Personal Assistants

Quick Takeaways

Distinguish between licensed and unlicensed job duties
Can help with database cleanup, plan events and much more
Clear communication ensures the best working relationship

Source: Maximize Your Time by Hiring a Virtual Assistant (REALTOR® Magazine, Apr. 13, 2023)

Real estate agents often use personal assistants to help manage their workload and improve efficiency. Personal assistants can handle administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments, managing emails, and organizing documents. This frees up the agent's time to focus on core activities like client meetings and property inspections.

Real personal assistants offer a personal touch and local knowledge but can be costly and have limited availability. On the other hand, virtual personal assistants are cost-effective, available 24/7, and efficient but may lack personalization and face communication challenges. The choice between the two depends on the specific needs, budget, and preferences of the real estate agent.

Personal assistants can communicate with clients on behalf of the agent, providing updates, answering queries, and arranging property viewings. This helps maintain good client relationships and ensures timely responses. Assistants can conduct market research to gather information on property listings, market trends, competitor analysis, and potential leads. This data can assist agents in making informed decisions and developing effective marketing strategies.

Personal assistants can assist with marketing tasks such as creating property listings, managing social media accounts, and coordinating advertising campaigns. They can also track marketing metrics and analyze results to optimize strategies. Assistants can help coordinate transactions by liaising with clients, lenders, inspectors, and other parties involved in the buying or selling process. They can also assist in preparing contracts, paperwork, and closing documents. They can help agents stay organized by managing calendars, setting reminders, and prioritizing tasks. This improves time management and ensures that important deadlines are met.

Overall, real estate agents can benefit significantly from having personal assistants who can handle administrative tasks, facilitate communication, conduct research, assist with marketing, coordinate transactions, and enhance overall organization and time management. This allows agents to focus on providing excellent service to their clients and growing their business.

See References for more information.

References

NAR Library & Archives has already done the research for you. References (formerly Field Guides) offer links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of perspectives. EBSCO articles (E) are available only to NAR members and require the member's nar.realtor login.

Characteristics of Personal Assistants

17% of REALTORS® use at least one personal assistant
53% of personal assistants are licensed
46% of personal assistants are employed full-time
51% of personal assistants work exclusively for one REALTOR®

Source: 2023 National Association of REALTORS® Member Profile (National Association of REALTORS®, 2023)

Real Estate Professional Assistant Course Certificate Program

The Real Estate Professional Assistant Certificate course is designed to sharpen current professional assistant's skills or jumpstart an aspiring assistant's career. As a result, the assistant will become an irreplaceable part of the agent's business plan or team, and help manage risk.

What Can a Personal Assistant Do for You?

6 Reasons to Hire a Virtual Assistant (Real Trends, Jun. 8, 2023)

A virtual assistant can be an asset when managing multiple clients at once. Acting as your professional representative, they can provide high-touch customer service and support when your listing portfolio grows.

Though nothing beats one-to-one communication with a client, your virtual assistant can set up phone calls and virtual meetings with clients to make sure listings are moving forward as planned.

Maximize Your Time by Hiring a Virtual Assistant (REALTOR® Magazine, Apr. 13, 2023)

Within the first month of having a virtual assistant, Stewart sold her most expensive property, and within four months, she did $4 million in sales. She says knows that she was able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time because her VA helped her get organized, which allowed her to focus. The VA took over much of the administrative tasks that Stewart would have taken, freeing up time so that she could focus on securing clients.

What Can an Unlicensed Real Estate Assistant Do? (PRO REA, Mar. 9, 2023)

A licensed assistant can usually command a higher salary than an unlicensed assistant because they can do a few more essential things. It’s worth keeping in mind that a licensed assistant may have a different motivation for coming to work for you. They may want to work with clients on the side, they may want referral fees for deals that they bring to the team, and they may want to work for you because they want to learn the ropes so that they can go out on their own.

How Real Estate Virtual Assistants Can Help Your Business (Reviano, Mar. 7. 2023)

A real estate virtual assistant can be your right hand by providing support for diverse tasks like lead generation, property listings, data entry, database management, and setting appointments. They can also help with the remote aspect of property management.

Personnel Issues

Real Estate Assistant Salaries in the United States (Indeed, Feb. 15, 2024)

The average salary for a real estate assistant is $17.43 per hour in the United States.

Real Estate Assistant Salary: What You Should Know (Wing, Jul. 5, 2023)

Real estate assistant salary rates reflect competitiveness in the job market but also the realities of living standards in these states. Most of the states in the list have high tax rates, soaring rents, and higher standards of living overall.

To attract the right talent, you need to make sure you’re providing a wage that supports that standard of living. It’s a delicate balance that requires a lot of research before deciding what makes a competitive offer for your job candidates.

Real Estate Assistant Interview Questions (TalentLyft, Jun. 25, 2023)

Situational interview questions

A potential client is interested in viewing a property that is currently occupied by a tenant who refuses to allow any showings. How would you handle the situation and convince the tenant to allow the showing?
You need to find an appropriate property for a client with very specific requirements that seem impossible to fulfill. How would you go about finding options and presenting them to the client?
Your real estate company is interested in expanding into a new market, but the competition is already well-established and the demand is low. How would you approach this challenge and develop a strategy for success?

How To Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant (+ Their Tasks) (Kyle Handy, Jan. 27, 2023)

Data entry and organization – Real estate virtual assistants can help you keep your contact lists up to date, enter leads into your CRM, and keep your files organized. I know a real estate agent whose VA is on every Zoom call with them to document notes about the meeting. You can also use a real estate CRM that records all your calls and later have a VA add notes to the file.

Social media management – A real estate assistant can help you create social media posts, interact with followers, and track results.

Lead follow-up – Once you’ve generated a lead, a real estate virtual assistant can help you stay in touch until they’re ready to buy or sell.

What to Look for in a Virtual Assistant (REALTOR® Magazine, May 12, 2021)

Interview at least your top three candidates before making a selection. You might get fatigued reading resumes, which might make you lean toward one of the first candidates you look at. Remember that hiring the right person will save you time and money by avoiding replacement costs.

Hiring the Right Personal Assistant for You (REALTOR® Magazine, Apr. 17, 2020)

“The personality of a real estate assistant, in general, usually includes liking stability, routine, and safety. They like to have things organized, and they like to support somebody,” Rosenblum says. But they often choose the real estate industry because it can be exciting. They get to be involved in a very important transaction in someone’s life, and they get to see pretty homes, too, she explains.

eBooks, Books & Other Resources

Be a Kickass Assistant (eBook)

As a member benefit, the following resources and more are available for loan through the NAR Library. Items will be mailed directly to you or made available for pickup at the REALTOR® Building in Chicago.

Become a Mega-Producer Real Estate Agent: Profit from a Licensed Assistant (Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western, 2005) HF 5438 H42b

Real Estate Assistants: a Guide for Risk Management (Chicago, IL: National Association of REALTORS®, 2001) HF 5438 N16rm

The Pocket Assistant's Guide for Real Estate Professionals (Canton, OH: Carmel Publishing, 1997) HF 5438 R33p

The Professional Assistant: a Guide to Success for Real Estate Assistants (Chicago, IL: Real Estate Education Co., 1996) HF 5438 R33

Multiply Your Success with Real Estate Assistants (Chicago, IL: Real Estate Education Company, 1994) HD 1375 R22ms

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