How to Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could find someone who can handle almost all the tasks at a fraction of the cost of an on-site employee so that you can have ample time to focus on the core part of the business? Working in this industry is highly lucrative, as deals can generate quick dollars. However, this success doesn’t come easily—it requires much hard work.

Hiring a real estate virtual assistant can reduce realtors’ and agents’ workloads by 80%. However, this process can be tedious and time-consuming, especially if you are new to employing someone remotely.

This article will examine the hiring process and what you need to do before and after hiring a real estate virtual assistant to grow your real estate business. Let’s take a deep dive in!

Why Do You Need To Hire A Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

Nowadays, everyone is hiring real estate VA then a full-time VA. If you want to understand why it’s so important for realtors and real estate agents to have virtual assistants, you first need to grasp the key tasks of a realtor.

The primary role of a realtor is to guide clients through buying, selling, inbound marketing, or renting residential or commercial real estate. To achieve this, real estate virtual assistants can provide support by performing the following range of services:

• Finding properties that meet clients’ requirements.
• Selling properties according to client’s demands.
• Drafting contracts for clients.
• Assist in real estate operations.
• Negotiating with buyers and sellers.
• Analyzing market trends.
• Overseeing property maintenance and business operations
• Handling client interactions
• Managing property rentals.
• Conducting various marketing efforts to generate new leads.
• Assisting with digital marketing efforts, custom email campaigns, and social media management.
• Executing offline marketing strategies like newspaper ads, local billboards, and newsletters.
• Assisting with client communication, including responding to messages and emails.
• Maintaining strong client relationships through various channels like video calls, phone calls, email outreach, etc.
• Addressing clients’ concerns.
• Assist in client retention process
• Work as a client success coordinator to improve client success rate
• Booking appointments with new clients and assisting sales agents.
• Managing calendars to keep track of important dates.
• Ensuring all deadlines are met and improving operational efficiency
• Make travel arrangements
• Preparing marketing materials for sales teams
• Listing properties on various websites.
• Handling data entry
• Real estate database management.
• Cold calling and prospecting.
• Following up with leads and clients.
• Customers service for satisfied customers
• Ordering office supplies and researching competitive pricing
• Assist client base of different demographics or race
• Managing bookkeeping and expense tracking.
• Handling office logistics.
• Improve client experience
• Running various marketing campaigns.
• Providing updates on property status.
• Saving valuable time by performing repetitive tasks.
• And many more

To handle these extensive tasks, realtors and real estate agents need someone who can perform all the above duties and more at a fraction of the cost. Let’s see how you can hire a real estate virtual assistant!

Determining Your Requirements for a Real Estate VA

Hiring a residential and commercial real estate assistant can be a game-changer for realtors and agents. But before you start, it’s essential to focus on what truly matters for your business.

Be clear about the specific services you need from your virtual assistant. Whether it’s listing properties on Zillow or running a Facebook ad campaign, think about the support required for those tasks. Below are some crucial tasks to consider before hiring a remote real estate virtual assistant:

• Do you need help managing appointments, organizing files, and handling emails?
• Are administrative tasks weighing you down?
• Do you need assistance with digital marketing?
• Do you need someone to reach out to potential customers and schedule meetings?
• Are you having trouble in outbound calls, answering phone calls, or responding to inquiries?
• Do you need help creating contracts for your clients?
• Do you need support with finances, accounting, and bookkeeping?
• Do you need help with graphic design to create engaging flyers for social media marketing?
• Do you want someone to handle content marketing for you?
• Do you need a VA to develop your website consistently?
• Do you need someone to conduct extensive research on properties and clients?
• Do you need someone who can assist you with technical skills?
• Do you want to reduce your staffing costs by replacing full-time staff?
• Do you need someone to help you prepare weekly quality reports?

Ask yourself these questions to understand your needs and requirements for your real estate business. If you can’t figure out why you need a virtual real estate assistant, your spending may not achieve the desired results. One of the key components of hiring a real estate VA is creating a good job description based on your requirements. 

Create a detailed Job Description Based on Your Requirements

Creating a well-defined job description is crucial when hiring a real estate virtual assistant. A good job advertisement attracts the right candidates and helps job seekers understand what to expect in the role.

Since being a remote assistant in the real estate industry involves specialized tasks, crafting a job description that targets real estate VAs rather than general VAs is important. Below, we’ve outlined some critical pointers to keep in mind and mention them when creating an adequate job description:

• Be specific about your needs and requirements.
• Clearly define the responsibilities you expect from your real estate online assistant.
• Responsibilities include keeping property listings organized and up-to-date.
• Assisting in handling appointments for property showings, client meetings, and other real estate tasks.
• Answering inquiries, taking messages, and promptly assisting clients.
• Creating eye-catching flyers, brochures, and online content.
• Posting properties on various social media platforms, highlighting key features.
• Engaging with followers and keeping social media platforms active.
• Providing customer support and addressing client objections.
• Proficiency in database management.
• Performing routine task
• Appointment scheduling
• Preparing study marketing materials
• Generating email marketing leads
• Skilled in using CRM software and project management tools.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Property management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong time management abilities
• Maintain various communication channels.
• Knows all the business processes of the Property Industry’s day-to-day activity
• Ability to handle finance, accounting, and real estate transaction
• Keeping track of the office expense
• Administrative assistance in the day-to-day operation of the business     
• Ability to multitask effectively.
• And others that you may require

Additional skills that may be beneficial:

• Graphic design.
• Knowledge of SEO.
• Website Design
• Experience with Google PPC and Facebook PPC.
• Familiarity with ERP and Property Preservation software, such as PPW.

As you know, a virtual assistant or VA is a valuable asset for realtors and real estate agents, making it crucial to find the right one for your success. If you have a vibrant social media presence, consider posting ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and others. You can also invest in boosting your social media posts to reach a wider audience.

It’s important to understand that finding a skilled real estate virtual assistant with the necessary qualifications isn’t always easy. Choosing the right platforms to search for them is essential. Below are some platforms where you can post job advertisements:

• Indeed
• Glassdoor
• LinkedIn
• CareerBuilder
• Monster
• Simply Hired
• CareerJet
• Dice

Since you are ready to advertise your requirements with details for hiring a real estate online assistant, you need to interview and evaluate the candidate comprehensively.

Remote Interviewing and Vetting Candidates

A rigorous candidate assessment process is always critical for greater success in hiring VA in the property sector. When interviewing a candidate for real estate professionals, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind, such as:

• Do you want to build an impressive team of online assistants and reduce labor costs?
• Whether the prospective virtual assistant will be the right fit for your company?
• Do you want to build an impressive team of online assistants and reduce labor costs?
• Does your VA have strong problem-solving abilities?
• Do they possess self-management skills?
• Do you want to reduce your administrative support costs?
• Does the candidate have good communication skills?
• Does the candidate have a clean background record?
• Do you want someone who can aid in business growth, scheduling appointments, and calendar management?
• Will they be able to organize tasks efficiently?
• What is their educational background?
• Do you have any clear vetting process?
• What additional value do they bring beyond being a remote assistant?

It is often seen that it’s not about the VA’s skills but how they fit in your property company. Thus, there are some key questions that you will need to ask:

• What is your story about becoming a real estate virtual assistant?
• What were your previous job roles?
• How much real estate knowledge and experience do you have? 
• What skills and qualifications do you possess? 
• What real estate tools have you used, and what is your experience with them?
• How have you handled specific situations in the past?
• How would you handle hypothetical situations in the real estate industry?
• How do your personal goals align with those of the real estate industry?

You may need to ask your prospective real estate virtual assistant some other questions based on your needs and requirements. Once you have hired your new real estate VA, onboarding them into your business is also critical. 

Onboarding Your New Real Estate VA

Onboarding your newly hired real estate virtual assistant is a perfect opportunity to bond with your new virtual team member. It allows you to set specific expectations, provide information about company values, and share the tools and files needed for the job. This process helps build a relationship based on trust.

Here are several steps to ensure a smooth onboarding process:

• Host a kick-off call with your newly recruited employee.
• Suggest your preferred method of communication, such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet, to ensure effective communication.
• Prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) covering everything from work procedures to the tasks that must be completed.
• Share your personal contact information (if possible) so the VA can reach you in emergencies.
• Provide them with login credentials for the necessary email accounts.
• Give access to the information and files the real estate virtual assistant will need to work with.
• Specify milestones and goals for your property company.

Manange & Training Your New VA

Managing and training your new real estate online assistant is key to building a successful working relationship. Even if your online assistant has prior experience, create comprehensive specialized training materials according to your dynamic company. These materials can include detailed manuals, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides for essential tasks to become a real estate virtual assistant.

Additionally, you’ll need to set clear expectations, such as prioritizing tasks, defining working hours and days, and establishing metrics to discuss KPIs. Remember that your VA is a person, not just a task executor. Show appreciation, check their well-being, and offer flexibility when possible.

Where To Hire a Real Estate VA More Easily?

Hiring a real estate VA can significantly enhance productivity and allow realtors and agents to focus on the core part of the business.

Freelancing Platform

Freelancing platforms are vital for today’s working-class populations, who prefer to work as independent contractors. A real estate freelance virtual assistant is an individual who works as an independent contractor, often serving multiple real estate clients simultaneously.

Do you want to build an impressive team of online assistants and reduce labor costs?

Some of the popular freelancing sites are:

• Upwork Inc.
• Fiverr
• Freelancer
• Guru.com
• PeoplePerHour
• FlexJobs Corporation
• PeoplePerHour

These platforms offer benefits for both freelancers and real estate businesses, including:

• Access to a diverse pool of talent in various fields within the real estate industry
• Access to specialized expertise without geographical limitations
• Flexibility and the opportunity to choose desired projects
• The freedom of being your boss
• The ability to scale up or down according to your needs and requirements

Although they poems significant benefits, before hiring a VA from those websites, there are some limitations as well:

• Lack of supervision from the platforms
• Higher fees and commissions 
• Challenges in quality control
• Higher dependency on third-party platforms
• Lack of direct client relationships
• Challenge in communication

YesAssistant

Another excellent place to hire specialized real estate virtual assistants is Yes Assistant. Founded in 2014, this company is a pioneer in the real estate sector and one of the fastest-growing remote assistant service companies in virtual assistant the world. With years of experience, Yes Assistant has established itself as a top-notch service provider in the industry.

Yes Assistant offers a straightforward hiring process and a money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with their services. To hire a real estate virtual assistant from Yes Assistant, you only need to book an appointment and join a free strategic session.

During the meeting, they will learn about your needs and requirements to understand where you need support. After assessing your needs, they will match you with a real estate assistant who has the right skills to best suit your specific requirements.

This virtual assistant service provider excels in delivering quality service. Their trained agents are fully equipped with the real estate virtual assistant skills you need. The benefits of hiring a remote assistant from Yes Assistant has a wide range of benefits, including:

• Saving expenses like Social Security, health insurance, training, and other overheads reduces your labor costs by up to 40%.
• Understanding all aspects of the industry, including property searches, various administrative tasks,  data management, and lead generation.
• Handling multiple responsibilities, allowing you to focus on the core aspects of your business.
• Screening leads, analyzing potential clients, and managing follow-ups, helping you maximize your conversion rate.

Final Thoughts

Hiring a real estate virtual assistant can be overwhelming, especially if you’re looking for someone to take responsibilities off your shoulders. Before hiring, it’s crucial to understand why you need a real estate VA. Prospective employers should determine their requirements and create a job description based on what they need from their online assistants.

Once you know what you require from a virtual assistant, you must ask key questions during the interview to determine if the candidate will truly fit your organization. Onboarding and training are also crucial parts of the hiring process. 

While there are several freelancing platforms where you can hire a VA for your real estate business, it’s also important to be aware of their limitations. We understand that hiring a virtual assistant can be a tedious process. For more information and a seamless hiring experience, consult with Yes Assistant.