Hiring a real estate virtual assistant is an intelligent way to get more work done for your real estate business. With a real estate virtual assistant, you can focus on more critical functions such as hosting open houses, building rapport with your clients, and developing marketing strategies for your client’s portfolios. 

What can you outsource to a virtual assistant?

Having an efficient virtual assistant can help you achieve your business goals. Office management, taking phone calls, scheduling events, coordinating meetings with partners and clients, and preparing monthly reports are tasks you can outsource to a virtual assistant. He can also handle social media management, sales calls, customer support, and marketing and advertising campaigns. 

Are virtual assistants worth it?

Unless you’re keen on taking on more workload, having your own virtual assistant to handle administrative tasks is a great way to get results for your company. It will save you time and energy, help manage costs, and allow you to deliver better output to your clients.

What does a real estate virtual assistant do?

A real estate virtual assistant belongs to a specialised niche of virtual assistants. It requires knowledge and experience in the real estate industry. Having a background in marketing and good interpersonal skills are also an advantage.

One of the things your real estate virtual assistant can do is help you keep track of multiple listings. By encoding property information in a Multiple Listing Service, your assistant will save you the time it takes to upload details such as property type, location, images, and list price.

On top of the usual tasks that a regular virtual assistant fulfills, a real estate virtual assistant can help you schedule appointments with clients, organise your work calendar, take care of necessary paperwork, and manage your customer database.

Where can I find a good virtual assistant trained in real estate work?

1. Search in freelance platforms

If you want a quick way to search for a real estate virtual assistant, freelancing platforms are helpful sites to visit. Fiverr, for example, is a virtual job marketplace for freelancers. Search for virtual assistants whose field of expertise is in real estate.

2. Contact a virtual assistant agency

If you don’t want to go through the rigors of the hiring and recruitment process, contacting a virtual assistant agency is a good option for you. With a virtual assistant agency, you are assured that the qualified applicants have gone through a thorough selection process. This includes screening for the skills, experience, and industry knowledge needed for the role.

3. Check a job site

Job application platforms like Indeed can help you spot potential candidates for the role. In these platforms, you will also be able to check the applicant’s credentials, such as previous work experience, area of specialisation, and skills.

4. Hire a real estate hobbyist

It’s now a trendy thing to be multi-faceted. Search online for an enthusiast or hobbyist who is into marketing houses and offer them the role. There’s no harm in asking — it might open doors for your candidate and provide you with valuable market insight at the same time.

5. Join business groups

Online business groups can give you reliable leads on finding suitable candidates for the role. 

6. Hire a contractor

If you’re after a specific task only — such as writing emails or executing marketing campaigns, you can opt to hire a contractor with this particular skill. Additional training on real estate may need to be provided to help your contractor familiarise himself with the work.

7. Post on social media

Social media is an excellent way to network with professionals from the industry. Sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram make job listings fast and accessible — post your job ad, and before you know it, your phone will be ringing with applicants.

8. Train one of your own

Another way to have your own professional real estate virtual assistant is to hire one of your own. Inquire with HR if anyone has expressed interest in doing real estate office management remotely. There might be a budding virtual assistant in your organisation just waiting to be tapped. 

If the staff lacks work experience, you can enroll him in a training course to help him upskill and enhance his industry knowledge. You can also conduct training workshops within your organisation to equip potential virtual assistants with their transition to working remotely — special courses in marketing and CRM software are valuable in many industries, particularly real estate. 

9. Join real estate forums

Join forums on selling and renting properties — you may find an agent or two looking to have a WFH setup handling real estate administrative work.

10. Visit real estate blog sites

Chances are, real estate bloggers are well-connected within the real estate digital community. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations and referrals — they might be able to help you with a lead.

11. Post a job listing in WFH groups

Since being a virtual assistant is remote work, there’s a big chance you will find a virtual assistant from work-from-home groups. To ensure that you’re getting a trained person for the role, check that the applicant has a background in real estate or is at least familiar with the workings of the industry.

12. Ask for referrals

Go old school and ask for referrals. You never know — a friend of a friend may know someone who might be interested in the role you’re offering and may have the real estate expertise you’re looking for.