"The worst part about my job is that it is hard to completely disconnect," Jared Barnett, a Compass agent who sells homes between $2 million and $5 million in New York City, told Business Insider.
"Selling real estate is complex, so if you want to be successful you have to work hard and be available at all times, whether in person, via email or on the phone," Barnett said. "Real-estate deals are very intricate and time-sensitive, so if you're unavailable to handle a problem that arises, it could cost you the deal."
Smitha Ramchandani, a broker-associate at SR Real Estate Group at Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty, who sells homes in New Jersey and California, said agents "have to be available during the evenings, weekends, holidays and on vacations. We have worked from the middle of the Serengeti (not kidding), Australia and New Zealand."