5 Ways a Real Estate Virtual Assistant Can Help You Grow Your Business

Are you ready to bring in help for your real estate business, but you're not sure where to start? Even if you're not ready for full-time help, you may benefit from having a virtual assistant. But what does a real estate virtual assistant do and how can they help?

A real estate virtual assistant is similar to an executive assistant. They offer a wide variety of business services and many have a versatile skill set. 

There are three main differences between virtual assistants and executive assistants

● Virtual assistants most often work remote, while executive assistants most often work in-person

● Virtual assistants are usually freelancers or contractors, while executive assistants are usually employees

● Virtual assistants tend to work flexible hours, while executive assistants traditionally work part time or full time

Virtual assistants often run their own business and are used to flexible hours, which means they'll only work when you need them and they'll help you avoid the overhead that comes with having staff.

If you're a busy real estate agent who has, up until now, been running the entire business as a solo act, hiring a real estate virtual assistant could be the first step to freeing up your valuable time to focus on high-level responsibilities.

What does a real estate virtual assistant do?

Since there are so many tasks you could potentially hire a VA to do, it's important to understand what services will make the biggest impact and help you scale your business. The combination of tasks will be unique to you, but if you can find the right mix the results will be incredible.

So, what does a real estate virtual assistant do? Perhaps the easiest place to start is personal assistant or secretarial type tasks, such as managing your calendar, booking appointments or receptionist duties.

However, there are other types of administration and marketing tasks that aren't as obvious.

Inbox management

There's a good chance you receive a lot of email, and as much as you may intend to get on top of your inbox, things are likely slipping through the cracks. An experienced VA can deal with the administration of your inbox, organizing and filtering so you only see the emails you need to handle personally.

Research

Whether it's property or buyer and seller leads, research can take a huge amount of time and energy. Now imagine if you personally didn't have to do it, but it was being handled by your VA. Research is an important task, and something that must be done regularly. Whether it's tracking down property owners and deeds or comparing adjacent properties to help with an assessment, having a research assistant will be a big time saver. 

Setting up appointments

Booking viewings and showings is a step up from managing your calendar, and requires both trust and a good handle on your availability. The right VA will be able to manage both incoming and outgoing calls and emails. They will not only be able to help people who call to inquire about open house times, but they could also set showings and appointments according to your schedule—without you!

Post or maintain listings

If you only have a few listings then this may not seem like a task worth outsourcing. However, when you're juggling multiple listings on multiple sites, then keeping these up to date can feel like a nightmare. Task your VA with posting and maintaining your listings so you can stay focused on helping your clients.

Social media management

You know you need an online presence, but that doesn't mean you have to schedule every post or figure out which hashtags to add. If you don't love social media, or you know your time is better spent on higher-value tasks, then social media management is a fantastic way to employ a VA in your business.

When we're used to doing things ourselves, it's easy to feel like outsourcing tasks is more hassle than it's worth. And that can be true, if you don't choose the right people to work with or the right tasks to delegate. However, if you can identify what you need then it will be easier to spot the skill set that will best set you up for success. Working with a real estate virtual assistant could be the key to helping you scale your business and optimize your systems.

About Robyn Roste

Robyn Roste is a professional writer living and working in Abbotsford BC Canada. Her personal blog about freelance writing(http://robynroste.com) is listed in The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2020 by The Write Life.