Table of Contents
Introduction
The real estate landscape is growing increasingly competitive with each passing day. Navigating this terrain can be a challenge, but fortunately, real estate virtual assistant companies have emerged as invaluable partners for real estate agents and brokers.
These virtual assistants specialize in a wide array of administrative tasks, contributing to the seamless operation of businesses. They excel in managing crucial responsibilities like data entry, scheduling, and calendar management, among others.
In this blog post, we will delve deeper into the role of real estate virtual assistants, spotlight some of the leading companies in this field, and highlight the significant advantages they can bring to your real estate business.
Who are Real Estate Virtual Assistants?
Real Estate Virtual Assistants are professionals who chose to offer their services remotely. Their charges are often lesser than in-house employees. Well, there is absolutely no end to the tasks that these super workers can perform. Majorly, they can help in improving work quality, accelerating sales conversions, decreasing the stress level of the realtors by performing repetitive tasks and increase business productivity. Off lately, the newbies in the real estate industry are in confusion.
It can be described this way; they have all joined the real estate business to earn money, of course. But more than that, they are in this sector to pursue their passion. Most of them are a people’s person, wanting to be in the field to make better business. However, they are not able to do what they want to do, because they spend hours and hours in front of the computers. They can’t be blamed because having an online presence these days means; one isn’t competent enough to sustain in the market. For these new realtors’, virtual assistants are of great help.
Real estate virtual assistants have the tools and skills to deal with all most all digital marketing tasks along with other administrative, business support, and finance & accounting tasks. Taking time for creative tasks too is difficult for realtors in their busy day to day lives. Creating flyers, banners, presentations, whitepapers, copy for newspapers, PR content, video advertisements, etc. can now be a breezy affair with the assistance of an external professional source. Now, the question is whether your firm or you as a realtor, need a virtual assistant’s help. Well, if your answer to most of the questions detailed below is ‘yes’, then find the right assistant through a reliable online portal or through an agency.
Tips For Creating The Ultimate Real Estate website
1. Content is King
While ensuring visual appeal is a priority, know that your website can never compromise quality content. After all, every site visitor is coming to your website to gain information and to know your brand. So make sure you do not miss this opportunity of turning a visitor into a potential customer. For this, make sure each page fulfills its purpose and, more than that keeps the visitor’s attention intact so that they continues to read further.
2. Optimize Everything
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for your website to get the visibility it deserves. It is the process of including the most widely searched keywords in the text so that the website eventually acquires a higher search engine ranking.
This will further increase the overall website traffic, and more and more people will find out about your real estate company. So, make sure you optimize every bit of the content, including the title, meta descriptions, and main body.
3. Create a Blog
A lot of times, people may not want to visit a real estate website consciously. In these cases, what you can do is create a blog section on the same website where you can keep publishing valuable and user-generated content related to the real estate industry. This will not only keep you relevant, but it will also increase your reach as people reading your blog will also reach your website. Along with that, you also stand a chance of becoming a well-known name in the industry.
4. Market your Blog
Only creating a blog is not everything; you also need to market it to make sure that it reaches the maximum number of people. Marketing your blog will include promoting it on social media platforms with the link attached, word of mouth marketing, and even Search Engine Optimization. As mentioned previously, search engine optimization helps in making your content as widely accessible as possible. So make sure all your blog posts are optimized well.
5. Hire a Virtual Assistant
As you may have already noticed, creating a website, or rather, a successful real estate website, is not an easy task. It requires skill, knowledge, talent, and most importantly, expertise.
Everything requires expertise, from designing the website and writing its content to optimize the blogs and posting them on time. And the best way to have multiple types of talents to build and sustain an excellent website is by hiring virtual assistant, which can be done from a platform like https://ossisto.com. These are some of the top hacks to building one of the best real estate websites in the industry. This brings us to the next important question.
Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant and Get Less Impacted By Industry Issues
Every Industry faces a few current and emerging issues which can be tackled only by intelligent solutions. Uprising of these issues can be of various reasons and it differs from one geographical location to the other. Real estate industry too faces controversial matters that hit the newspaper headlines. In the US, the back-burning issues in this industry are infrastructure, technology effect, political division, capital market rise, population migration, public and private indebtedness, etc.
So, if you are a realtor or is a professional in this space, the plate is filled with burning topics to deal with. In such a scenario, giving the right amount of time and concentration on both primary and secondary tasks is almost impossible. Why taking extra burden, when outsourcing options are open and that too at budget-friendly costs.
In today’s economic conditions, finding a listing in a low-inventory market is not too easy, the solution to this is to find the right referral. Rely on a fully-fledged real estate virtual assistant agency to expand the sphere of influence. If you are in the industry for a long time, you would have perceived the modern importance of having a strong online presence.
Harnessing Digital Marketing and Online Presence
Home shoppers these days check out the websites of realtors before going to the next step in the buying cycle. For winning among the growing online competition, launch 360-degree digital marketing stunts. As a realtor, you might not be able to dedicate a specific time of the day to do very crucial digital marketing tasks.
Assign these tasks to a virtual assistant team and see how you would be able to stay relevant and compete even with the bigger brands. For a medium or small sized real estate agency, constant upgradation of technology is the shortest way to trouble, as it involves huge budget. Other factors that spiral into expensive problems include purchasing the wrong CRM, transferring domains to new servers, errors with apps, data security breaches, etc.
If these tasks are given to an authentic virtual assistant agency, winning a race to keep up the pace with new trends and technology upgradation will be easy. Upgrading the database and managing the ever-increasing list is an unavoidable repetitive mundane task.
Most agents overlook on the importance of keeping in touch-contact on a regular basis. Maintaining a database of high-quality contact details and targeting an effective message to people, is fundamental in real estate business. The best way to do this is through marketing automation. Confusions around selecting the right CRM can totally be avoided by relying on a real estate virtual assistant.
There is no end to the reasons on why realtors are relying on virtual assistants. Primarily, the ease and the option to save money is opening way to choose this biggest trend.
Tasks That A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Can Complete
Grow your business by outsourcing the following tasks to a trustworthy Real Estate Virtual Assistant
1. Research
Research is one of the prominent tasks in the day of a realtor. Research-based work such as evaluating the market value of an asset, finding buyers or sellers, searching for informative marketing data, and finding ownership can be easily done by an experienced real estate virtual assistant.
2. Data entry
Dependable data entry for real estate means a service with zero error. The direction of a real estate deal is set by the information collected. The information can be of any format. A real estate virtual estate agency can help with data entry of buyers/ sellers’ information, maintenance of legal documents, data entry of sales records/hard copies/online-offline data entry, tax-associated data entry and much more. One can save 60% of operational cost through clean data entry reports a reliable online source.
3. Cold calling
An interesting article published by Microsoft reveals that cold-calling will work in a real estate business, but one needs to know the right and wrong ways to do the same. The agents should understand the industry, inside-out and create research-based scripts to polarize lead generation strategies. A real estate virtual assistant can do all of it without micro-management. Most of these specialists come with years of experience and skills for completing tasks within the stipulated time-limit.
4. Managing and organizing
A real estate agent’s office will be filled with physical and digital contracts. In today’s era, one should be extra vigilant of frauds and forgery. In the year 2000, the US federal law made electronic signatures equally acceptable like handwritten signatures, this is in fact helping real estate professionals close the deals faster. But the ill effect of it, is the need that has risen to save highly sensitive information. A virtual assistant would be the right person to turn to, if you cannot find the right focus and time to collect, arrange and manage confidential information and other documents in a proper way.
5. Calendar Management
To any successful agent, time is money. To make each ticking time favourable for a business, a realtor keeps a calendar filled with data on what to do, whom to meet, calls to make, meetings to attend, etc. A small real estate agency can keep such details in a hand-written document or in a diary, but what about big businesses? So, calendar management is not complete in many organizations without incorporating real estate planner. Many of the ‘do it yourself’ online platforms are free, but high-end software is costly. Outsourcing would be the right solution to delineate smart workflows, calendars and to-do lists.
6. Promotion
Promotion of business is a must for reaching the right target audience. A mix of traditional and new medium can be used to promote a real estate business. However, it is a time taking process. Brainstorming marketing ideas, finding the right medium and execution of the plan requires a robust team of many members. Instead of paying these specialists huge amount, get done the best promotional plan by real estate virtual assistants.
Also, these specialists sometimes become consultants for businesses on various concerning topics such as increasing brand awareness, dissemination of relevant information, increasing customer traffic and building sales & profits. A real estate virtual assistant can also do sales/lead conversions, speciality tasks such as translation/transcription or graphic designing.
7. Create Wow ROI
For an investor, real estate is often a profitable business. A realtor’s case is a tad bit different. Real estate businesses start their journey with huge investment hoping to get good investment in the near future. According to trustworthy online articles, most real estate agencies fail in its first year. The first reason is the lack of prioritizing actionable tasks. Many realtors start doing the business as a part time and plate will always be filled; this often leads to failure and loss of money.
Only proper delegation of work to experts can help in creating ‘wow’ return of investment. Second, lack of an expert to guide in the direction can cause self-doubt resulting in failure ultimately. This is not a discouraging sign, if real estate is a passion, there shouldn’t be any hesitation to get into the field.
One can generate more than the investment amount by going totally office-less. Outsource most tasks to a real estate VA. Increase the cash flow and keep the expenses minimum by smart investment. One doesn’t have to invest on in-house resources or for training new employees, a virtual assistant agency will have all resources in place in a pocket-friendly price.
Even if you have a counterargument saying that you had been running a real estate successfully and have got a proper return of investment; at one point in time outsourcing will help you tremendously.
For example, a few years later into your business, you would want to maintain the momentum but will have huge piles of listings and new clients every other day. Your idea of being the jack of all trades is definitely a flop one. Conveniently, create a niche for yourself. Do the primary and the most important tasks and rest of the boring tasks, outsource.
Find Out Examples On How You Can Make Use Of A Real Estate Virtual Assistant
1. Handle Multiple Listing Service (MLS) with ease
MLS is a tool used by group of realtors to allow each of them to see one another’s listings for properties for sale. It is a suite of services that real estate brokers use to establish contractual offers of compensation (among brokers) and also to accumulate/disseminate information to enable appraisals.
This helps every broker in the team to benefit from the consolidated and shared information, and also by sharing commissions. However, listing is not an easy process and it is time-consuming when you have multiple-listing. Here, a virtual assistant can help you meticulously. All you have to do is to share with them the relevant information. A real estate agent can create multiple clean MLS sheet which includes:
- The property types
- Listing Information
- Property Description
- Images
- A virtual tour
- Pricing details
As a realtor, it is counterproductive to spend excessive time to handle Multiple Listing Service. The smart idea would be to present the task to an expert, while you are investing time on doing the primary business generating tasks.
2. Managing Social Media Accounts
Popularity matters when it comes to taking any business to newer heights. Social media catalyses the formulation of business’s wise strategies to outwit its competitions. Exploring, incorporating and utilizing each of these platforms is nevertheless a patience questioning task. Why taking tensions, when a real estate virtual assistant can also wear the cap of a social media strategist.
Managing social media accounts, creating unique strategies, analysing the results and improving the visibility can all be done within a stipulated budget. Some of the relevant virtual assistant tasks for real estate companies include; adding event invites, uploading new posts, responding to queries on online platforms, addition of featured properties and responding to reviews. Most often social media followers would be the first-time buyers, educating them is definitely a time-taking process, so your firm would need a full-time social media strategist or a digital marketer to create leads.
In search of new customers, neglecting existing ones is not a right option. Social media should also be used as a place to engage the existing pool of customers. This requires constant efforts too. A real estate virtual assistant would be the right partner for your firm capable of handling all your social media business accounts effectively.
3. Hassle-free preparation of monthly reports
Creating monthly reports is an essential task of all realtors. Painstakingly one creates reports on various activities such as social media engagement, new-email subscriber connects, mortgage rate, trending market activities, lead-to-client conversions, sales figures, etc. Only an expert would know the essential components in each of these reports.
Some of these relevant documents would require having videos, excel sheets, presentations, research-based data, etc. A real estate virtual assistant can help in creation of precise, clear and meaningful data for all kinds of reports required in a real estate agency.
The best part is that all of these tasks will be completed without any intense training or induction, as the VA’s would have dealt with similar projects for other real estate agencies. Speed comes with experience and so does confidence in dealing an engaging and a balanced data. Now-a-days there are several software that helps a realtor in generating reports, however a need for an overseer is genuine. Hire a real estate virtual assistant, even if you are using a software for report generation. A VA will be readily monitoring, analysing and throwing lights on insightful information like no other software.
4. Cost Factor
So, do you think hiring a real estate virtual assistant is a costly affair than taking an in-house employee? This is not true. A reliable assistant requires no extra training, extra job benefits or other extra resources. All you have to pay them is the budget-friendly prices, often clearly detailed in their websites or portfolios.
The charges often fluctuate depending on the differing geographical areas and experience of the VA. In the US, real estate virtual assistant generally gets paid anywhere between $30 and $70 per month. The current trend in the country is to hire independent VAs instead of experts from various agencies. These individual contributors are highly qualified experts working for multiple companies, projects and tasks; so that they can earn better. As a realtor, you can utilize this opportunity smartly.
The Major factors that influences the pay of a real estate virtual assistant
1. Experience & expertise
More the experience, the person becomes more resourceful, efficient and reliable. Finding the right expert with the correct skill set and availability starts with your creation of a profile that entails all your specific requirements. Type of work Giving a clear information to the VA on the tasks they are supposed to complete, and time required to complete those tasks would help them to quote the right cost at the beginning of the project. Budgeting right is the secret behind restricting money flow and controlling overall cost.
2. Level of technical knowledge required
Some of the real estate virtual assistant tasks require medium to high technical knowledge. A real estate VA should be proficient in using programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel. Knowledge in researching various subjects and industry topics in the internet, is also very important. Adeptness in handling tools like Hubstaff, Dropbox, Google Calendar, GroupMe, Skype makes the work flow smooth and faster.
3. Geographical location
Geographical location of your VA will also influence the pay. According to a recent relevant survey, India is the most preferred outsourcing destination. 80 percent of UK and USA companies outsource their tasks to India. Cheap labour, high quality of the tasks completed, and easy availability of virtual assistants makes India, the best destination. Other hot destination for outsourcing are China, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Mexico, Chile and Poland. However, in real estate sector, businesses prefer finding VAs from one’s own hometown or from the neighbourhood for all the obvious reasons.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Trends 2023
In the dynamic world of real estate, staying ahead of the curve is essential for success. As we step into 2023, the integration of technology continues to redefine the industry, and one key player in this transformation is the Real Estate Virtual Assistant (REVA). These virtual assistants are proving to be invaluable assets for real estate professionals, enhancing efficiency, improving customer experiences, and streamlining operations. Let’s delve into the top trends shaping the landscape of Real Estate Virtual Assistants in 2023.
AI-Powered Virtual Assistants: The Rise of Smart REVA
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a present reality reshaping the real estate sector. In 2023, we’re witnessing the rise of AI-powered virtual assistants that can analyze vast amounts of data, predict market trends, and provide actionable insights. Smart REVA systems can automate routine tasks, such as responding to emails, scheduling appointments, and even engaging in natural language conversations with clients. This not only saves time but also allows real estate professionals to focus on high-value, strategic activities.
Enhanced Customer Interactions: Chatbots and Beyond
Customer service is a cornerstone of success in real estate, and virtual assistants are taking it to the next level. Chatbots, equipped with Natural Language Processing (NLP), are becoming more sophisticated, offering personalized interactions that mimic human conversations. In 2023, expect to see virtual assistants handling customer inquiries, providing property information, and even assisting in the initial stages of the buying or selling process. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also ensures round-the-clock availability.
Blockchain Integration for Secure Transactions
As the real estate industry continues to embrace blockchain technology, virtual assistants are following suit. Virtual assistants can facilitate secure and transparent transactions by leveraging blockchain for tasks such as property verification, contract execution, and document management. This trend not only enhances security but also reduces the risk of fraud, ultimately building trust between parties involved in real estate transactions.
Data Management and Analysis: REVA as Data Scientists
The real estate sector generates a vast amount of data, and in 2023, virtual assistants are evolving into data scientists. REVA can efficiently organize, analyze, and interpret data to provide actionable insights. From predicting market trends to evaluating property values, virtual assistants equipped with robust data analysis capabilities are becoming indispensable for real estate professionals looking to make informed decisions in a rapidly changing market.
Virtual Property Tours: A Game-Changer in Marketing
In the era of social distancing and global connectivity, virtual property tours have gained immense popularity. Virtual assistants are now equipped to organize and conduct virtual property tours, allowing potential buyers to explore properties from the comfort of their homes. This not only saves time for both parties but also widens the reach of property marketing efforts.
Ossisto Real Estate Virtual Assistant Services
Ossisto is a one stop shop for all your virtual assistant needs. Here one can not only find real estate virtual assistants but also general virtual assistants and other specialists in various fields such as BPO, Business Support, Creative Design, Digital Marketing, Finance and Accounting, IT Development, Content Writing, IMS and IT recruitment. Trusted by small businesses and corporations alike, all the professionals are hand-picked based on their qualifications and skill sets. The company offers solutions for agents & brokers, investors, property management firms and telemarketers.
Some prime reasons why one should hire our specialists
- Our team consists of highly experienced virtual real estate assistants. They have worked with diverse industries, variety of projects and for businesses established around the globe.
- The company maintains 100 percent confidentiality. Maintaining security and privacy is the top priority. Clear policies are framed to reduce the scope for a glitch. All the virtual assistants working with us are assigned with unique user IDs and passwords to websites, social media accounts, project management tools, email accounts and cloud-based software application.
- Charges are priced in a way to help businesses to utilize the VA opportunities. Flexible subscriptions and low hourly rate are one of the highlights. ‘Gift of Time’ and ‘Refer a friend’ are services created for all our beloved clients’/customers and others. One can gift virtual assistant services to their person of choice and can also gain extra bonus points and hours by referring a friend to our service.
- Businesses can request for a replacement VA, if one is not satisfied with the present VA working for them. We also assure a total money back guarantee, in case of total dissatisfaction.
- Each project is lead by a dedicated customer success manger. They would communicate with the clients to ensure productivity. We would be available to talk and discuss about the project 24/7. Improving the scope to achieve more and help businesses reach their goals are our utmost priority.
- There is no limitation to the number of tasks that our real estate virtual assistant can complete.
- Our assistants are ace at data scraping various traditional and modern sources using the right software.
- Specialists are capable of generating reports with the right information received from Multiple Listing Service.
Additionally,
- Our VAs are reliable writers well-versed in creating messages. They can develop error-free blogs and other content for various business collaterals attracting a huge pool of readers across the globe. They not only have good writing skills but also great communication and people skills. Whether it be filling documents as per the official checklists or following up with the clients, our experts can do it all.
- Our experts won’t demand for sick leaves, casual leaves or any other employment benefits like an in-house employee. However, they can complete tasks efficiently, saving both time and money. Most of these works are done based on contract basis, so no work means no pay; making it one of the most inexpensive way of getting a work done on time.
Top 10 Real Estate Virtual Assistant Companies
1. Ossisto
Ossisto offers comprehensive real estate virtual assistant services, helping professionals manage their tasks efficiently. From administrative support to lead generation, they provide a wide range of services tailored to the real estate industry.
2. Transactly
Transactly specializes in transaction coordination for real estate professionals. Their skilled virtual assistants streamline the closing process, reducing administrative burdens and ensuring smooth, on-time transactions.
3. Zirtual
Zirtual delivers personalized virtual assistant services, supporting real estate agents with administrative tasks, scheduling, and more. Their experienced assistants free up your time to focus on growing your real estate business.
4. My VirtuDesk
My VirtuDesk offers virtual assistants specifically trained for the real estate sector. From managing listings to marketing support, they provide tailored solutions to meet industry demands.
5. Summit VA Solutions
Summit VA Solutions is dedicated to supporting real estate professionals with virtual assistants skilled in lead generation, CRM management, and other tasks essential for success in the industry.
6. MyOutDesk
MyOutDesk specializes in real estate virtual assistants. They help real estate agents scale their businesses by handling administrative tasks, appointment setting, and marketing support.
7. Boldly
Boldly offers top-tier virtual assistant services to real estate professionals. Their assistants are experts in various tasks, including research, scheduling, and project management, empowering real estate agents to focus on high-value activities.
8. Time Etc
Time Etc provides dedicated virtual assistants to help real estate agents with a wide range of tasks, from email management to research, enabling professionals to maximize their productivity.
9. TaskBullet
TaskBullet offers real estate virtual assistants proficient in data entry, lead generation, and administrative tasks. They cater to the unique demands of the real estate industry.
10. Wishup
Wishup provides virtual assistant services tailored to the real estate sector. Their assistants support real estate agents with tasks like CRM management, appointment setting, and research, ensuring a smooth workflow.
Conclusion
In the fiercely competitive realm of real estate, staying ahead demands not just hard work, but smart work. This is where a real estate virtual assistant becomes a game-changer. These professionals bring a wealth of expertise in administrative tasks, allowing agents and brokers to focus on what truly matters – building relationships and closing deals.
By entrusting tasks like data entry, scheduling, and calendar management to a capable virtual assistant, real estate professionals can reclaim valuable time and allocate it where it counts most. This shift in workload not only enhances productivity but also cultivates a healthier work-life balance.
Want to bring a positive change to your REAL ESTATE BUSINESS?
Hire our VAs and boost productivity
Know More >>> Best Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas
FAQ'S
1. What is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?
A Real Estate Virtual Assistant (VA) is a remote professional who provides administrative, technical, and marketing support to real estate agents and brokers. They handle tasks like data entry, appointment scheduling, and marketing campaigns, allowing agents to focus on core activities.
2. How to Become a Real Estate Virtual Assistant
To become a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, gain proficiency in real estate processes, software, and marketing techniques. Build a strong online presence, create a portfolio, and market your services on freelance platforms or through networking in real estate communities.
3. What is a VA in Real Estate?
A VA in Real Estate, or Real Estate Virtual Assistant, is a skilled professional who remotely assists real estate professionals with various administrative tasks. This includes managing schedules, handling paperwork, coordinating marketing efforts, and more, optimizing an agent’s productivity.
4. How to Hire a Real Estate Assistant
To hire a Real Estate Assistant, define your needs and tasks clearly. Search on reputable platforms like Upwork or specialized VA agencies. Review candidates’ portfolios, conduct interviews, and assess their understanding of real estate processes before making a selection.
5. When to Hire a Virtual Assistant
It’s advisable to hire a Virtual Assistant in real estate when you find administrative tasks overwhelming or distracting you from revenue-generating activities. When your workload reaches a point where delegation is essential for sustained growth, it’s the right time to bring on a Virtual Assistant.
