Why travel time calculations matter for real estate scheduling

You've planned your Saturday perfectly. Open home at 1:00 PM, then another at 2:00 PM. That's a full hour between appointments–plenty of time, right? But when 1:00 PM rolls around and you realize the second property is 35 minutes away in weekend traffic, panic sets in.

The travel time problem: Why most agents get it wrong

Weekend traffic is different

When you quickly Google the drive time between two properties on a Tuesday morning, you're getting midweek traffic estimates. But Saturday afternoons have completely different traffic patterns.

The hidden time costs

Even if you accurately estimate drive time, numerous hidden costs add up:

• Lock-up time: 5-10 minutes
• Walking to your car: 2-5 minutes
• Setup time: 10-15 minutes
• Parking time: 5-10 minutes
• Unexpected delays: Variable but common

The real cost of poor travel time planning

Lost buyer opportunities

Buyers plan their Saturday property tours carefully. When you arrive late, you miss early arrivals–often the most serious buyers. Word spreads: "Don't bother with Agent X's open homes–they're always late."

The solution: Automatic travel time calculations

Modern real estate scheduling tools with travel time calculations integrate directly with mapping services like Google Maps.

Key takeaways

• Underestimating travel time is a common real estate scheduling mistake
• Weekend traffic patterns differ significantly from weekday traffic
• Hidden time costs add 20-40 minutes per transition
• Automatic travel time calculations remove the guesswork
• Real-time traffic integration provides accurate estimates