How Virtual Assistants Affect Real Estate Growth

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The advantages of a real estate VA, and how to get one

If you haven’t been living under a rock these past couple of years, then you should probably have heard of virtual assistants at least once or twice. They are helping businesses all over with their overflow of tasks, so the executives can focus more on growing the company and generating revenue.

But what exactly is a virtual assistant? Well, they are professionals who work in a remote location (at times, from home) and they do any task you need them to do. VAs are quite a varied bunch, and they all have different specialties in different fields.

This is because a lot of virtual assistants are actually former onsite professionals who, for one reason or another, chose to work outside the office. They adjust to the schedule you set, and a lot of times, they are quite a bit more affordable compared to hiring an in-house employee.

Despite real estate’s many benefits, there are some drawbacks if you make it your main job.

Unsplash.com photo by Brian Babb

However, the greatest feature that VAs brings to the table is their ability to give you more time. While they are busy doing the tasks you had to do before, now you can use the freed-up time to further improve your business.

All professionals know the value of time, and how it is perhaps the most precious resource in your arsenal. And almost no one knows this better than someone who earns their bread and butter in the wild world of real estate.

Although it is an extremely profitable venture, with the global valuation of the entire industry at around $217 trillion, it is undeniable just how time consuming, and extremely fast-paced the field is.

Here, we’ll explore how a virtual assistant can help someone in the real estate business, as well as how you can go about getting the right one for you.

 

Benefits of having a real estate VA

 

1. Relatively low-cost for managing certain aspects of your business

As a person who works in real estate, you will have every single moment of your day planned out, to the point that you need to be extra careful to manage everything. Mornings are usually used for replying to emails and other forms of communication while sneaking in a few sips of coffee in between.

After that, you will most likely be answering calls from different people, some confirming appointments for seeing a house, others asking for assistance in selling or purchasing a piece of property. Not only do you need to be meticulous for your time, you also need to be frugal with finances, considering income only arrives when commissions are due.

Virtual assistants will be able to share the same sentiment with you. Since they only get paid for the time they spend working, they know the value of keeping things organized. As mentioned prior, they are also more affordable than an onsite employee, which some real estate agents cannot hire for logistical reasons as well.

Experts have even estimated that making use of a virtual assistant can help you save on business costs by up to 40%, considering they are in charge of paying for their own operational costs.

 

2. They can take a huge load off your shoulders

Real estate is a rewarding career, especially for those who put in that much more effort in order to secure a client or sale. But no matter how meticulous you are with your timekeeping, and no matter how professional you are with your dealings, there will come a time when it can get too much.

Despite the many benefits of working in real estate, it is undeniable how stressful it can get sometimes. This means handing over some tasks to a willing virtual assistant is not only freeing up time to talk to more clients—but simply freeing up time to relax.

Not all time well spent is productive. After a harrowing slog of trying to close a deal for a couple of months, you deserve a breather. Hiring a virtual assistant will let you take care of yourself before getting back in and doing what you do best.

 

3. They can ramp up your conversion rates

When it comes to real estate, one of the most important strategies for getting prospective client is lead generation. However, it does take a lot of time, and considering how your schedule is most likely filled with meetings, things can get hectic.

Again, VAs will be a viable resource in this kind of situation. As mentioned before, there are a lot of virtual assistants who specialize in different industries. For this purpose, you could choose a VA who has experience in lead generation, and even social media management and other aspects of online marketing.

But then again, a lead is basically next to worthless if you are unable to convert it into a sale. VAs who have experiencing in generating leads, have experience in lead conversion, will be able to guide you on how you could have them convert.

Such a VA can make contact with the leads in order to follow up on some things, and they could even help you make a lead a repeat client if the opportunity arises. There are many aspects in which a VA could help your real estate business, and this is definitely one of them.

 

How to secure a good VA for you

Now that we’ve talked about just how valuable a VA is for real estate businesses, the next thing we’ll discuss is how exactly you get your hands on one. Sure, a quick search online will show you a lot of results, but how do you know which ones are the best choices for you and your business?

Here, we’ll discuss the things you need to keep in mind when searching for your VA.

 

1. Look for a specialist, not a jack-of-all-trades

When you’re working with virtual assistants, there are the kinds who work for a company for a long period of time, and there are those who only stay for as long as needed (i.e. until a project is finished). Considering how you’re in the real estate business, it would be best if you went with the former.

Dedicated VAs are those who stay with their client for a long time. Considering how real estate professionals deal with sensitive information every day, it would make sense that you wouldn’t want a different VA every few months.

According to statistics, this means you would rather go with a focused VA, rather than someone who has dipped their fingers in all the available jars. Specialists are those who focus on the task at hand, and are professional enough to know that a lot of the information you receive is not for outside consumption.

You can also make use of task-based VAs, as long as they understand that what they’re dealing with is a serious matter, and should not be taken lightly.

 

2. Do your research

Now that you’re hiring your very own virtual assistant, make sure you’re actually getting the best bang for your buck. When you have your eye on a particular VA, make sure to know as much as possible about their background, check out the kind of companies he or she has worked with, and don’t hesitate to ask their previous employers about how they did during their stint with the VA.

 

3. The bottom line—what’s really important

In the end, the best advice we could give you when choosing a VA for your business is to get one that is a good fit for you. A lot of times, companies hire people even if they have a few misgivings about the said person.

VAs are different. If they waste your time, have no hesitation in cutting them off. As long as you are able to make good decisions, and get the kind of VAs that are good for your brand, you should be good to go.