July is the perfect time to get your estate agency ready before the summer holidays.
Even if you close for a few days, reduce your opening hours or part of your team is away, your website will continue to receive visitors. Buyers will keep browsing properties. Contact forms will remain active. And new leads can arrive at any time.
That is why, before you head off, it is worth reviewing a few key areas: enquiries, properties, outstanding tasks, alerts, opening hours and contact channels.
You do not need to make major changes. You simply need to spend a little time organising the essentials so that your estate agency continues to run smoothly throughout the holiday period.
If you use the Mediaelx website and CRM, many of these tasks can be prepared directly within the system.
Here are six simple steps to help you go on holiday with greater peace of mind and avoid returning to a backlog of work.
1. Decide who will respond to new leads
Before closing for a few days or reducing your opening hours, make sure you know who will handle the enquiries that come in through your website.
During the summer, many buyers continue searching for property. Some are already on holiday in the area, others compare homes from their own country, and many use these months to start planning their purchase.
For that reason, every lead should have a clear owner.
Before you leave, make sure it is clear:
- who will check the website contact forms
- who will reply to WhatsApp enquiries
- who will respond to emails
- who will follow up with active buyers
- what message will be sent if responses take a little longer than usual
With the Mediaelx CRM, enquiries can be centralised so your team knows exactly what has come in, where each lead originated and who is responsible for managing it.
This helps prevent valuable opportunities from being lost in an email, phone call or unanswered message.
2. Review the featured properties on your website
Your website will continue working even while your office is closed.
Before you go on holiday, review which properties appear in your most visible sections: homepage, featured listings, carousels, banners and key landing pages.
Make sure you are showcasing properties that you genuinely want to promote throughout the summer.
For example:
- properties with good availability
- homes with attractive prices
- up-to-date new-build developments
- properties with high-quality photography
- homes your team wants to highlight in current campaigns
It is also a good opportunity to remove sold, reserved or no longer relevant properties from your featured sections.
With the Mediaelx CRM, you can manage which properties appear on your website and keep your digital shop window looking its best.
3. Prepare tasks and reminders in your CRM
Coming back from holiday without knowing where to start can quickly become overwhelming.
- Buyers waiting for follow-up
- Viewings to confirm
- Vendors expecting a reply
- Enquiries without follow-up
- Properties waiting to be reviewed
To avoid this, set up your tasks and reminders in the CRM before you leave.
You can schedule actions such as:
- calling a buyer when you return;
- sending new property suggestions to a client;
- reviewing outstanding documentation;
- confirming a property's availability;
- following up after a viewing;
- contacting a property owner;
- reviewing leads received during the holidays.
This ensures everyone in your team knows exactly what needs to be done, when it should be done and for which client.
A CRM is not just for storing contacts. It should also help you organise your sales activity and prevent opportunities from going cold.
4. Activate saved searches and automatic alerts
Not every buyer will contact you while you are available.
Some will browse your website, compare properties and explore different areas before they are ready to speak to an estate agent.
For those buyers, saved searches and automatic alerts can be extremely valuable.
With this feature, buyers can save their search criteria and receive notifications whenever new properties matching their requirements become available.
For example:
- apartments near the sea
- villas with a swimming pool
- new-build homes in a specific area
- properties within a certain budget
- homes with particular features
This keeps your estate agency in front of potential buyers, even when your office is closed or your team is working reduced summer hours.
It also allows you to understand each client's preferences more clearly within your CRM, making future follow-up far more effective.
A visitor who does not contact you today could become a client later if the system is properly prepared.
5. Update your summer opening hours on Google
This is an easy task to overlook, but it can have a significant impact on the customer experience.
If your estate agency changes its opening hours during the summer, closes for a few days or operates by appointment only, update this information on your Google Business Profile.
Many people check Google before calling, visiting your office or requesting information. If your website displays an embedded Google Map on the contact page, those opening hours will also be visible there.
Before you leave, check:
- opening hours
- closed dates
- special summer opening hours
- contact telephone number
- office address
- website link
- all visible business information
Keeping this information up to date prevents confusion, unnecessary phone calls outside office hours and unexpected visits.
It also projects a more professional image, showing clients that your business information is accurate and well maintained.
6. Prepare clear messages for your clients
If responses are likely to take a little longer for a few days, it is always better to communicate this clearly.
You do not need lengthy explanations. Simply prepare a short, professional and friendly message.
You can use it in automatic replies, WhatsApp Business, emails or website forms.
For example:
"We're currently operating on our summer opening hours. We've received your enquiry and will get back to you as soon as possible."
Or:
"Our team may take a little longer than usual to respond during the holiday period, but we'll review your enquiry as soon as we can."
The goal is not to tell clients that your agency has stopped working. The goal is simply to manage expectations.
If buyers know their enquiry has been received, they are much more likely to wait for your reply. Without any confirmation, they may assume nobody has seen it and contact another agency instead.
Bonus: review your XML feeds before you leave
If your estate agency imports properties via XML feeds, it is also worth carrying out a quick review before the holidays.
Your imports may continue updating automatically, but that does not mean the quality of your property catalogue should be left unchecked.
Before closing, you can verify:
- whether new properties have been imported
- whether any prices have increased or decreased
- whether any listings have disappeared
- whether any photos or property details need updating
- whether imported properties still fit your sales strategy
- whether there are any properties worth featuring more prominently
The Latest Changes history in the Mediaelx CRM helps you identify these updates without having to review your entire catalogue manually.
This allows you to leave your website better organised and avoid returning to an unnecessary backlog of work.
Going on holiday does not mean leaving your estate agency unattended
An estate agency can close for a few days, reduce its opening hours or operate with a smaller team without losing control.
The key is preparing the important things before you leave.
Reviewing your leads, updating your properties, scheduling tasks, activating alerts, maintaining your Google Business Profile and preparing clear customer messages can make a significant difference.
With the Mediaelx website and CRM, many of these actions can be managed from one system, helping your team stay organised while ensuring your clients continue to receive excellent service.
Before closing the office or switching to summer opening hours, take a few minutes to review your website, CRM and communication channels.
Your estate agency will remain visible.
Your properties will continue attracting visitors.
And your leads can keep coming in.
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