FAQ

General Questions

Why Hire A Virtual Assistant (VA)?

What Typical Services Can A Virtual Assistant Do?

What Should I Look For When Hiring A Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

What Can I Expect To Pay A Virtual Assistant?

So What Is A Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

If I'm Not Technologically Savvy, Can I Work With A Virtual Assistant?

How Will I know When I Need A Virtual Assistant?

General Questions

Why Hire A Virtual Assistant (VA)?

There is little training necessary
There is no need to compensate us for: items pertaining to an employee such as, insurance, Social Security, Medicare, Worker’s Compensation, and Payroll or Unemployment taxes. There are no employee costs associated with a virtual assistant
We use our own hardware. You have extra expenses for computers, office equipment, or software
You can increase your productivity during busy times by adding to your team without actually adding to your permanent overhead and hiring employees
You can handle special projects without letting your level of sales or customer service falter
You only pay us for when you need us for a special project — when you don’t need us we are not there asking for hours
You have access to technology that you may not have time to learn how to use yourself.
You will have MORE FREE TIME to focus on the sales aspect of your business and revenue generating activities or to spend at your leisure!

“You can have the best software, marketing ideas, and strategies, BUT if you don’t have time to implement and maintain them they are worthless to you…the people who put them into action are PRICELESS!”

What Typical Services Can A Virtual Assistant Do?

The degree of services offered by a virtual assistant vary from one virtual assistant to another.  It is very safe to say that no to virtual assistants are alike.  A virtual assistant specializes in what he/she has experience with or likes doing.  

However, as far as real estate virtual support goes, there are definitely some niche services which are quite commonly offered among Real Estate Virtual Assistants (REVA's).  They are as follows:

• Transaction Management
• Lead Follow-Up & Tracking
  
• Contact Database Management
• Geo-Farming
• Listing Marketing
• Website Customization & Design
  
• Desktop Publishing

What Should I Look For When Hiring A Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

Like any professional you hire you want to check their credentials.  Here are some things to consider when hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant (REVA).

•  Years in business
•  Professional experience/education
•  Certifications/associations
•  Do they have a professional organized website?
•  Can they provide at least 3 references?
•  Did they respond promptly to your inquiry?

Also, consider their overall personality, time zone, and if they operate as an organization or a one-man/woman shop.  If they operate as a one-man/woman shop it may be difficult to get timely service unless they strictly limit the the number of new clients they can take on at any given time.

What Can I Expect To Pay A Virtual Assistant?

Virtual Assistants (VA's) are independent business owners so their rates include not only their service fee but also they cover their expenses such as office supplies and software as well as insurance, benefits, and profit margin for their company.  The industry standard that most established VA's will charge is between $40 and $55 per hour for non-technical work.  Rates for services such as software coding, website design, animation, or even consulting may range anywhere from $75 to $150 per hour on average.  Most VA's offer retainer packages which allow you to buy down your rate if you are willing to buy a block of hours up front.  It is important to keep in mind that you may find a VA only charging $15-$25 per hour for their services.  This is way under the industry standard and probably means that they are inexperienced and new to their business.  Their sustainability may be questionable.

So What Is A Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative and/or technical services. Utilizing advanced technological modes of communication and data delivery, a professional VA assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own office on a contractual basis. ~ IVAA

Basically, real estate virtual assistants are the cost effective alternative to hiring a real estate personal assistant or administrative assistant. The advantage is virtual assistants do not take up space in your office, call in sick, or leave you high and dry to become a realtor after you’ve invested so much time and money into hiring and training.

Here’s the best part! Virtual assistants are only there when you need them! Hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant adds to your real estate team but NOT to your overhead. When you are not busy they are not busy. You no longer have to carry the burden of staffing a full time employee (with benefits, payroll tax, vacation days, workers compensation, health benefits, etc.) all year round!

If I'm Not Technologically Savvy, Can I Work With A Virtual Assistant?

Yes!  That's one of the major benefits of working with a virtual assistant.  You don't have to keep up to speed with the constantly changing world of softwares, CRM's, websites, updates, etc.  In fact, most Virtual Assistants take training and certification classes for the most popular platforms so you do not have to.  Virtual Assistants can be just as much as a consultant as a service provider. If there is a new product that comes out virtual assistants share their experiences and know which ones are good and which ones to steer clear. 

How Will I know When I Need A Virtual Assistant?

Every agents business is different and requires different levels of service.  That said, there really is no project to large or small for a real estate virtual assistant.  The main thing you want to consider is if you are leveraging your time properly.  A licensed agent is better off only doing the tasks that actually require a license and letting a professional assistant handle the rest.  so if you find yourself spending hours on marketing and administrative tasks your bottom line is probably suffering.  The overall goal is to work smarter not harder, while increasing sales and leisure time.  Take our VA Assessment