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To Have An Assistant, Or Not Have An Assistant, That Is The Question

Most folks in real estate as their business grows wonder

To have an assistant, or not have an assistant, that is the question.

Usually books like the Millionaire Real Estate Agent say get an assistant before you need one even part time so you can start leveraging another's time and focus on what you do best.

It seems there are a few key areas to remember with assistants:

In Office or Virtual Assistant - Many like the in office assistant for the face to face communication but in today's Internet world Virtual Assistants can do many of the same tasks. You could even have both.

Focus the assistant on your low dollar per hour activities.

When checking who they are with references and their background make sure they get high marks for reliability.

Don't forget to pay them well if they are good. Sure we all have budgets, but the good ones are worth it.

Chemistry. Your getting along very well with an assistant is critical. As you interact with them make sure they clearly understand what you want, that they clearly communicate back to you with questions, and understand deadlines.

Real estate can be one agent, one agent with an assistant, to the skies the limit with huge teams. There is no one size fits all. But a good assistant is worth their weight in a suitcase of milkbones. Plus they are so faithful to you.

Posted by Gary Woltal - Associate Broker REALTOR® Dallas Ft. Worth on 05/30/2009 07:28 PM

Comments (39)

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39 Comments on To Have An Assistant, Or Not Have An Assistant, That Is The Question

MAY

Hi Gary~ Over the last 12 years I have had two assistants. (not virtual) and they were so good and so loyal. They could almost read my mind and knew exactly what to do once trained. Once I moved to KY, I have not had the need to hire one yet. When I do, I will probably hire a virtual one.

Gary, I have never had an assistant. I need one really bad but I am terrible when it comes to delegating. I;m sure this has costs me a ton of money over the years. I just prefer doing it all.

Good advice . If we find a good assistant we should pay them well.

I am at the point of hiring one but I don't know which way the Detroit economy is going.

Gary,

I love our team assistant. She is so much better at covering all the little details. I go out take a listing come back hand her the docs and she inputs it and builds me a file I would never put together on my own. The hardest part for me to get used to is letting go of some of the tasks I'm used to doing.

I would also say use a DISC profile when hiring one, good assistants share some really common traits.

Gary...

I have never been able to successfully hire a good assistant. I disc tested them, interviewed them properly, etc. but was never able to make them do what I needed them to do. My theory is that if I have to tell them what to do and how to so it every day then they are not saving me any time or making me money.

I understand the need and the value of having a good assistant however, like a couple have alread said I HAVE CONTROL ISSUES.

We have had some virtual help from time to time if needed.

I'm with Bryant -- I guess I might have control issues??? I do have a virtual assistant, however, for my web site, which has been a lifesaver!!

Hi Gary, I am a big advocate for what Virtual Assistant's can do in our careers. Anyone that attends any of Michael Russer's Classes would learn the many benefits of associating with one or more virtual assistants and allowing them to do the many services that would otherwise be done by employees. But they are not employees and as such have their own perfect career and just do a far better job than an employee that is perhaps in ones office. No employment issues as they are independent contractors. One such Virtual Assistant in our ActiveRain lives is Sharon Lee. She has only done one project for me thus far but she did it well.

Gary, I have an excellent assistant who is also my retired husband. I don't pay him a penny but his help is priceless. He is registered with the board of realtors as an unlicensed assistant.

Gary, I sure thought about that for the last few days... I would love to be in that position!

Gary,

You raise some good points. I think that some people probably are better at working with assistants than others. :)

Steve

I do not have an assistant but I do have a family that helps alot. My son hangs and takes care of my signs. My daughter have roles in helping me with advertising and flyers etc. No assistant but have found ways to pull together with colleagues and family.

I own hair salon also and the staff can fax for me. They answer my phone when busy. It seems to work and would I love a full time assistant. Yes. but I have many that help all the time.

Hi Gary!
I have never had an assistant and I don't think I ever will. Yes, there are times when I am busier than I want to be, but I like knowing exactly where each client is at any given time. Also, I guess I have had my fill of assistants who think they know what should be in a file and pester you to death, even though you have explained that whatever it is isn't required in a probate or whatever!

MAY

And dont forget, training them young pays off. High School and college kids are highly adaptable. They are willing to learn. Adding to their value in the long term.

Hi Gary - I could not work well without an assistant. Delegation of tasks is important so that you can focus on the money making activities!

I am in need of an assistant now - I work with a team and it could really benefit us --- Just getting started is the thing to do! Thanks!

Gary, I don't have an assistant but have thought about it on and off. You made some good points about really checking into people who will be in any way involved with your business....and if you find the right person to pay them well; I imagine they might be hard to come by.

I could not possibly excel as I do without an assistant and superior real estate team. There are only so many hours in a day. If all I wanted to handle was 6 listings or a couple of buyers at a time, I wouldn't need an assistant, but that's not the real world for me. Finding an excellent assistant is the tough part (I've been through 3 before landing a top-notch assistant) and putting together a superlative team is almost as difficult, but I have found it was worth investing time, money and energy to do it. Especially I was to continue providing the one-on-one service my clients have come to rely upon and deserve.

I am feeling the pain of not having an assistant. I think I have one that might work for me a few hours a week on the stuff I don't like to do.

If you're not paying someone $10/hour to do data entry, mailings, put up signs, lockboxes... etc.... then you're paying youself $10/hour to do those tasks.

We need to do what we do best, and delegate the rest.

It's been two weeks since I fired my assistant. She was too busy with her own hobbies.

She is also my mother.

Hi Gary,

A good assistant can take your business to the next level. Handling the phones, paper work, mail outs, etc. frees me up to do what I do best..list and sell.

Gary,

I too feel an assistant whether real or virtual is definintely money well spent...

JUN

Angelia--ouch. How's that going for you ... especially at family dinners?

I don't have one at this time. When I would hire another one it would be a virtual assistant.

Bettina

Gary - I've hired a part-time assistant twice in my real estate career and both were excellent, but I feel really bad about letting them go when the economy dips, so I'm doing it all myself now. I also have had two bookeepers, but unfortunately, both of them messed up my financial records, so I do that myself now as well. Hopefully the market will bounce back to the point where I can hire an assistant again and keep one.

JUN

I have always opted to have my computers take up the slack. This is not a market to hire an assistant for me...

Gary - To NOT have an assistrant is my choice ....I have to have a pulse on EVERYTHING or it keeps me up at night. ANd, that's why I am an agent and not a broker.

Hi Gary,

At some point an agent will get to the stage where they know they need to hire an assistant. But there is the fear of can I afford it, will I continue to be busy and keep my assistant employed.

This is where hiring a Virtual Assistant can be the solution. As independent contractors you only contract for the services and the hours that suit your business.

For example:

Depending on the transaction a Transaction Coordinator spends an average of 12.5 hours on a typical transaction; the average agent spends approximately 19 hours managing a transaction.

The time an agent spends managing a transaction has significant financial implications. Assuming the average full-time agent earns $63,000 a year median for 40 hours (equal to $30.28 per hour), the agent will spend in excess of $575.00 of their time managing one transaction.*

*Source: National Association of Realtors

There are some great VA resources on ActiveRain as well as references from other agents. Also you do not have to use just one VA you can use several for their individual areas of expertise.

And if your business slows down then we understand.

Sharon

JUN

Hi Gary-As a VA myself I think it is wise to delegate some of the tasks that others are better suited for is a excellent idea. It makes for a more productive situation all the way around. <SMILE>

JUN

Hi Gary, I've been away from AR for awhile so of course as soon as I get back I check your post. Sure enough, another piece of good advice that I was just sorting out this past week. I definitely can use an assistant to do the virtual aspects of my business and I agree that the good ones are worth paying well so that your work is done on time and with enthusiasm. Surround yourself with positive people who like to make things happen as requested and you will have a winning team.

Dear Gary,

I think using a Transaction Coordinator is a great investment in my business. Letting her do all the follow up work leading to closing allows me to keep selling & prospecting. That is a win win in my book!

Betina

JUN

Gary, I lost my assistant of 15 years and suffered seperation anxiety for about a year...in business and emotionally.

I've created a new business model to use more of the technology that's available to us as Realtors, now working with a wonderful virtual assistant. It is different for me, but there are benefits... to my bottom line as well as a fresh perspective and re-newed energy. Challenging and exciting. Life is good!

JUN

Hi Gary- One great thing about working with a Virtual Assistant is that you can utilize us for just a few hours a week or month. Some of us don't have a set amount of hours you need to work with us a month. Allot of times when you hire a Virtual Assistant you are getting an assistant that is experienced and the learning curve should be very small.

JUN

Gary -

Great post! Agents should look at their day, find the one task that is non-income producing and is consuming the majority of their time and delegate it! Since you can't "multiply" yourself, you have to find a way to delegate if you want to grow your business and stop working 24/7 for 365 days a year. No fun!

I've been a Virtual Assistant since 2002 and went to NAR in 2003 to work in Michael Russer's workshop about VAs! I now lead a team of VAs that work with agents nationwide. From my perspective, during a call from a prospective client, I "interview" the agent as much as the agent is interviewing me. I want to work with an agent that wants to partner with a Virtual Assistant. In reality, we are not "assistants" but rather "administrative partners" or "virtual office managers" as we are usually handling many of the administratvie tasks that an unlicensed assistant can do. My team and I consider ourselves an extension of the agent.

Shop around till you find the VA and/or VA team that fits your personality and needs.

JUN

Hi Everyone,

It's so interesting to read about everyone's personal experiences with on-site and/or Virtual Assistants! As a team of Real Estate Virtual Assistants, I can proudly say that we contribute to our clients success on a daily basis. They delegate administrative, marketing, design, branding, lead generation/management, transaction coordination and more to us, therefore freeing up their time to SELL, SELL, SELL!

We always say, "Do what you do best and hire out the rest"!

A couple of you commented about things not working out with an on-site assistant or having to train your on-site assistant... You do not have to train a Real Estate Virtual Assistant! No additional office space, no desk, no overhead, no benefits to pay, no employee issues to deal with and best of all, no training!

Some tasks/projects that you can delegate to a Real Estate Virtual Assistant:
• Listing marketing/coordination
• Custom flyers, brochures & postcards
• Online advertising on major real estate sites
• Virtual tours & photo manipulation
• Seller marketing reports
• Website design & customization
• Company/agent marketing
• Company/agent branding
• Technical coaching/training
• Lead/prospect management
• Marketing/prelist presentations, CMA development/design
• Closing coordination/transaction management "from contract to close - we've got you covered!"
• Special projects
• Much, much, more!

Hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant will not only change your life, it will also tremendously enhance your business!

Still not sure how you can work with a Virtual Assistant? I invite you to attend one of our (free) webinars about working with a Real Estate Virtual Assistant. Below you'll find my contact information - please call or email me for more information and/or upcoming webinar dates!

Make it a great day!
Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Erica Parpan

Erica Parpan, Operations Manager
RealSupport Inc.
Phone: 847-705-1655 x201
Email: Erica@RealSupportInc.com
www.RealSupportInc.com
Our Real Estate Client Testimonials
Our Real Estate Marketing Samples
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Team

RealSupport Inc. - Providing superior Real Estate Virtual Assistant services to Real Estate professionals nationwide since 2000.

JUN

I've had both in the past. The full-time assistants had too many personal problems that they brought to work everyday, and didn't really want to work, but wanted to get paid. My very first one was the best, she was a past client and we worked great together. She was mature, great phone voice, and meticulous. She had to leave because of benefits, which I totally understand, and we still keep in touch! I've had mixed results with virtual assistants, but I'm ready to try again! I'll be contacting my last virtual assistant.

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