – Funny – you’re right, no one there is going to be my client. I feel the same way, but my team seems to think we need more “office” time.

Holly – Exactly how I like my days 🙂 I even use my own color printer while paying $55.00 a month for office supllies. I may have to schedule a printing hour at the office.

Larry – I hear this often, which is why I ask the question, especially from a team leader position. I do know I never quit working because my office is at home. I do need to learn to shut the door and turn off the phone, so I can enjoy my home.

Kevin – Thanks! As an agent who has done both, I prefer the virtual vs. the brick and mortar. At the same time, there exist the mindset that clients care if you have an office. In reality, I have only met three people at my office in the last two years. They were from out of town and we had to meet somewhere. Indiana is a bit behind in the virtual office concept and I have seen many here at AG I would work for in a heartbeat. Maybe I’ll have to pave the way here in Indy.

Lisa – I hear this and yet I see the same people at the office, all dressed for a day’s work, just sitting in their office; selling nothing. I know it doesn’t apply to all. I feel like I can accomplish that at home. I agree with new agents being in the office; I was when I was new. In today’s virtual environment, though, I wonder, what agents would they learn from? In our office, those who are there, are behind closed doors.

I have worked from home for many years and love it. As my team grew I needed a central location to drop off files for the team members.

I just hired a new assistant and she is handling the contracts to close so she is there.

My team is spread out all over the county and they all prefer to work from home, but are mostly in the car.

I had my former broker tell me that agents that come into the office are higher producers. Not so. All of the top producers were working from home in Ann Arbor. Since he lived in a small rural area, it just did not apply. It is all about time management.

Now not to be sexist in this statement, but I have found most men do like going to the office more and that is who I see there. LOL