Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant

Working in the real estate industry and need help? Instead of hiring a full-time employee, consider hiring a virtual assistant for real estate agents instead.

When you start your career as a real estate agent and land that first client, you’re probably thinking, “It’s go time!”

Before you know it, you’re juggling multiple clients, going to showings multiple times per week and handling contracts. While you’re working really hard giving your clients your undivided attention, other aspects of your business start to get neglected.

You want to show up on Google but have no idea how to set up Google my Business or how to even rank in the search results. You’d love to be more active on Facebook and Instagram but have no idea what to share. You really need help managing your calendar and house listing.

Let’s face it. Marketing your real estate business can be very time-consuming. So, you need to start unloading some of the work so you can focus on what you do best.

But how do you find the time to work on marketing your real estate business if you’re working with clients and closing house sales?

That’s when it’s time to start outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

Before you outsource to a VA, you should understand what a VA is and how they can work with you.

A virtual assistant is a freelancer or contractor. Some offer hourly work while others sell packages to their clients. The job description is typically up to them, although you could train a VA to help you in areas not included in their roster of services.

Typically, they work remotely due to the internet and technological advances. However, you can find someone local to you! For example, search for “real estate virtual assistant Atlanta” (or wherever you live) and you may connect with someone in your own city.

Outsourcing to an expert in social media management, SEO strategy, and other digital marketing services can really improve the efficiency of your business.

Having just one person on your team can help you improve your systems and processes. In other words, hiring a virtual assistant can be a huge gamer changer for your business!

What Does a Real Estate Virtual Assistant Do?

Now that you know more about virtual assistants and why they are easier than hiring an employee, you’re probably wondering, “What should I hire them for?”

The best real estate virtual assistants typically offer the following services:

• Managing your house listings

• Coordinating your transactions

• Daily administrative tasks like cold calling

• SEO strategy for website and blog content

• Social media management: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.

• Email marketing: campaigns, list management, and freebies to grow your email list (Wouldn’t buyers in Atlanta love a neighborhood guide to help them decide where to live?!)

Hiring a virtual assistant with specialized skills is what makes them so valuable.

How Much Do Virtual Assistants Charge?

The industry minimum is $20 per hour, but the average ranges from $25-$40 per hour. If those numbers make you squirm a bit in your seat, hang tight for a minute.

First, VAs who charge that much have experience and developed specific skill sets. They are confident that they can deliver on their services.

VAs are also human beings and have bills to pay. Because they work as freelancers or contractors, they have to set aside 25-30% of their income just to pay taxes and business expenses. So, that $20 per hour is more like $14 per hour.

If you’re unsure of paying that much, start out small. You can hire someone at 5 hours per month to start. 5 hours per month  x $25 = $125 per month.

Imagine investing $125 per month, and your VA shares content daily on Facebook and Instagram for you. Or they write one detailed blog post for your website. Or they help you send out a weekly email to your subscribers.

Small investments like that can really help you increase your productivity and grow your real estate business!

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant

If you’re ready to hire, congratulations! But if it’s your first time growing your team, there is definitely going to be some uncertainty involved.

Luckily, there are lots of experienced VAs out there who can help you through the process. When you interview a VA, ask them what business tools they use. Many of them will be familiar with project management tools, social media schedulers, email marketing softwares, and Google Drive/Microsoft Office.

From there, most VAs will send you a proposal and contract. If they purchased a legally binding contract, it will detail all expectations included pricing, time commitment, start and end date of the agreement, etc.

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Market with Miranda, LLC offers virtual assistant services for real estate agents locally in Atlanta, GA and remotely throughout the U.S. You can view the full list of digital marketing virtual assistant services HERE.