It seems like practically every business task can be done virtually these days. But, in the real estate industry, you need to show up in person to open houses and networking events. Thus, it makes it tough to get your other remote tasks done.
This is where a professional real estate virtual assistant can be a huge asset. They can help you perform the tasks you don’t have time to get done in the office, while you’re out shaking hands.
Before we cover how to find a virtual assistant, let’s dig into what a VA is and what one can do for your business.
What is a professional real estate virtual assistant?
A real estate VA works remotely to provide support to a real estate business. They typically have a wide range of skills; and thus, can render a variety of services.
What do they do?
You can have your VA help with any task that fits their skill set and can be done remotely. Choosing what you’d like them to assist with depends on what you need. But, most tasks that real estate VAs help with fall into two categories: Administrative and marketing.
Administration
Admin work keeps a business organized and flowing smoothly. A professional real estate virtual assistant can do a variety of admin tasks. A few might include scheduling showings, updating listings, and data entry.
Marketing
Marketing is an essential task for any real estate agency. It’s what ensures your business stays relevant and competitive in the market. Your VA can conduct SEO audits for your website, email newsletters, and manage your social media accounts.
Additionally, a real estate VA can help you generate new leads by cold calling prospective clients. They can also assist in client retention by making regular follow-up efforts. These may include calls, texts, and sending holiday cards to keep you at the top of your clients’ minds.
Transaction coordination
Your VA can help streamline the transaction process for various real-estate contracts. They may also assist in coordinating the closing process, organizing inspections for a property, and ensuring all required documents are on-schedule to meet the necessary dates.
How you benefit from a hiring a real estate VA
You can benefit from your professional real estate virtual assistant in several ways. Two main advantages of hiring a VA are increased productivity and a better work-life balance.
Increase productivity
Non-core tasks such as sending follow-up emails or updating property databases take away valuable time. This is why outsourcing these duties are essential. It allows you to spend your time on priority tasks like managing open houses and meeting with clients.
When you hire a VA, you’ll be able to delegate the non-core duties to them that they can handle remotely. As a result, you’ll allocate more time and resources to the core aspects of your work.
Work-life balance
Burnout can kill a business. This is why achieving a healthy work-life balance is critical to avoiding burnout. As a real estate agent, you may work most weekends, working seven days a week at irregular hours. The work can consume most of your time, leaving you feeling depleted after a day’s work. So, having an assistant in your corner is a tremendous asset.
Because VAs work remotely, you can find one with workday availability or one who can work evenings or weekends. You can also set their hours and due dates depending on what supports your schedule.
How to find a professional real estate virtual assistant
Before you jump the gun and start looking for an assistant, it’s important to understand what you’ll need from one. So, now that you know what real estate VAs are and what they do, let’s break down the steps for finding the best one for your business.
Assess your needs
When assessing your needs for a VA, ask yourself the following questions.
How much time will I need from my VA? Should I hire a part-time virtual assistant or a full-time virtual assistant?
Will I be able to outsource work on a consistent basis?
Do I need help with repetitive tasks or one-off tasks?
Do I need more assistance with the essential parts or non-essential parts of my business?
Will a VA with general real estate knowledge suffice? Or do I need one with a specific skill?
Answering these questions will lay the foundation for what you need from an assistant. Once you’ve assessed your needs, you can think about the personality traits, or soft skills, that are important to you.
What qualities do you want your VA to have?
Your professional real estate virtual assistant should be someone you enjoy working with. The two primary qualities to look for in a VA are trustworthiness and good communication.
Trust
Trust is the lifeblood of any relationship. This is especially true for a VA who works remotely because it means you may never meet them in person. So, conducting a screening process is key to finding a trustworthy candidate.
Most people are on social media these days. So, you can look up your applicant’s Instagram or Facebook page before pulling the trigger. It’s also wise to check their references and do a proper Zoom interview.
Communication
The real estate industry is fast-paced and unpredictable. This is why ensuring your VA has excellent communication skills is vital to the success of your business. An inability to communicate effectively results in misunderstandings. Thus, it can lead to delayed processes or missed meetings.
Once you know your business’ needs and the qualities you want from a VA, you’re ready to begin your search. But, posting an ad on any old job site may not be enough to do the trick. Finding a virtual assistant that is great is all about looking in the right places.
Know where to look
The internet has a plethora of websites and platforms where you can look for an assistant. With countless options, it can be overwhelming to start your search. So, we’ll dig into four of the best ways to find a professional real estate virtual assistant.
Freelancer marketplace
Freelancer marketplaces let freelancers advertise their services. You can sift through profiles to find ones who have experience in real estate, general marketing, or admin tasks.
Specialized firm
You’ll get a strong list of candidates from a specialized firm. Additionally, specialized firms have assistants who are already trained and experienced in the respective industry.
VA agency
A VA agency is a popular way to find an assistant. This is because most VA agencies will offer a replacement if the professional real estate virtual assistant you get isn’t a good fit.
Social media
LinkedIn is a popular social media platform where professionals connect. So, a great way to find a solid VA is to post about what you’re looking for on LinkedIn.
However, it’s important to know that there are virtual assistant scams on LinkedIn. What this means for you is that you need to make sure your job posting doesn’t look scammy. Otherwise, you could miss out on potential candidates.
Don’t look like a scam
Take your time
Though you may be in a rush to get help from an assistant, don’t offer the position immediately. Taking your time to get to know the applicant is a vital step in the hiring process. If you offer the job too quickly, it can signal a red flag.
Use a professional email address
A professional real estate virtual assistant will want to see that your messages come from a legitimate email address. Using your Gmail address rather than your “[email protected]” can leave applicants wary.
Give a detailed description
Make sure you give a detailed description of what you’re looking for. Include the hours, pay, job duties, and skills/experience required. Failing to provide sufficient information may cost you potential candidates.
Check your grammar
An applicant is likely going to question the legitimacy of a virtual assistant job if the listing is filled with grammatical errors. Numerous type-os and misspelled words are bright red indicators that the job is a scam. So, proofread your job listing before posting it.
The bottom line
Finding a professional real estate virtual assistant boils down to knowing what you need and where to look. Follow this guide to help you secure the best VA for your real estate business.
