How Can A Virtual Assistant Help A Realtor

According to the Bureau of Labor & Statistics, most real estate brokers and sales agents work more than 40 hours per week. They work evenings and weekends to accommodate their clients’ schedules and spend additional hours every week networking and attending community events hoping to meet potential clients. 

If these statistics sound familiar, you know they don’t even paint half the picture of how busy you are!

Last year’s pandemic-fueled real estate market saw extremes never before experienced. Median list prices shot up by more than 13% last year, with homes in some areas spiking 30%! Buyers are asking realtors to put in offers well over the asking price, write up agreements that waive contingencies, and schedule visits to open houses only to find the home had sold before the event. 

Emotions have always run high in real estate, but today they are fraught.

Many realtors are used to the hectic pace of their work environment, but even as the market begins to cool, many discover they are having a hard time keeping up with demand.

60-hour workweeks are just not sustainable! Is it time to consider bringing a real estate virtual assistant onto your team?

Yep!

WHAT IS A REAL ESTATE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?

A real estate virtual assistant is an independent professional who provides critical support services to real estate specialists from a remote environment. They are highly-skilled contractors who can help a realtor with various tasks, ranging from administrative and technical to marketing and creative work. Real estate virtual assistants are often asked to take charge of general administration tasks like database management, customer service responses, lead generation management, and outreach or work within the real estate field specifically, drawing up contracts and executing transactions. Due to the wide variety of what they do, many real estate virtual assistants become the essential right hand of the realtor they assist.

Real estate virtual assistants are not licensed real estate professionals. They can’t prepare contracts, but they are talented and specialized in your field. Additionally, using an agency like Freedom Makers makes identifying the perfect real estate virtual assistant easy and accessible for most real estate agents. 

WHAT SKILLS DO REAL ESTATE VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS HAVE?

Many virtual assistants specializing in real estate have either worked for a realtor before or have relevant experience and/or certifications. They have a minimum of a high school diploma, but many have either bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Real estate virtual assistants can be hired as full-time remote workers or for as little as an hour a week as needed.

In addition to their years of administrative support experience, real estate virtual assistants are typically proficient in MS Office, Dropbox, Google Suite, and applications such as Dotloop, Docusign, Skyslope, Transaction Desk, Mailchimp or Constant Contact, and Canva. They will have experience working with Matrix (MLS) (or will train) and have a general knowledge of real estate contracts. Of course, as virtual assistants, all will have strong communication skills, outstanding organizational abilities, and be proactive problem solvers.

Freedom Maker military assistants are proven highly capable of working independently and as part of a team and are trustworthy, transparent allies to your work.

WHAT CAN REAL ESTATE VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS DO?

Delegating tasks to a real estate virtual assistant is a multi-layer “win” for realtors. In addition to having administrative office functions and non-real-estate core tasks managed by someone else, realtors also reclaim valuable hours each day to show homes, close deals, and network for new clients. Instead of spending hours scheduling meetings, updating listings, and filing transactions, you could be out earning a commission!

Even though there is not a one-size-fits-all strategy for what real estate professionals should delegate, handing off simple or redundant tasks can free up your time to handle higher-level tasks more appropriate for your skillset. If delegating or outsourcing does not come easily to you, start by delegating small, tedious, time-consuming, repetitive tasks… and ones that you are terrible at! 

Freedom Maker’s free task audit can help you choose which administrative or real estate-specific tasks to outsource to a real estate virtual assistant. Our tool will help you see clearly that your time is more valuable than the small hourly fee you will pay to a real estate virtual assistant. We are confident that once you see the benefit of spending a small amount of money to save your valuable time, you will better understand a real estate virtual assistant’s actual value and the priceless return on your investment.

DELEGATE THESE TASKS TO YOUR REAL ESTATE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

As you take stock of your daily task list and consider which tasks you should hand off to a real estate virtual assistant, consider our guide for what a real estate virtual assistant can do for you:

• Generalized real estate related administrative office support activities, including:
• Managing your calendar
• Coordinating your travel
• Handling bookkeeping
• Inputting and updating listing information in MLS, including writing copy for descriptions
• Coordinating property showings
• Handling sign ordering and installation
• Coordinating new listing photography/video documentation
• Updating your website with new listings, sales volume, etc.
• Researching information about properties
• Handling phone calls and emails
• Following up on client requests or projects 
• Creating and maintaining client CRM databases
• Soliciting client feedback and testimonials
  
  
• Real estate sales support activities, including:
• Prospecting and cold calling
• Researching buyer & seller leads
• Updating CRM databases with notes
• Preparing offers and listing paperwork
• Following up on leads
• Setting appointments for viewing
• Coordinating the staging of homes for showings
• Updating sellers on weekly performance
• Data Reconciliation (sorting through contacts, removing duplicates, errors, etc.)
• Fact-checking to ensure all transaction information is accurate
• Coordinating closing and seasonal gifts for clients
  
  
• Real estate marketing support activities, including:
• Creating social media posts for listings, open houses, etc
• Execute SEO strategies as defined by marketing experts
• Finding content to post for agents’ blogs, newsletters, social media
• Photo Editing of listing photos for print and web publications.
• Creating weekly or monthly newsletters
• Creating flyers, brochures, business cards, postcards, etc
• Creating buyer’s packets and slide decks
• Sending mailers to increase client awareness
• Ensuring marketing strategies are uniform, consistent, and effective
• Tracking marketing analytics

Having a professional real estate virtual assistant responding to inquiries and helping you put out potential fires with frustrated clients can grow your business and create increased client loyalty. Working from a remote environment free from office distractions allows a real estate virtual assistant to manage multiple projects simultaneously and make all deadlines under pressure. Virtual assistants are skilled at working efficiently when they are “on the clock,” which real estate professionals recognize as invaluable within their fast-paced environment.

As a super busy realtor, handing off time-consuming administrative tasks like prospecting, research, and paperwork can help you focus on closing the deals! Contact Freedom Makers today, and find out how a real estate virtual assistant can best support you.