Did you know that existing-home sales increased by 14.5% during the first quarter of 2023? It’s not surprising that real estate professionals are always busy. You probably found this article because you sought an efficient solution to manage your daily tasks. Well, it’s high time you learned about real estate assistant duties.
When you want to take your practice to the next level, you will need some help. After all, chasing and closing deals are just a small fraction of the tasks you do every day. When you have a reliable and knowledgeable assistant helping you out, you can focus on activities that require your expertise. So, in this article, we will share what daily tasks you can delegate to your real estate virtual assistant.
Administrative Tasks
According to a McKinsey survey, workers spend about 61% of their workweek on administrative tasks like email management and research. Imagine how much time you can recover when outsourcing these real estate assistant duties.
Responding to emails and managing email inboxes
Did you know that you might be wasting 21 minutes per day managing your email inbox? While responding to messages is a crucial part of your job, spending too much time on it can be counterproductive.
Thankfully, you can hire a remote assistant to handle all your transaction-related communications. They can set up the appropriate filters for your email inbox to ensure you’ll only receive qualified leads. Moreover, your assistant will respond to essential inquiries about your listings.
Managing calendars and scheduling appointments
Your schedule becomes chaotic when you overbook meetings and forget about appointments. Well, part of real estate assistant duties is organizing schedules. Your VA will ensure that there will be no overlaps. They will remind you of upcoming appointments—even those outside the office. For instance, they can schedule an overdue doctor’s visit or a dinner reservation in a restaurant in town.
Drafting and sending contracts and other documents
A virtual assistant can also help you with specific document-related tasks. For instance, they can organize contracts and send out drafts. However, remember not to require your assistant to perform tasks outside their licensure or expertise. In most cases, real estate assistants are not authorized to draft legal documents. However, they may have the adequate industry knowledge to create contract templates.
Handling phone calls and taking messages
You must admit—it’s challenging to answer all your phone calls. You'll need someone to take your messages when you’re busy driving around town and showing properties. Your real estate virtual assistant can handle your phone calls, ensuring that all inquiries during office hours will be answered.
Database management
Virtual assistants aren’t licensed real estate agents. So, their communication with clients should be limited. Even so, they can manage your CRM database and ensure that there are no duplicates. Your VA can categorize your clients into homeowners, buyers, sellers, or other classifications. Moreover, they’ll make sure that your contact list is updated.
Marketing Tasks
According to a Placester survey, 62% of real estate professionals spend at least an hour a day on marketing efforts. Here are some marketing tasks that your virtual assistant can handle:
Creating and managing online ads
Compelling and eye-catching real estate listings are critical aspects of your business activities. However, you probably know how tedious it is to create one. After all, the entire process involves the following tasks:
- Gathering all the information about the listing
- Scheduling an appointment with a professional real estate photographer
- Writing the listing description
- Uploading everything to a multiple listing service (MLS)
- Promoting the listing on your website and social media profiles
While these tasks are essential, they are better left to the hands of a reliable real estate virtual assistant. They will accomplish all these activities to the highest standards. This way, you can worry less about your online ads and spend more time closing deals.
Designing and sending email newsletters
Your VA can also take on the duties of a remote marketing assistant. You can train them to format and design compelling newsletters using email marketing software. Moreover, they can manage the email lists, ensuring subscribers receive your messages promptly. After all, part of real estate assistant duties is to schedule the newsletter to be sent at a specific time and date.
Managing social media accounts and profiles
According to data from the National Association of Realtors, 97% of homebuyers conduct their research online. So, to gain a competitive edge on the web, you should be active on social networking sites. Fortunately, you can hire a social media assistant. You can let them promote your listings on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, allowing you to get a ton of organic engagement online.
Conducting online market research
Research is the foundation of a successful real estate practice. Even so, the task can be tedious and time-consuming. On the other hand, you can hire a remote assistant to gather the latest market trends. They will also perform competitive research to help you set the prices for your listings. Besides, part of real estate assistant duties is conducting background investigations on potential clients. This way, you can ensure you’re doing business with the right people.
Creating and updating marketing materials
Did you know that you can hire a virtual assistant with some background in graphic design? They can design your listing fliers, direct mailing collaterals, and social media infographics. It isn’t always easy to find an assistant with such specialized skills. However, the process can be simple and convenient if you work with a managed service provider.
Sales Support Tasks
A separate National Association of Realtors study reported that 90% of buyers would use their agent again. You can achieve such customer satisfaction when you have a foolproof sales process. Here are some of the sales support tasks you can outsource to a remote assistant:
Generating leads and setting appointments
You can boost your chances of closing deals by widening your sales funnel. With effective prospecting, you can find buyers who intentionally want to purchase properties and sellers who want to make a profit. However, we won’t deny that generating leads can take a lot of time. Well, you don’t have to worry about this task because a virtual assistant can handle it. They will even set appointments for valuable and qualified leads.
Managing virtual property tours
According to a 2020 University of Iowa study, homes with virtual tours sold faster by 6%. Indeed, if you want to close deals sooner, you must invest in virtual property tours. Your virtual assistant can upload and download your listing photos and videos. They will ensure that your 3D imaging artist will have all the materials they need for your virtual property tour. Moreover, they will check if asset links redirect to the right videos or photos.
Following up with leads and potential clients
Generating leads is just the first step to closing deals. Of course, you’d have to follow up with potential clients to keep them engaged with your service. Thankfully, part of real estate assistant duties is contacting leads and ensuring that they have all the information they need. This way, you won’t miss out on opportunities to secure sales.
Coordinating with other agents and vendors
Networking with other agents and vendors is also part of your job, especially if you want a larger pool of potential sellers or buyers. Moreover, having the right connections in the industry ensures that your future customers have the best service possible. To save time, you can let your remote assistant coordinate with multiple parties. With another person handling industry communications, you can focus on more important tasks.
Transaction Coordination Tasks
There are many business activities you can outsource to a virtual real estate transaction coordinator. Here are some of them:
Managing deadlines and timelines
When you hire a virtual assistant from a trusted managed service provider, you can ensure that they’ll study your contracts thoroughly. This way, you can rest easy knowing that you can meet all the deadlines for financing, contingencies, and closing. With an assistant coordinating with all parties and keeping track of all dates, you can ensure your transactions stay on schedule.
Scheduling inspections and appraisal appointments
Of course, part of closing deals is ensuring that the property will be appraised and inspected on time. Your remote assistant can schedule the appointments and remind vendors to ensure that the transactions will go smoothly. If any issue comes up, your VA will update you and reschedule appointments accordingly.
Coordinating with lenders, title companies, and other vendors
Communicating with all the parties involved in the transaction can be time-consuming and tedious. If you want to spend more time on property tours, you can leave these admin tasks to your assistant. They will send and receive documents from lenders, appraisers, inspectors, and title companies. Moreover, your remote assistant will ensure that the contracts are free of errors and signed appropriately.
Drafting and sending out escrow instructions
When you hire a transaction coordinator, you’re going to work with a virtual assistant who specializes in the escrow process. They will draft the escrow and organize communications between the seller, buyer, escrow agent, and third parties. Moreover, they will ensure that all the details are included in the purchase agreement. Before sending the escrow instructions, your assistant will ensure that the information is error-free.
Reviewing and negotiating repair requests
Part of achieving customer satisfaction is ensuring that repairs will be completed to the highest standards. Your remote assistant can review and negotiate repair requests. Moreover, they will keep all parties posted to ensure the transaction stays on schedule.
Technical Tasks
You can also find virtual assistants with technical expertise in website management, blog writing, and email campaigns. Here are some of the real estate assistant duties you can outsource:
Managing websites and online platforms
Websites are always at risk of being bugged and hacked. Besides, managing a real estate online platform can be time-consuming and complicated. Thankfully, you can hire a virtual assistant with some background in web development to free your hands from this highly technical task.
Creating and updating blogs and other content collaterals
One of the ways you can establish yourself as an authority in the industry is by having a relevant blog. After all, a Marketing Insider Group study revealed that you can expect blog ROI in the form of higher leads, web traffic, and conversions. So, if you want to maintain an online presence, hire a virtual assistant who specializes in writing blog posts for the real estate industry.
Managing email automation and drip campaigns
Designing email newsletters is one thing, but managing drip campaigns is a different ballpark. It requires specialized skills that will boost website visitors into buyers. You can also hire assistants with expertise in personalizing automated emails according to specific user behaviors. They will monitor your drip campaigns, making calculated adjustments to ensure that leads are effectively nurtured.
Analyzing and reporting on online marketing metrics
Did you know that 74% of buyers say that a business’ website has some influence on their purchasing decisions? So, to ensure that your online marketing efforts are paying off, hire an assistant who will analyze and report on your metrics. Make sure you find a VA with technical skills in digital marketing for this job.
Managing virtual meeting platforms and other software
According to a Lucid Meetings case study, you may be spending around six hours per week on managing meetings. You can regain that lost time by hiring a virtual assistant. Here are some things they can do:
- Test and troubleshoot the meeting platform
- Prepare the meeting materials
- Schedule the meeting
- Preview the demo, record the meeting, and take notes
Hire Real Estate Assistants Through Wing
Real estate virtual assistant duties go beyond scheduling appointments. You can hire them to manage your social media profiles, generate leads, and coordinate transactions.
Now, if you want to maximize the benefits of working with a remote assistant, hire one through a trusted managed service provider like Wing. When you work with us, you’ll have a dedicated Customer Success Manager who will address all your concerns.
Schedule a call today to find a virtual assistant plan that fits your unique needs!
Eunice Samson’s interest in keeping up with the “bleeding edge” of technology has led her to a career in digital marketing. She’s currently writing SEO content for eCommerce, SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS companies. Aside from searching for opportunities to increase her online marketing knowledge, Eunice also scours the Internet for useful bonuses and coupon codes that she can use to fuel her love for photography. During her free time, she watches professional photo retouching tutorials between streaming her favorite TV shows. Fun fact: Eunice has never met a cupcake she didn’t like.
