How To Hire A Real Estate Virtual Assistant (+ Their Tasks)

If you’re like most real estate agents, you wear a lot of hats. You’re the salesperson, the marketer, the closer… and sometimes it feels like there are just not enough hours in the day. That’s where a real estate virtual assistant can help.

A real estate assistant can take care of all those time-consuming administrative tasks that keep you from doing what you do best: selling houses. From social media marketing to lead follow-up to task management, a good real estate VA will free up your time so you can focus on generating new business.

So how do you hire a real estate virtual assistant? Here are a few tips…

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Reasons to Hire a Virtual Assistant

As your business grows, keeping up with your daily tasks can be challenging. 

A real estate virtual assistant can help decrease your overall workload so you can focus on the most important tasks in your real estate business, giving you a better work-life balance.

By delegating the tedious and mundane parts of your day to a virtual assistant, you’ll have more time to connect with your clients and build a more productive business. 

While your virtual assistant handles data entry, you can host open houses, generate leads, create impressive listing presentations, and ultimately close more deals. 

Tasks a Real Estate Virtual Assistant Can Do For You

Depending on their skill level, a real estate virtual assistant can do as much or as little as you’d like them to. Some tasks your assistant can help you with include:

• Data entry and organization – Real estate virtual assistants can help you keep your contact lists up to date, enter leads into your CRM, and keep your files organized. I know a real estate agent whose VA is on every Zoom call with them to document notes about the meeting. You can also use a real estate CRM that records all your calls and later have a VA add notes to the file.
• Social media management – A real estate assistant can help you create social media posts, interact with followers, and track results.
• Lead follow-up – Once you’ve generated a lead, a real estate virtual assistant can help you stay in touch until they’re ready to buy or sell.
• Transaction coordination – A virtual real estate assistant can help keep track of paperwork, deadlines, and appointments related to a transaction.
• Customer service – Real estate virtual assistants can handle customer inquiries via phone or email so you can focus on your clients.
• Managing leads and customer relationships – A real estate virtual assistant can help you keep track of your leads and sphere of influence so you can follow up at the right time. Think birthdays, anniversaries, and life events.
• Administrative Assistant – As an administrative assistant, a real estate VA can schedule appointments, make travel arrangements, and manage your calendar.
• Real estate research – Real estate virtual assistants can help you with market analysis, finding comparable properties, and looking up property information.
• Website maintenance – A real estate virtual assistant can help keep your website up to date by adding new blog posts, uploading photos, and ensuring all your listings are accurate.
• Creating real estate marketing materials – A virtual assistant can help you create listing presentations, buyer packets, and email marketing campaigns.
• Proofreading and editing – Real estate virtual assistants can help you make sure your marketing materials and correspondence are error-free.
• Task management – A real estate virtual assistant can help you keep track of all your to-dos, appointments, and deadlines.
• Bookkeeping and accounting – Real estate virtual assistants can help you with expense categorization, creating profit and loss reports, and managing your real estate commission payments.
• Scheduling appointments and meetings – A real estate assistant can help you make phone calls to schedule appointments with clients, lenders, and other real estate professionals like photographers, stages, contractors, etc… They can also get more details about the person you’re meeting with so you are most prepared for every meeting.
• Gather Success Stories – Ask your VA to interview clients and sellers who have worked with you and compile their thoughts into a case study or testimonial video.

You can even find assistants with experience in real estate to do more in-depth tasks, such as:

• Monitoring the MLS – A virtual real estate assistant can help you track new listings, price reductions, and homes that have gone under contract. Especially key to keeping an eye out for unique listings or opportunities that a real estate investor client might want to grab.
• Preparing contracts – A real estate virtual assistant with experience in real estate can help you prepare contracts and addenda. (Just be sure to check with your state and the real estate VA about licensing requirements for this type of work)
• Updating website with the status of sold properties – If you don’t have an IDX solution, a virtual real estate assistant can help you keep your website up to date by changing the status of sold properties.

There are some limitations to what an unlicensed real estate assistant can do.

How Do I Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

International or Domestic

First, you should evaluate your needs and what you’re looking for:

• Do you need someone fluent in English and easily understandable? 
• Should they have specific experience in real estate? 
• What kind of education and work experience are you looking for? 
• Do you need help full-time or part-time? 
• Do you want your assistant to be in the U.S., or would you consider working with someone in a different country?

If you prefer to work with someone in the same time zone, you’ll want to find a virtual assistant based in the U.S. However, if you can work around the time difference, you might consider a virtual assistant based in another country since they often work for cheaper rates.

Traditional or Freelance Platforms

You can find a real estate virtual assistant in a couple of different ways.

One way to find a virtual assistant is to post a job listing on Indeed.com or Ziprecruiter.com. Specify whether you are looking for a part-time or full-time assistant and the job’s specific duties. Then, review the applications you receive, interview your top choices, and hire the best fit for you.

If you go this route, create a contract with the person you hire, decide on a payment method and schedule, and gather the assistant’s W9 information for tax purposes.

Another option is to search for help through freelancer platforms such as Fiverr.com, Upwork.com, onlinejobs.ph, or Freelancer.com. You can search based on the desired skills and experience you’re looking for and invite potential candidates to apply for your job. 

These platforms take care of all the hiring paperwork for you and allow you to pay your assistant directly through the platform, reducing the risk of potential scams. 

How Much Does it Cost For a Virtual Assistant?

The cost of a virtual assistant will depend on a few factors, including how much experience the person has, how much work needs to be done, and the wage rate where he or she is located.

You can hire a basic virtual assistant in the U.S. for $14 to $20 per hour, while a virtual assistant with more experience in the real estate industry might cost anywhere from $30 to $70 per hour.

On the other hand, a real estate virtual assistant based in the Philippines or India might only charge USD 5 per hour. This pricing might seem too good to be true, but once you convert the currency, it’s a decent wage in those countries and an excellent way to save in the long run.

Before you make any decisions, figure out how many hours a week you’ll need help and how much you can afford. Then calculate how much an assistant would cost you each month so that you can work the costs into your budget.

Remember that it’s common to pay your virtual assistant twice a month, though you can always negotiate a payment schedule between you.

Final Thoughts On Working With a Real Estate Virtual Assistant

Almost every experienced real estate agent will get to a point in their career where it is beneficial to hire a virtual assistant to help with their growing business. 

Many talented individuals in the U.S. and worldwide can help you manage your workload and give you a better work-life balance. 

Take your time finding the best fit for you, and you will soon have a trustworthy partner you can rely on to help achieve your goals.