How the right real estate virtual assistant can help you grow your business

If you’re a top producing agent, you’ve been there. Life was smooth sailing at 1-2 transactions per month, but once you hit 30+ deals a year, the cracks in your system start to show.

The good news? There’s no better time to bring on a real estate virtual assistant (VA). With an organized and motivated “right hand” person by your side, you can maintain the successful business you worked so hard to build, without sacrificing your personal life.

In this guide, we’ll help you understand what to look for when hiring the right VA for your real estate business. Let’s get started.

{{cta-blue}}

What is a real estate VA?

A real estate virtual assistant (VA) provides essential administrative support to real estate professionals and can be based internally or remotely. Their tasks can include lead generation, database management, financial administration, marketing, and more.

Using a VA helps you win back your time so you can focus on the high-impact work that brings in revenue for your real estate business. That’s why it’s critical to find the right one.

What tasks should you assign to a real estate VA?

Imagine what you could do with all those mornings or afternoons spent scheduling meetings, organizing paperwork, or updating your listings. How many more calls and follow ups could you do? How many more deals would that translate to?

Here are some common tasks a real estate VA may be responsible for:

• Database management
• Social media management
• Email marketing
• Client communication and follow up
• Scheduling appointments
• Listing coordination
• Market research
• Financial administration (e.g., invoicing, expense tracking)
• Content creation for websites, email drips, or marketing materials

The right VA will excel at a variety of tasks, but that does not mean you should assign them everything all at once. 

Remember, the key to success when hiring for any new role in your real estate team is to clearly define the tasks and outcomes you’re looking for. Get clear on what tasks are taking up the majority of your time and make sure you’re hiring the right person for the right seat on the bus. 

For example, if what you really need is help with lead response, take time to create a list of tasks and responsibilities for an internal sales agent (ISA). If you’re in the weeds with transaction coordination, consider bringing on an experienced transaction coordinator (TC) to keep clients happy from contract to closing. 

Marketing

You know marketing is vital to your real estate business, but it can also be time consuming. The right administrative assistant can lighten the marketing load so you can spend time on the things that only you can do. 

A real estate VA can help with marketing tasks like:

• Create buyer’s packets and powerpoints
• Send mailers to your spheres of influence (SOI)
• Graphic design for digital and print assets
• Schedule blog posts
• Research content ideas
• Update website
• Schedule email
• SEO updates
• Post, update, and advertise on social media
• Track marketing analytics

Operations

If juggling projects and deadlines isn’t your cup of tea, having a virtual assistant to take on day-to-day logistics can be a big help — especially, if they’re already familiar with the real estate industry. A real estate VA can help with numerous ops tasks, such as:

• Data entry (MLS, CRM, reporting, etc.)
• Creating listing presentations, coordination, and updates
• Collect feedback from your clients and team members
• Basic bookkeeping, including I&E and P&L tracking
• Prepare sales and performance reports
• Manage contracts, agreements, and other documents
• Schedule showings and services (photography shoots, inspections, etc.)
• New agent recruiting and onboarding

Sales

You’d be surprised how many sales tasks a virtual assistant can help with. While some responsibilities may require a higher level of English fluency, you can still get a ton of support on the following tasks:

• Research buyer & seller leads
• Update your CRM with notes on leads
• Follow up with leads
• Set appointments
• Update sellers on weekly performance

Note these tasks are subject to agent review and approval.

Admin

Of course, there are also the standard virtual assistant tasks — the types of responsibilities you’d give to a secretary or personal assistant. A VA can help with a range of administrative tasks like:

• Respond to emails and/or inbox triage
• Set up meetings
• Receptionist duties (like answering incoming calls)
• Record meeting minutes
• Manage your calendar
• Personal admin (holiday cards, organizing family events, etc.)
• Customer support

With the right CRM, your virtual assistant can easily manage your calendar and appointments — and even send invitation emails to clients.

{{cta-blue}}

Things to consider when hiring a real estate VA

There is a wide price range for virtual assistant services. Depending on who, what and where you’re looking, fees can range anywhere from $5 per hour to five-figures a year. 

While it’s tempting to settle for the cheapest option, it’s better to think about this cost in terms of what your business really needs and the value you’ll be getting for your investment. 

Here are some factors to consider.

Local vs. overseas virtual real estate assistants

There are talented VAs all over the globe, comfortable delivering results across time zones. But of course, there’s a place for local talent — especially, in real estate. 

If you need to outsource a high volume of client-facing work, it might be useful to go with someone US-based, or even locally based, who has a better understanding of the nuances in your market. This usually makes the most sense when you need full time, client-facing help, or will want to meet with this person face-to-face — for example, if you need someone to help with fieldwork, open houses, etc.

Level of experience

Some real estate agents recommend going with a jack-of-all-trades, others recommend finding an expert with years of experience in the type of work you’re looking to outsource. The good news is, many VA service providers are experts at matching you with a VA who has the right background and level of experience for your needs.

But experienced real estate experts will have a price tag to match. If you’re taking your first step with outsourcing, try starting with more of a generalist VA who has great communication skills and is comfortable with the list of outcomes and expectations you’ve provided. 

Scope of work

Outcomes are crucial when outsourcing. Think long and hard about how much work you actually have to keep your VA busy. If you’re not sure, try tracking your time for a month to gain some clarity on where your time goes each day. Pay special attention to the parts of the day you’re most productive. What are the tasks and distractions pulling at your focus during those hours?

The small tasks that definitely don’t drive sales but can take up an entire morning are the perfect tasks to outsource to a VA..

Part-time virtual assistant, project-based, or in-house

When you’re just getting started, contractor or project-based VA will work best. By using a VA for some one-off help, you not only get some freedom in your workday, you also get a chance to test the waters and see how much work you actually need to outsource. 

Once you’ve got it nailed down, you can decide whether or not to extend your agreement with the VA to a long-term contract.

How to find a real estate virtual assistant

As with who you hire, where you source your real estate virtual assistant will have everything to do with where you are in your business. Here are some service providers to help narrow your search.

Upwork

You can find pretty much any kind of contract-based talent under the sun on Upwork. Many agents new to outsourcing have found dream VAs to help them with things like organization, admin, and marketing on Upwork.

Virtudesk®

With Virtudesk®, you get access to highly trained VAs and a team of support staff to help ensure they have everything they need to succeed in the role. VAs can cover any range of tasks, including real estate marketing and even transaction coordination responsibilities.

Time etc

Time etc is a great source for generalist VAs who can help with a range of admin and operational tasks. Unlike Upwork, they do most of the hunting and pre-qualifying for you which can be a huge help if you’re strapped for time.

ClearDesk

ClearDesk can help match you with a VA with all the right skills, including part-time and full-time options. All ClearDesk VAs go through a detailed and rigorous certification process to ensure you get the quality you expect. 

MyOutDesk

MyOutDesk has a rigorous process for selecting their overseas help. They actively train their VAs to become true experts who can cover the full spectrum of real estate tasks and activities.

Support your new VA with the one of the best real estate CRMs in the business

Whether operating remotely or in-person, the right VA is a crucial extension of your business. Make sure your VA is fully equipped with the tools.

Give your VA an operating system they can grow on. Follow Up Boss makes it easy with calendar management, lead management, and team management tools that integrate seamlessly into all your favorite systems.

Try it free for 14 days, or tune into the Real Estate Team OS podcast for expert insights on scaling your team and business.

{{cta-blue}}