Virtual Assistants aren’t new to the real estate industry. But suddenly, these days all assistants are virtual due to COVID-19 restrictions. What we've learned throughout the current pandemic is that any assistant you hire should be able to operate remotely — during the new or old normal.
If you’re still turning in well-worn manila folders overflowing with piles of printed documents to your broker, consider taking steps to make your business more relevant in 2020. Aside from showing houses and in-person open houses, real estate work can easily be done “virtually.”
Not only is it possible, but, in today's climate, it’s what home buyers and sellers have come to expect from their real estate agent.
So, now the question on many agent's minds is, “Should I hire a Virtual Assistant?"
Agents who hire a Virtual Assistant typically do so for the following reasons:
1) They want to free up more time to travel, to invest in self-care, and to spend time with loved ones.
2) They are interested in growth -- they desire to get more done, in less time. They are hiring Virtual Assistants in order to delegate aspects of the listing, transaction and pipeline development processes so they can focus on securing new listings and buyers.
Real Estate Virtual Assistants can take on different functions depending on your needs. Some of the roles you can assign a Virtual Assistant are:
Transaction Coordinator: This type of Virtual Assistant is solely focused on getting transactions to the closing table so that you, as the agent, can spend your time working your pipeline. Transaction Coordinators handle all listing and closing-related tasks, such as scheduling inspections, and are responsible for ensuring all deadlines and contingencies on the contract are met timely.
Sales Assistant: This role is focused on activities such as setting appointments, responding promptly to online prospects, developing marketing collateral and keeping the pipeline flowing.
General Virtual Assistant: A more generalized Virtual Assistant helps with a wide range of tasks, from designing creatives to scheduling social media posts. They also assist with tasks like writing and blogging, SEO and website management to get more exposure online, sending postcards and calling on leads. This type of Virtual Assistant allows the agent to focus on revenue generating activities.
Ask your favorite top-producing agent, and they’ll tell you their Virtual Assistant is their secret weapon to achieving growth. When you outsource your real estate tasks to a Virtual Assistant, you can lower labor fees by more than 40%. If you hire an experienced Real Estate Virtual Assistant, you can onboard VAs with very little time and effort on your part.