Should You Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

As a real estate agent, things get busier as your business grows.

In your early days, you might have thrived off of the success, but as you start to close more and more deals, working your own hours can start to feel more and more like you have no time for yourself at all.

If this is the case, then you should consider hiring a real estate virtual assistant.

We’ve written this article to expand on what a real estate VA is, what they do, how to hire one, and where to find the best person for the job.

What is a VA in Real Estate?

A real estate virtual assistant will essentially be your right hand in business.

Much like traditional personal assistants, real estate VAs can take on a variety of roles to streamline your operations.

They can help you with administrative tasks, sales, customer support, and even marketing if not all of those things, but that depends on their level of expertise, your professional relationship, and the level of trust you have in their ability.

As a VIRTUAl assistant, you have to remember that your relationship with this person will likely exist primarily, or even entirely through online interactions, but in-person meetings are still fairly common.

You and your real estate VA may even live on different sides of the world and they could work on a purely freelance basis, but that doesn’t mean that their contribution will be insignificant.

With all the spinning plates of being a real estate agent, your workload can easily become overwhelming, so having a dedicated assistant to help with your daily tasks can free up your time for the more important parts of the job.

When you’re constantly making phone calls, answering emails, or managing your CRM statistics, it can be harder to create strategic plans, meet people in person, and host open houses.

A virtual assistant for real estate can help with all of the smaller stuff, so the big issues can stay at the front of your mind.

What do Real Estate Virtual Assistant Services Entail?

When it comes to using virtual assistants in real estate, there are four main areas of responsibility that you can expect them to focus on.

Marketing Assistants

Marketing in real estate cannot be understated, but it’s a task that can take up a lot of time and energy, without literally improving your ability to sell a house.

Once you’ve figured out your proper marketing strategy, it’s the kind of thing that can be safely left in the hands of your virtual real estate assistant.

Marketing responsibilities can include:

• Scheduling and writing blog posts
• Updating your online platforms for SEO trends
• Email marketing (scheduling, responding, and writing)
• Researching online trends for content concepts
• Managing your social media channels
• Aiding with the graphic design of print marketing materials

Sales Assistants

While sales are your domain, there’s no reason that a real estate virtual assistant can’t help in this area.

They may not be present when contracts are signed and hands are shook, but they can still provide a lot of ancillary support to help you close deals more efficiently.

Sales assistant responsibilities include:

• Applying information to your CRM platforms about leads
• Prospecting the market for more leads
• Cold-calling potential clients
• Setting appointments with your clients
• Letting your clients know updates in the process of buying or selling

Operations Assistants

When it comes to your general day-to-day operations, a virtual realtor assistant can be a great hand, especially if you find it hard to keep track of everything on your schedule.

Operations assistant responsibilities include:

• Helping you to put together presentations
• Organizing updates for clients and employees
• Basic data entry tasks, such as on MLS platforms
• Seeking out new team members and aiding in the onboarding process
• Bookkeeping tasks – tracking your incomings and outgoings/ profit and loss
• Preparing reports on sales and overall performance
• Keeping track of any contracts, handshake agreements, or other vital work documents

Customer Service Assistants

Real estate is a customer-facing industry, but that doesn’t mean you have the time to listen to the concerns of every client in your roster.

While there are plenty of ways to set up automated email responses, being too robotic could result in damage to your professional reputation.

With a real estate virtual assistant, you can ensure that the human element isn’t lost, without having to personally respond to every question a client might have.

Customer service assistant responsibilities include:

• Responding to customer emails
• Taking customer service phone calls
• Collating and interpreting feedback from your clients and any other employees
• Explaining the process of sales to your customers

Further managing your CRM systems

Administrative Assistants

Admin assistants cover the basic responsibilities that might be reserved for a typical personal assistant or secretary, essentially helping your life around work to move smoother.

While they won’t be as hands-on in terms of actually running the business, they can still be invaluable in making your professional life easier.

Administrative assistant responsibilities include:

• Basic email responses and forwarding
• The organization of meetings with clients, employees, and collaborators
• Keeping track of your calendar and reminding you of important appointments
• Helping to keep your personal life in order – remembering holidays, family occasions, and personal dates

How to Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant

When it comes to hiring a real estate virtual assistant, there are a few things you need to take into account.

Most importantly, you need to consider what it is that you need the most help with – this will inform the kind of expertise you need to look for when reviewing CVs and posting the job opening online.

After you’ve decided what it is that you need exactly, then you can start developing your job listing.

It’s imperative that you’re as clear with your expectations as possible – remember you don’t have an assistant yet, so you don’t want to rifle through 100s of resumes that don’t make the grade!

Once the hiring process begins, it’s important to get some sort of contract written up, ensuring that everything is completely above board in terms of payment, hours worked, and the overall nature of employment.

Best Places to Find a Real Estate VA

Now that you’re certain about what you’re looking for in a virtual assistant, it’s time to start the search!

In the modern world, there are countless websites that are used by those who are hiring and looking for work alike, so we’ve listed some of our favorites below.

• REVA Global
• LinkedIn
• Fiverr
• ZipRecruiter
• Freelancer
• Upwork
• Glassdoor

Each of these platforms is brimming with eager talent who are ready to take on online real estate jobs at a moment’s notice, so get on them and start posting those listings!

Conclusion

In essence, a real estate virtual assistant’s value is as much as it means to you.

Before you hire one, you need to consider what it will mean for your overall budget, the areas that you need the most help in, and what you’d actually do with the time freed up.

If you know the areas that you’re lacking the proper support in, have the money, and have a clear vision for what a real estate VA will do for you, then stop wasting time and start searching for talent today!

To learn more about what it means to be a realtor and for information on CRM, visit our website today.