How To Become A Real Estate Virtual Assistant 

There are a lot of people out there who are genuinely interested in real estate or have worked as realtors, but on-site jobs are not suitable for them. So why not start a career as a real estate virtual assistant?

A real estate virtual assistant possesses an in-depth understanding of the real estate industry and knows how to handle calls, assist buyers, and perform other administrative tasks remotely. They are the helping hand for real estate companies or realtors to delegate their day-to-day tasks.

Virtual assistants are a winning point for both employers and remote employees. You can sit on your couch comfortably and earn per hour. The flexibility of this work is highly satisfying for 92% of virtual assistants, while businesses can reduce their expenses by more than 70%.

One of the key benefits of becoming a realtor VA is that you can start your own business with your own team after a certain period. Sounds lucrative!

Today we will not only show you how to become a real estate virtual assistant but also guide you on how to start and succeed in your VA business. By the end of the day, client hunting will be a piece of cake for you.

How To Become A Real Estate Virtual Assistant (REVA)

To become a real estate virtual assistant, you need to learn about the real estate industry and develop skills like organizing tasks, managing calendars, and scheduling appointments. With this job, you will support real estate agents from anywhere by handling their day-to-day tasks.

However, it needs proper training and practice to help real estate businesses work more efficiently and focus on their main activities.

Let’s see some core steps that can lead you to become a virtual assistant for real estate.

First, You Need Real Estate Knowledge

We have seen people with a bit of real estate background transition into the real estate VA profession. If you already know about the real estate industry, it would be a plus for you. However, having a real estate background is not mandatory.

Hence, the first step you need to take is to learn about the real estate industry. You can conduct internet searches, and market research, and try to understand the ins and outs of real estate. You may get messed up with tons of real estate terminology, but once you start learning, you will become familiar with it.

Learn Core Responsibilities of a Real Estate VA 

Real estate virtual assistant tasks are nearly boundless. Virtual assistant’s responsibilities start from managing property listings, reviewing legal documents, and preparing contracts to handle transaction paperwork.

As a virtual real estate assistant, you should know about the core responsibilities. Only then can you provide proper service to your real estate agent?

Marketing & Social Media Management

The core reason why real estate agents hire virtual assistants is because they have too much workload and cannot focus on tasks like marketing & social media management. However, an online presence has become so vital that everyone needs experts in digital marketing.

As a VA, you will create marketing plans, develop social media posts, schedule them, and upload them on social media platforms.

Calendar Management

Managing a calendar is trickier than it might seem! You’ve got to stay sharp to ensure that you don’t mix up appointments or miss any important meetings. Make sure those dates are spot-on and don’t forget to set reminders. You need to keep everything on track.

Appointment Scheduling

You need to set appointments using your great communication and convincing skills with potential clients. Sometimes, customers call for inquiries. In such cases, you have to give customer service or set meetings with clients for further discussion.

Market Research

As a real estate VA, you need to be always informed about industry trends like the local market, demand, supply, and environment.

For instance, VAs closely monitor indicators like the number of active listings, the length of time properties stay on the market, and the ratio of buyers to available properties. Also, pay attention to absentee owners which is like a hidden gem. VAs know how to dig for valuable information by following market trends.

Administrative Support

You will be responsible for keeping real estate operations running smoothly by handling day-to-day tasks like scheduling and email management. Simply REVA gives full administrative support.

Property Listing Management

Real estate VAs take charge of property listings to make it a point that all the property details are spot-on and consistently updated across platforms. You will gather information about recent property sales in the neighborhood. This data is then carefully examined, and compared to the property in question, and adjustments are made for any variations.

Data Entry

You are helping real estate professionals with time-consuming tasks like data entry. So data entry should be proper and accurate. It should be easy for the agent to find any time they want. As a VA, you need to maintain property databases precisely.

You can gather data about selling prices, square footage, the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, the condition of the property, and owner information.

Customer Relationship Management

Building and maintaining great relationships with clients is another responsibility of a virtual real estate assistant. Make the client happy and engaged every step of the way with a CRM system. Learn how effectively you can use CRM systems.

Lead Generation

Do not forget to work on lead generation. Your steps would include identifying potential clients, reaching out to prospects, and finding new opportunities. Ultimately, you need to bring in prospective clients to help the real estate business grow. Experienced real estate remote workers stay more engaged in lead generation than newbies.

Begin Your Journey with a Real Estate VA Course

If you have already worked in real estate, you may not need to take real estate VA courses. But for those who are new, these courses can be very beneficial. There are many online VA courses available. With certification, even those without experience can get a golden opportunity to secure a virtual assistant job.

Here is a small tip: do not go for cheap courses without checking their background or reviews. It is best if someone who has already completed a course recommends it to you. Still, you should check the courses and their authenticity. Lower-priced courses may seem attractive, but many often end up being deceived.

To make your real estate VA journey easier, here are some great online courses you can count on without searching for hours.

Determine the Services You Will Offer

Now that you’re familiar with the key tasks a virtual assistant handles, you have the freedom to choose whether you want to offer all these services or specialize in a few. Identify your strengths and choose services in those areas. This will help you to complete your tasks perfectly. Also, you can show more professionalism in your work.

For example, some hire transaction coordinators, and that is the person who is in charge of compliance. They make sure they get the documents back, turn them in, and get things signed. If you want to work on such things, then you should learn skills like document and file organizing. Learn how to handle phone calls or set appointments.

It’s a good idea to start with a manageable workload. As you become more comfortable with the real estate market and develop a deeper understanding of your client’s needs, you can gradually expand your offerings.

Remember, many virtual assistants lead teams that include specialists in various fields, like graphic design or client outreach. It’s tough to master every skill. So it is better to start with a few core services.

As you gain success and confidence, you can either broaden your skills or build a real estate team of experts to support more services. With this strategy, you can move comfortably and ensure quality in every task you take.

Learn All The Real  Estate Necessary Tools

Real estate agents use lots of tools to boost their productivity and get their work done accurately. So, when you start working as their remote personal assistant you should be familiar with tools. Using the software and tools you may think of yourself as a tech VA too.

Also, to make your tasks well organized and maintain deadlines you will need the productivity tools too. Virtual assistants use real estate tools for managing CRM systems, marketing or designing, managing tasks electronic signatures, and many more.

Here check out these must-have tools for every real estate virtual assistant,

Matterport: This tool helps real estate VAs create interactive 3D tours of properties for property showings and viewings. So, the buyer can have a realistic viewing experience without visiting the place.

CamScanner: Ideal for real estate VAs who need to digitize documents quickly. You can scan, store, or share documents directly from your mobile device by using this tool.

onOffice enterprise: This real estate-specific software assists VAs in managing all property listings, customer data, and other administrative tasks efficiently in one platform.

Lead Generator: Lead Generator helps identify and capture potential client information. This real estate tool facilitates targeted outreach and follow-ups.

Canva: Real estate VAs need to create visually appealing marketing materials like flyers, social media posts, and newsletters. Canva can help with all of these.

Trello: Trello is a project management tool that helps real estate VAs organize tasks, track progress, and collaborate with team members on various projects.

Build Strong Communication and Collaboration Skills

In the real estate industry if you want to survive as a virtual assistant then there is no replacement for building strong collaboration and communication skills. You will be not only exchanging information or helping the company. You will be building trust, and understanding the need for strong working relationships.

You can start with active listening. This should be more than just hearing words. Pin down the details, & emotions. Be certain nothing slips and you get full information.

Next comes the empathy. You can step in your client’s shoes and transform your communication approach. Clients can be stressed or excited. You need to handle all of it. Here you can hone your assistant skills by using different collaboration and communication tools.

But technology or engaging in conversation is not enough, right? Regular communication, punctuality, and reliability are key to developing trust and respect.

Lastly, Moreover, effective time management underpins all these skills. By balancing all of the skills you can build your reputation as a dependable can capable virtual assistant.

Briefly Touch On Real Estate Laws, Contracts, And Regulations

When you start learning how to become a real estate virtual assistant you have to be well-versed in a variety of laws, contracts, and regulations. You never know when you need to prepare contacts or agreements. If you are not familiar with the laws there is a chance of making a huge mistake. 

Sometimes realtors hire specifically mortgage VAs as they are experts in this area and know the rules for loans and so on. But as REVA you need to know about these too.

Try to understand the legalities of property ownership, the deeds, or the local zoning laws. If you can learn drafting and explaining purchase agreements or lease agreements this will be a plus for you. Another important law is about real estate transactions on federal and state taxes.

How Can You Find Clients After Becoming A Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

You are done with your becoming remote real assistant journey. You know everything and are ready to give service. But the real struggle starts now how to find clients. This is a critical stage that needs patience and the right guidance. Do not be scared because we have got your back.

Creating A Professional Website And Online Presence

Whether you work remotely or not a professional website with a strong online presence is something that everyone looks for. This lets you show all your work in one place. Now most high-end companies look for personal websites and find more professionalism.

Some tips like you can make a responsive website with all of your information, your past experiences, or previous projects. Try to make the website look attractive and eye-catching.

Give an attractive title like “Dedicated Virtual Assistance for Real Estate Professionals” or “Real Estate Virtual Solutions – Expert Assistance”. Give attention to every detail to make your portfolio.

Networking And Building Relationships With Real Estate Professionals

Try to connect with real estate professionals. You can grow your network on social media like LinkedIn is very popular for connecting with people. Share some insightful thoughts on the real-estate topic so people get some value from you. Regularly comment and like others’ posts. Propose help if someone needs anything regarding real estate. Only then they will be interested in your service.

Offering Free Trials Or Discounted Services To Gain Initial Clients

Offering free trials is for the newbies without any kind of experience. Clients trust more on those who have already worked. Firstly it can be tough to get paid clients. So, you can do some small contractual projects. After assisting a couple of realtors then you can highlight it on your portfolio. Also, ask your real estate clients to give reviews.

Apply At Freelance Platforms or Local Real Estate Agencies

Freelance platforms like LinkedIn, Medium, Indeed, PeoplePerHour, UpWork, and many more are treasures for anyone looking for a job. In these job markets all you need to open your account, showcase your work, and grow your network. Then apply for jobs.

Another way you can move further is by reaching real estate companies. You can approach them by emailing to give them service at a competitive price. First, do some background research on what type of help the companies need right now. Then approach accordingly.

How Do You Start A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Business?

Start by asking yourself two questions and get the proper answer,

1. What is the Demand for Real Estate Virtual Assistants?
2. Why do Real Estate Agents Need Virtual Assistants?

The demand for commercial real estate virtual assistants is rising rapidly. Realtors stay abound with tons of tasks and often juggle a variety of tasks. Also, agencies with limited space, or budget or they may only need help with specific tasks hire VAs. You need to find out this gap and start creating your business plan. Some real estate agencies or realtors may need help only with marketing or lead generation. Offer your personalized virtual assistant service based on clients’ needs.

Also, instead of doing everything by yourself like Facebook marketing or others, bring diverse talent. Create a team!

Follow these 6 steps to start your real estate virtual assistant business today,

1. Define Your Virtual Assistant Services
2. Create a Strategic Plan for Business
3. Set Up Your Business Legally
4. Invest in Technology and Tools
5. Build a Professional Website
6. Start Networking

How Much Does A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Make?

How much a real estate virtual assistant makes depends on different regions, working hours, employment status, and so on.

According to ZipRecruiter data from Jun 12, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Virtual Real Estate Assistant in the United States is $24.40. Salaries typically range between $20.43 and $27.40 per hour across the country.

However, virtual assistants are independent freelancers. Some work full-time, part-time, project or contractual basis. So, the salary range can vary. However, the average salary structure of a real estate virtual assistant’s hourly rates looks like this,

Conclusion

Virtual real estate assistants are remote workers who help with real estate business growth. The responsibilities are diverse like handling administrative tasks, email marketing or send follow-up emails, property listing, and many more. Sometimes REVAs take over core business activities too. This profession is more suitable for those who want to have a work-life balance and earn from the comfort of their home. The companies can also cut extra costs and add VAs as valuable assets.

However, to become a real estate VA first you need to study about real estate industry. Then find out the specific service you can provide with full dedication. For this, you may need to learn some skills like technological, organizational, communicational, and so on. Also knowing about all the rules and regulations is also part of the journey.