It’s a buyers market and realtors need to take advantage of all the tools available to them in order to grow and manage their business, especially if there is fierce competition in the marketplace. This is where Virtual Assistants can play a vital role.
Busy realtors stay apprised of trends in the housing market; they do research, sales, promotion, paperwork, networking… This is a merry-go-round that never ends, and one of the main reasons why delegating menial tasks is important.
One must ask: Are my skills and time best utilized through closing deals or filing paperwork? Am I making more money by showing houses or being on the phone and setting up meetings? Naturally, these are all important aspects of a real estate business but assigning these non-essential tasks to a Virtual Assistant will improve productivity in surprising ways.
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4 Benefits of Hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant
ROI
From a return on investment (ROI) perspective, it may feel counterintuitive to hire a real estate virtual assistant but consider the cost of hiring someone against how much more can be earned when focused on tasks with much bigger payouts.
Work-Life Balance
We all want to believe we can do it all. Certainly, it is possible but it is more likely that doing everything at work means something at home falls to the wayside. Finding balance is important to health and relationships. A Virtual Assistant for menial tasks frees up more time for important things like family or self-care.
Focus
Imagine not having to coordinate the schedule, file paperwork, write promotional material, or check email all day. Delegating those tasks frees busy realtors to focus on more high-end goals and strategies to close the deal.
Productivity
In line with ROI is productivity. A busy realtor relies on face-to-face interactions, chasing down leads, and serving their clients with a personal touch.
Three Tips to Hiring a Good Real Estate Virtual Assistant
The hiring process is tedious but it is vitally important to be as thorough as possible when seeking to employ a virtual assistant. Here are three tips for finding a good VA.
Speak to Them
With the ability to Zoom or FaceTime someone, speaking to a potential freelancer is important to see if everyone gets along and communicates effectively.
Follow Up with References
A resume can look amazing but that is never the whole story. When asking for references, be sure to call them. Former employers are likely to be forthcoming if there were issues of consistency, workflow, deadlines, or attitude.
Qualifications
An example of qualifications might be something like social media management. If a potential VA hire will be in charge of building a social media presence, it might behoove the realtor to see if they have a social media presence.
As a successful business owner, it may be difficult to let go of the controls on everything. Just keep in mind that success is often based on selling houses and finding more opportunities. A Virtual Assistant may seem like a luxury but it may be the best investment for growing a real estate business.