Do you need a Real Estate Virtual Assistant? The Ultimate Guide For This Year

Do you need a Real Estate Virtual Assistant for Cold Calling?

This VA Guide will serve to assist you in your decision to add to your business… that crucial step of adding in your leverage. Whether you decide on an on-site assistant or a Virtual Assistant, it’s best to consider everything about you, your business, and its needs to make the best choice!

It’s no secret that with the growing amount of competition, technology and administrative overload, going it alone can have its disadvantages. Once the decision has been made to arrange for some assistance, many agents are turning to Virtual Assistants as a perfect middle-of-the-road option between hiring a full time, on-site assistant or going it alone.

But in what may ultimately be a wonderful addition to your business, there are some things to know and consider before working with a Professional Real Estate Virtual Assistant.

We Make Your Calls is a Virtual Assistant and Sales Services Center in helping Real Estate Agents. We can do a lot for your real estate business, most importantly, they give you time back so you can stay in front of your clients and focus on activities that generate more income.

From this level of experience, a VA is expected to possess the skill sets, training and business knowledge which are the hallmark of a truly qualified Virtual Assistant.

What is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

There are a variety of definitions of VA’s, defining who we are and what we do. I’m sure many of you already know~but for those who don’t, this is it, in a nutshell:

A Virtual Assistant (or VA) is a professional service provider who specializes in providing remote administrative office support solutions as an independent contractor who works with clients in an ongoing, collaborative professional relationship. Virtual Assistants work from their own offices and utilize today’s technology to deliver their solutions and communicate with clients.

From this level of experience, a VA is expected to possess the skill sets, training and business knowledge which are the hallmark of a truly qualified Virtual Assistant.

Depending on your company needs, you can choose to have a full-time or a part-time virtual assistant to perform the needed tasks that will help your business grow. The agent will be accompanying you at all times to carry out the assigned tasks.

How a Virtual Assistant Can Help a Real Estate Agent?

Real estate is a competitive field. As such, you’ll need all the help you can get to lessen the time spent on administrative and menial tasks, and focus on generating revenue in real estate. In this field, you’ll definitely need an extra hand that’s always prepared to work for you, when you need him, however you need him.

The Internet has become a crucial element in building a reputation, even for real estate. Gone are the days when clients simply relied on directories and published materials for information on the available deals in real estate. Thus, when you hire a virtual assistant, someone to build an online presence for your trade, you can be sure to keep up with the trend. A virtual assistant is almost always adequately trained in a lot of Internet tools, such as email promotions, graphic and web design, real estate blogging, and many others.

For one, he can develop a nice, user-friendly website that can give clients the necessary info they may be seeking. He is able to include an online chat tool in that website so that anyone around the world who has questions regarding your real estate can ask them right then and there, and your virtual assistant answers back. This real-time communication is a plus for any trade because it takes away the waiting time involved in emails and forum discussions. Your virtual assistant becomes a sort of customer representative, in addition to all the other jobs he can.

They are an expert at time management. Hiring a virtual assistant is never a bad move because the work they offer is highly professional. Besides, their skills can range from traditional office support to highly technical areas, and you only need to pay for the time they spend in doing your job requirements. They are an excellent solution to your problems with staffing. get done for you.

Other functions that your virtual assistant can do are bill paying, which is admittedly one of the biggest hassles, basic word processing, phone and email answering, calendar maintenance, and appointment scheduling, all at the click of a mouse. They can do all these administrative support tasks, and even go beyond business and do some personal tasks for you. They can book a family dinner, purchase a sports ticket online, plan a vacation, and practically arrange your busy schedule such that there remains sufficient time for you to spend doing things other than work.

According to a survey, as much as 56% (2021) of Real Estate Agents use virtual assistants. In fact, the number one reason for using them is saving time and money. A second reason is increasing productivity.

Indeed, there are many reasons real estate agents find it beneficial to have someone help with their workload: better customer service and increased productivity can be just two of them. But first things first! We’ll start by answering some questions you may have about having a VA work in your business.

Benefits of working with an Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

The benefits of a Real Estate Virtual Assistant are numerous. Virtual assistants are the modern day equivalent of a secretary, only without all the paper clips, pencils and staplers. They can take calls for you, answer emails for you, schedule meetings for you and so much more.

Here are just a few:

1. Agent pays only when there is work to be done.
2. Agent is charged only for the hours used.
3. Deadlines are considered contractual. 
4. Enables you to work with your real estate clients and on the critical parts of your business.
5. Our Real Estate Virtual Assistants are available after regular business hours. We feel that since real estate agents work odd hours, we should too! Therefore as you will notice on our “Contact a Real Estate Virtual Assistant” page our hours of operation.
6. Pay is not doubled for holidays or overtime. (emergencies do not apply) Yes, we do work holidays and past our normal hours on a project by project basis. The pay is increased some for holiday pay but is not doubled like other Real Estate Virtual Assistant.
7. High Quality work at affordable pricing.
8. Virtual Assistant for Real Estate Agents are outfitted with the necessary tools to get the job done right.
9. Less pay, more service, quality results!
10. Lower Costs for Fixed Expenses, Office Space, and Equipment – By using a VA you eliminate the need for more office space, cubicles, office furniture, computers, office supplies, etc. VAs work from their own office and use their own equipment. Your utility bills will also be lower by using a VA.
11. No Training and Recruiting Costs – VAs offer services in their area of expertise thus eliminating the need for training costs and hiring recruiters.
12. No Payroll, Benefits, Taxes, or Overtime – Since VAs are independent contractors and not employees you don’t have to pay any taxes, health and/or life insurance benefits, no paid holidays, no paid vacations, and no sick leave. You also don’t have to pay any overtime and/or time in a half.
13. More time to focus on your business – Using a VA frees up your valuable time to focus on growing and improving your business, knowledge, and relationships.
14. Cost-Effectiveness A virtual assistant is one way of cutting costs down without sacrificing quality output. Most businesses don’t realize how much they save when they hire  a virtual assistant in the long run.
15. More Time to Network If you are working with a virtual assistant, you can spend more time out there making new connections, increasing sales and helping your company grow.

Great for Remote Owners Virtual assistants work great for people who own businesses that need remote assistance like an Internet business, or a real estate entrepreneur (don’t forget that home office that needs managing!). You can work from another state or even from overseas. You will have enhanced productivity when your VA is taking care of your back-end work so you have more free time to concentrate on other things.

Online Services VA companies are opening more of their offices online because of the growing demand for virtual assistant services from people who need them but do not want to pay for in-person administrative work such as scheduling, data entry, or writing.

What does a Real Estate Virtual Assistant do?

The functions performed by the virtual real estate assistant are: finding property details, data entry, cold calling and call management, and lead generation activities. Depending on your company’s needs, you will need certain services from a real estate virtual assistant.

It all depends on the type of campaign you need, whether it is buying properties or looking for who buys the properties from you. Our agents are prepared for any situation. Also as an extra service, we help you generate a winning script for your leads.

What are some things that a virtual assistant can do for a Real Estate Agent?

Correspondence

• Check email
• Voicemail for new clients.
• Tasks
• Add CRM contacts
• Check follow-up correspondence

Client Services

For Renters

• Create emails listings per client specification.
• Confirm all showings and appointments.

For Buyers

• Buyers are pre-qualified.
• Forms
  • Retirement.
  • Spousal support.
  • Business income.
• Emails with listings per client
• Confirm all showing

Sellers

• Complete comparative market analysis of property.
• Formally list property on MLS listings.
• Find private buyer.

Landlord Requests

• Schedule open house tours.
• Verify all applicants.

Account Contacts

• how many accounts do you have contact with?
• Each renter & buyer account should be contacted.
• See who wants to buy.
• Sell get market update.

Prospecting for New Businesses

• Find the Zip codes.
• Real estate business advertising.
• Skip tracing
• Set appointments and manage business & personal calendar
• Pre-qualify all clients.
• Marketing and scheduling open apartment & open house listings.
• Marketing for home listings.
• Tracking transaction checklist.
• Focus on Instagram and Facebook ad campaigns.
• Deal Management.
• Follow up with clientele to feel if needs are being met.

Planning for Next Day

• Which clients are the priority follow up
• Client contact updates

 Listing Coordination

• Prepare Pre-listing Packet, CMA and other marketing materials for listing presentation
• If approved by local MLS, input listings, and manage updates etc.
• Arrange for Home Stager
• Prepare and write well-written ad copy for the listings for coordinated placement in marketing materials
• Create and send Just Listed postcards
• Design & send to printer property flyers/brochures/postcards
• Order/ create/post Virtual Tour on websites
• Create print ads for open houses for approval by you
• Input listings into all websites, and manage updates and changes
• Enhance listings on Realtor.com
• Create branded HTML ads/posts for use in Craigslist.com and others.
• Prepare Open House materials
• Prepare Seller Reports to keep sellers informed of web traffic on their listing
• Set up and manage showing feedback information
• Create, update and maintain all single property websites

Marketing & Lead Generation

• Maintain computer based contact management and lead generation system
• Design and create system for drip-email campaigns
• Design direct mail marketing system to databases
• Design flyers, postcards, and multi media materials
• Manage and update community/neighborhood web sites
• Create and run FSBO and Expired Listing campaigns
• Newsletter program (printed or web-based)
• Create & design Relocation materials
• Create & design First Time Home Buyer Packets
• Other

Client Relations Management & Retention

• Send out relocation packages
• Respond to online inquiries
• Manage the purchase & delivery of client closing gifts
• Coordinate appointments
• Send out special occasion cards, reminders, announcements and newsletters
• Put past clients on a retention email- drip campaign
• Think about planning an annual client thank you event
• Other 

Transaction Management

• Manage transaction via OTM (Online Transaction Management system, ex: Settlement Room, Relay)
• Schedule inspection appointments
• Coordinate lender appointments and track loan process
• Coordinate closing dates & times
• Other

 Employee vs. Real Estate Virtual Assistant    

	Employee	Virtual Assistant
Billed Time	Possible holiday, sick, vacation, and salary pay.	Project Basis
Knowledge	Usually specialize in 1 duty	RE Virtual Assistants Specialize in many areas of expertise.
Training	Usually weeks of paid training	RE Virtual Assistants Train themselves online and you DON’T pay.
Dependability	Possible sick or vacation or holiday time.	Always someone available to complete the task.
Space Requirements	Employees usually have a desk or office space provided by you.	No space required, therefore lower overhead.
Utilities	Extra utility cost	No cost to you.
Office Expenses	Employees require office equipment & office resources.	No cost to you.
Software	Extra for each employee you employ or corporate cost	We have the software or we will not take the job.

Strategic Planning Support

A virtual assistant can help you make sure that your business is on the right track by providing you with some strategic suggestions or planning support services for your real estate career. If you want to expand into other areas, a VA can suggest possibilities to consider so that you don’t get stuck focusing on what hasn’t worked out and have more time to focus on new business opportunities that may arise.

You can make sure that your virtual assistant is the best at providing you with these services by carefully selecting someone who has been working in the industry for a long time.

Getting to know someone who has worked for other real estate entrepreneurs and who knows their field well will be a huge help in finding the help you need to run your business smoothly. A VA who has experience working for real estate people like you will understand your unique needs better than anyone else, since VAs helping this sector are specifically trained and equipped for it.

Tips for consulting & hiring a Real Estate virtual assistant for cold calling

By now you should have quite a few qualified candidates to interview. Have your job description, requirements any other questions ready. Set up your consultation appointments and get rolling. What do you say, talk about..?

When you find a virtual assistant in your area, or one that can help from another state or country, you need to make sure that you are compatible with this person before signing a contract. Some questions to ask are: What do I want to accomplish and how will these services help? You must be able to prioritize what you need so that your VA can work on tasks based on their importance.

If there is any doubt about the priority of certain tasks given by the VA, it would be best if both of you get together for a meeting and discuss your expectations and what you expect from the other. What type of services do I need and how is this going to help me? Some VAs have task-specific skills, while others are generalists. If you require specific tasks like data entry or designing a website for your business, then you should choose an expert who can handle these efficiently.

Meanwhile, if you want someone to simply schedule appointments for you, it will be faster and easier for a virtual assistant specializing in project management to tackle this kind of work. So you must be clear on ​what type of VA service ​you need so you can find someone who can give you what you need.

1. Introduce yourself, and allow the VA to do the same. Briefly review your needs and goals, and ask the VA if they offer those services and what strengths do they have that would serve to be the most helpful to you. Check for your VAs response, level of communication and understanding of your goals. Ask if they have had clients facing similar challenges and what they have done to offer support.
2. Are they Compatible? Ask about their computer systems, hardware, & software compatibility. Ask them about specific vendors that you work with like Top Producer, Number 1 Expert, Point 2 or any other program you would like them to operate and manage for you. Are you willing to work with any learning curves..? Ask the VA if they charge you to learn a new product or tool, or if they do it on their own time? How vital is that to your success?
3. What is their Availability? If there is only one VA you will be working with, how do they handle their client load, and overload..? If there is a team of VAs, how is that work delegated and managed..? Discuss hours, rates and plans that are available.
4. How do they track the hours or time that they work, and is this time available to you at all times? The return on your investment is crucial, and VAs will probably vary on their speed and turn around times.
5. Conclude your consultation by allowing the VA to ask you questions about you, your business, and your work style. Make mental notes, on friendliness, enthusiasm, pro-activeness, and listening skills. Let them know if you have worked with a VA before, and how your experience was and wasn’t.

Review Rate Proposals from Potential VAs

Before signing any contract with a virtual assistant, make sure that you have reviewed the scope of work and pricing proposal in detail to make sure that this is something you require at the moment and it won’t become an additional burden over time. Your VA should be able to provide you with specific rates for each service that they are willing to offer, or else they will should clearly specify how much time ​they will need per month for each task so you know if this is worth your money or not.

Their rate proposals must be consistent around their job analysis. In addition, you should get a detailed scope of work for the services that they will be offering so you can make an informed decision on choosing them.

Tips for keeping a happy, productive partnership with your new Real Estate Virtual Assistant

The relationship goes both ways, and as a business owner who is in need of such services, it is important to know what your responsibilities are in order to maintain this partnership for long-term success. Some of the things you must do when working with a Real Estate virtual assistant include:

Create a clear job description.

Start small if its hard for you to let go and delegate, it takes getting used to! Get systems in place, and communicate regularly. You can always add on later. When you are looking for a virtual assistant, one of the first things that you must do is to be clear about what services ​you are expecting from this person so both of you ​know ​where to draw the line.

Be sure to include all your important tasks and responsibilities in the job description when hiring a VA so there will not be any mistakes or misunderstandings on what you must get out of this relationship. Some tasks may seem unimportant but they might take up a lot of time, so unless these jobs have very minimal requirements, it’s best to work with your VA regarding these as well.

Establish clear lines of communication.

Whether by email text message, phone or other means clarify what you prefer, what your VA prefers. Clarify that the VA confirms received emails etc.:)

Schedule Weekly and Bi-monthly update meetings.

Keep your VA on track, stay on top of updates and continue to brainstorm new ideas. Your VA cannot read your mind, and may not know what challenges you a face daily or are in the pipeline. Build that rapport by sharing up- coming events so that your VA may prepare to support you when things get crazy. The more lead time we have the better;)

Create your goals and establish deadlines.

Once you have your VA up and running on your systems and tasks, take this time to establish new goals for your business, set deadlines and share them with your new team member. If there are things you have been putting off, now is the time to move those BIG ROCKS.

Provide constructive feedback!

Everyone loves to hear feedback. If there is something that is working well, and you are happy with, PLEASE share that with your partner. It helps the VA get to know you even better, and what your expectations are for accountability and progress. If something is not working out, see if there is a problem in communication, lack of knowledge, or a larger learning curve than expected. Work together to find solutions.

Be Responsive

Virtual assistants, just like other freelancers, require communication from time to time as this is how they get their jobs done. Be sure that you do not leave your virtual assistant hanging if he or she requires clarification on what needs to be done in order for your tasks to move forward. A responsive business owner will make a much better impression on his or her VA so all communications must be addressed immediately after being sent out.

The level of responsiveness can have an impact on the quality of results delivered, and if you are slow in responding it might have an effect on your VA’s work attitude and morale.

Frequently Asked Questions For Real Estate Virtual Assistant for Cold Calling

We invite you to try our services. We are giving away a free 8-hour trial for you to try our work. Ultimately, having a virtual assistant is a great way to make your business more efficient and profitable. The benefits are many: You can focus on your clients while your VA takes care of the administrative tasks, you’ll save time by delegating tasks that would otherwise take hours each day and best of all, you can free up more time for yourself and family!