Hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant: Golden Rules To Follow
As a cash home buyer, I am well aware of the relevance of growing your business. You can’t do everything on your own and still expect to scale to new heights. At some point, you’ll need to outsource certain tasks so that you can focus on revenue-generating activities that only you can do.
When Jon and I established Brotherly Love Real Estate, we thought we could do everything ourselves. But twenty years later, we have a team of 80 people spread across three states. An asset for our business was hiring a real estate virtual assistant.
A VA (virtual assistant) can manage your calendar, update your property database, handle your social media, and much more. If it’s your first time hiring a real estate virtual assistant, there are some things you need to know before getting started.
What is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?
A real estate VA is a remote worker who assists real estate professionals. Unlike a traditional assistant who works in an office, a VA can work from anywhere in the world. However, just because they are not local, that doesn’t mean they’re not experts in the field.
Our real estate VA, Stella, lives in Washington, D.C. She has been with us for over seven years now, and she’s never really had to come into the office.
I define Real estate VAs as “highly-skilled professionals who can provide a wide range of services to help you grow your business.”
What Services Can A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Provide?
The beauty of working with a VA is that they can provide a wide range of services. It all depends on your specific needs and what you’re looking to outsource. Here are some of the most common services that real estate VAs can provide:
- Calendar management
- Data entry
- Marketing
- Bookkeeping
- Customer service
- Email management
- Social media management
- Content creation
- Database management
In most cases, VAs do not specialize in a specific area but provide general assistance. That means they can handle multiple tasks, which makes them more versatile and flexible. You’ll also find that real estate VAs are often well-versed in the latest technologies and tools, which makes them even more efficient.
Real estate professionals can sell properties quickly when armed with a team of efficient VAs. Learn more about how to sell a house fast by leveraging a strong real estate team.
Benefits of Real Estate Virtual Assistant Services
There are several benefits to working with a real estate virtual assistant, which is why this outsourcing solution is popular.
Cost-effective – When you compare the cost of hiring a full-time employee vs a VA, the latter is much more affordable. You don’t have to worry about overhead costs such as office space and equipment.
Efficient – If you’re trying to do everything on your own, you’re not going to be very efficient or productive. By outsourcing certain tasks and focusing on the ones you’re good at, you can achieve more in less time.
Top talent – When you hire a physical employee, you’re limited to local talent. However, with a VA, you can get access to the best talent from around the world. That means you can find someone who is the perfect fit for your business.
Where to Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant
You have two options when it comes to getting a VA for your real estate business. You can either go freelance or work with a reputable VA service provider. Both options have their pros and cons.
Working with a VA service provider comes with lots of benefits. These agencies conduct background checks to ensure their VAs are reliable and efficient. They also handle the onboarding process, which makes things a lot easier for you. In addition, most VA service providers have a team of VAs, which means you can easily find the expert you want.
Summary
Hiring Stella has been a game-changer for our cash home buying business. We recruited her through a VA agency, and she’s been with us since then. It used to get overwhelming handling everything by ourselves, but Stella and the rest of the team made it more manageable over the years.
Now, I don’t need to worry about setting up meetings or the data collection, because our real estate VA handles it all. It’s like a cakewalk for her.
