One of the great things about real estate is the flexible schedule. One of the not-so-great things is the lack of a true day off at any point in time. Have cell phone, will travel. And one of the not-so-great things about me is once I get my hands on one of these true days off, it so disrupts my routine that it takes a couple of days to get to get going again.

While I haven't been writing I definitely have been working. And one of the biggest results of the last few days is a new listing strategy, a zig while everyone else zags.

The trend this year has been for agents to ask for longer and longer listings - minimum four months for some, six months for others. I've done the same, to be honest, as I followed the crowd. But I realized over the last few days the time has come to try something different. And so I'm shortening my listing period.

Beginning this week, I am offering a 45-day listing period to prospective sellers. All of my regular marketing still will take place, from the for sale sign to the flyer box to the virtual tour to the direct mail, blast e-mails, Internet advertising and even a possible broker open house, if the location's feasible. All that's different is the listing period.

In addition, my sellers will hear from me twice a week minimum, either via phone or via e-mail. Sometimes I might even have news to pass along. And lastly, I promise to be available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sundar, except for Friday's where I'll need to shut the phone down starting at 7 p.m. If you don't reach me, I'll be back in touch in 59 minutes or less. It's just that simple.

Why the shorter listing period? Because I've found more and more sellers growing dissatisfied the longer their home is on the market, particularly with agents who don't follow up over a lengthy listing period. I'm not going to be one of those agents. By shortening the listing period, the sellers are free to move on if their home doesn't sell in 45 days (more on this in a minute) and there's only more incentive for me to work harder earlier in the listing and to make sure that my sellers are completely satisfied, even if I don't have that offer quite yet.

Can I guarantee every house will sell in 45 days? Of course not, though I believe my marketing plan combined with a reasonable pricing strategy will lead to a sell in most cases. But I also have every intention of fulfilling all of my clients' demands on the service side that even if we haven't sold at the end of the 45 days, they'll be willing to give it another 45 days to get the sale done.

And leave no doubt I want the sale done ... I only get paid when my sellers do, when the house is sold and the deal closes.

We'll get back to more regular entries tomorrow, once I'm done with a couple of listing appointments and free from the Pioneer Elementary School book fair.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes