According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment rate for real estate sales agents and brokers is expected to grow by 5% within the decade. The market trends illustrate that more and more people will join the competition. So, if you’re a realtor, you might want to consider getting virtual real estate assistant services to stay at the top of your game.
Leading a life of hustle doesn’t truly bring gratification in the long run. If you don’t want to stretch yourself thin, you should delegate some of your daily admin tasks. With Wing’s virtual real estate assistant services, you’ll have more time to grow your business while caring for yourself. If you’re still wondering whether hiring one is right for you, this article will answer all your questions.
Is it time to get virtual real estate assistant services?
It’s common for managed service providers to employ skilled remote professionals to help realtors with administrative tasks, marketing, and lead generation. However, how do you know if investing in virtual real estate assistant services is your best option? Well, here are the signs to watch out for:
Overwhelming workload
When you’re running a real estate practice, you’re responsible for the entire business operation. You can easily get overwhelmed and frustrated, especially since you make and implement all the big decisions. According to Gallup research, 45% of entrepreneurs feel incredibly stressed out.
You wouldn’t want to be part of that statistic, right? So, if you want to get some things off your plate, your best bet is to hire a virtual real estate assistant.
Difficulty keeping up with administrative tasks
It’s challenging to add value to your business when you spend most of your day e-mailing, scheduling, invoicing, and billing. Don’t get us wrong. Admin tasks are a necessary part of your real estate practice. However, these activities take you away from what you do best – securing property deals.
So, if you notice yourself spending several hours on administrative tasks, it’s time for you to hire virtual real estate assistant services. You won’t have to focus all your energy on answering e-mails, scheduling appointments, and updating listings. A trained virtual assistant will do those for you.
Struggle to provide top-notch customer service
Your real estate practice’s success depends on how well you manage customer service. Here are consumer expectations as reported by various Statista surveys:
- When contacting a business, 70% of customers expect a response within a day.
- 40% of customers stop doing business with someone when they experience poor customer service.
- 94% of consumers are likely to return to the same business because of a positive customer service experience.
If you fail to provide top-notch customer service, you’re hurting your chances of securing property deals. Thankfully, you can hire a real estate virtual assistant who will make and receive calls. They will also manage your inbox and respond to customer queries. So, your potential customers will always have a positive experience with your team.
Lack of time for lead generation and networking
In the real estate industry, it’s crucial to follow up on leads promptly. Unfortunately, with all the admin tasks involved in the job, many real estate brokers and agents neglect to do this. Consequently, they miss out on potential sales and customers.
So, if you want to contact new leads efficiently and convert them into customers, you must delegate your tasks. Virtual real estate assistant services involve setting up the process for following up with your leads. Even if you’re busy showing properties to potential buyers, your assistant will keep the conversation going with your leads. This way, you can build trust while focusing on other aspects of your business.
Struggling with marketing, especially online
Because the Internet has made everything more accessible, consumer expectations have become even higher. According to a 2023 CMSWire report, 79% of clients consider the digital customer experience extremely important. These days, you need to have an online presence to stay in front of potential clients. Social media content creation has become instrumental in generating qualified leads for the real estate industry.
Of course, it’s easy to set up an Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and even a TikTok account. But do you know what to post for each platform? Not many real estate agents and brokers understand how to get more social media followers. Even fewer understand how to convert social media leads into customers.
Taking advantage of virtual real estate assistant services would mean you won’t have to worry about online marketing. You will have a dedicated assistant who will regularly post on your social media accounts. As a result, your real estate practice will have a consistent online presence.
What are the benefits of hiring a remote real estate assistant?
Your virtual real estate assistant can do everything from administrative tasks to online marketing. Here are some of the benefits you can expect:
More time for lead generation and networking
As we’ve mentioned, generating leads is crucial to a real estate practice. However, it’s equally important to convert these leads into buyers. When it comes to new leads, timing and speed are crucial. After all, NAR research reported that 74% of leads close their real estate transactions with the first agent they speak to.
So, if you want more time to convert leads into customers, you should hire a qualified remote real estate assistant. They will screen and follow up with your prospects, ensuring you will spend time convincing valuable leads.
Increased productivity and efficiency
According to NAR statistics, the average real estate agent drives about 3,300 miles annually for business purposes. You already have a lot on your plate. While most of your tasks are crucial, you don’t necessarily have to do them all by yourself.
Virtual real estate assistant services include phone calls to customers, follow-up emails for leads, CRM tool management, and database updates. By having a remote assistant, you can concentrate on core business activities like closing transactions.
Improved customer service
Buying or selling a property is a significant decision. Naturally, your customers will have a lot of questions. Even so, you shouldn’t tie yourself down by answering every single query they might have. You can delegate this task to your remote real estate assistant.
This way, you won’t be bogged down with answering emails all day. At the same time, you can still ensure that you provide a positive experience to your potential customers.
Reduced stress and workload
In an interview with the National Association of Realtors, mental health expert Dr. Kevin Gilliland said that real estate practitioners are at risk for depression. He said that the job has a demanding nature which causes high stress levels.
If you want to reduce stress, one of the things you can do is lighten your workload. You can do so without sacrificing your potential sales. Hiring a real estate VA allows you to outsource admin tasks and have time to care for your mental health. You can have time to spend with your loved ones, relieve stress, and do things you love.
How do you evaluate if you need virtual real estate assistant services?
Here are some of the things you can do to determine if hiring a remote real estate assistant is suitable for you:
Review your current workload and responsibilities
You must think long and hard if you have enough work to keep your virtual assistant busy. So, we recommend tracking your time to get an idea of your workload and responsibilities. Pay attention to the hours within the day that you’re most productive. If you’re spending so much time on administrative tasks, then you should consider hiring a real estate virtual assistant.
Weigh the pros and cons of hiring a remote real estate assistant
While virtual real estate assistant services have several benefits, they also have drawbacks. For instance, there can be communication gaps, especially when hiring non-native English speakers. Moreover, because you’re hiring a remote worker, you might end up working with someone who lacks commitment and dedication.
The setup can also be challenging because you cannot physically supervise your virtual assistant. As such, you must find a managed service provider to ensure your virtual assistant is professional, dedicated, and hard-working.
Determine what specific tasks you would delegate
You can outsource an array of tasks to your real estate virtual assistant. However, it’s essential to define these tasks to ensure they will be productive. Here are some of the activities you can delegate to your remote assistant:
- Administrative tasks – Scheduling appointments, managing office communications, and assisting with personal tasks.
- Operational tasks – Conducting research, posting listings, updating lead status, helping with data entry, and organizing databases.
- Marketing tasks – Managing social media content, writing blog posts, running email marketing campaigns, and developing marketing strategies.
Consider your budget
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay of secretaries and administrative assistants is $39,680 per year or $19.08 per hour. However, virtual real estate assistant services cost significantly less than that. That’s because managed service providers usually hire people from other countries with lower labor rates. On the other hand, if your budget permits, you can invest a bit more in a US-based virtual assistant. This way, you can work with someone with a thorough understanding of your culture.
Explore different options for hiring an assistant
If this is your first time hiring a virtual real estate assistant, you can try working with a part-time employee. If you only need help on specific admin tasks, you can hire a CRM data entry virtual assistant. As you scale your business, you’ll eventually need someone who works with you full-time. So, we recommend finding a managed service provider offering a wide range of virtual assistant options.
Delegating administrative tasks will save you time
At this point, you probably know how your day goes as a real estate professional. However, have you seriously looked into the time you spend on administrative tasks? According to a Placester survey, 58% of real estate practitioners spend most of their work hours in the office. Here’s how their day goes:
- 68% spend an hour on updating listings and marketing their services
- 60% spend several hours a day generating new leads
- Around two hours per day goes to email management, per a McKinsey survey
So, if you delegate lead generation, marketing, and email management to a real estate VA, you’re freeing up four to five hours of your day. You can spend that time meeting with clients, showing properties, and visiting listings.
Get top-notch virtual real estate assistant services from Wing
There are many reasons why being a real estate agent always tops the list of the most stressful jobs in the world. After all, this field is highly competitive. So, a realtor must spend long hours staying ahead of the game.
Thankfully, hiring a real estate assistant makes the job bearable and even rewarding. By delegating administrative tasks, you’re increasing your efficiency and productivity. What’s more, you can spend more time talking to leads and convincing them to become customers.
With someone handling inquiries, you can even deliver a positive customer experience. By outsourcing certain tasks to a real estate VA, you can lessen your workload and reduce your overall stress.
As such, we recommend assessing your daily tasks to determine if you need to hire a remote assistant. Whether you need CRM data entry services or want to hire someone to work with you full-time, you can rely on Wing.
As a managed service provider, we ensure our clients get the support they need. Once you sign up for a service, we will assign a dedicated Client Success Manager to help you get started. You can relay a concern, question, or feedback to ensure that you’ll make the most out of your virtual real estate assistant service.
Schedule a call with Wing today to discover which virtual assistance plan suits your 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.
