Glad to hear that your Virtual Assistant is a big help. Hopefully that allows you more time to generate leads & money.

Sean Allen

Sean, keep us advised. I'm almost at the point where hiring a VA is a real possibility.

Thanks Sean! I hope so too! That's what I am counting on!!

Hi Sean~ It makes me sooo happy to hear success stories like yours! Keep spreadin the news! 

Sean,  I hate to tell you, but I sleep with my virtual assistant and have done so since we first were licensed in 1974.  He even makes terrific breakfasts and bakes bread as a hobby.  Eat your heart out. LOL!  Karen Kruschka www.e-virginiarealestate.com

I love mine too! I can't believe how much time it has freed up for me to focus on other aspects of my business.

Karen - I hope he gives you an all inclusive rate

Sean- I was just interviewing someone for the job.  Can you give me a referral?

Sharkey

Hello Jersey boy from a Jersey girl at heart.  Born and raised in Monmouth County.  VA are great.  I used one for a big condo project.  Time for me to get another I think.  Where did you find him/her?

Sean, congratulations!  What all does this virtual assistant do?  I have been curious for quite some time and wondered how they take the place of an in-house secretary.

I think I may need one to keep me focussed and out of trouble.

Sean, what is the cost and how is it calculated? Do you pay a virtual assistant by the hour, by the service or a monthy fee or what?

I probably should get one to help keep me focussed and out of trouble.

Sean, I am so happy for you!  I jumped in this week myself and I am absolutely amazed at how great it is working out.  Laura Monroe, what can I say, YOU ARE THE BEST! Thank you for your help! Good luck Sean, and thank you for sharing.

Sean~ I won't hi-jack your post, but holler if you need help answering questions;)

Sean - Definitely keep us posted. Virtual assistants are a new enough concept that I have a lot of curiosity on the subject.

Sean, what type of CRM are you using?  I like using www.Masterdigm.com. I know there are various ones like Top Producer.

Sean - Congratulations on taking the leap.  I use VA's all the time and I too find them very effective!

Coco

Congrats on taking the next step Sean. It's all about minimizing your wasted time and freeing up more time for income-friendly activites. Good luck my friend.

It is a BIG LIGHT BULB that goes on when you see that using those that perform services better than you.  It is hard to let go at times, but others in this industry are much better at doing certain activities than we are.

We are trying to convince our top agent that she needs one (ME).  She pays me for marketing and a few others items and we are sharing one listing - but she really needs to get someone to help things "run" smoothly especially after the sale is made.  Don't get me wrong, she doesn't drop the ball, but as busy as she is, she can't be pro-active. 

Great post and way to utilize your time, Sean! It's wonderful to hear others success stories and their excitement.

Glad to hear this is going well for you. We hired one to help with Internet and it was a disaster. But there are people who have excellent success with them.

Maybe by next year I'll be able to get someone.  Lord knows I need the help!

sounds good to me. what does a virtual assistant do? i have a listing and closing coordinator. is it like that? they take care of entering all of my listings and updating the pics and such as well as deal with all the addendums and timelines for inspections and financing on the p/s. i wouldn't be able to do what i do with out them.

Sean,

The Virtual Assistant model continues to gain popularity with many across the country. It's a great alternative to hiring an onsite employee. I'd encourage anyone thinking about hiring a VA to get references and compare prices. There seems to be quite a variety of pricing structures and experience available out there.

Enjoy the ride!

www.ColleenFish.com   www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com

Sean, thanks for sharing your success story. The VA story really seems to be taking off.

I had a question like the one above. How do you work with your virtual assistant. I have heard of them, but I always hire a temp for work here in the office when needed. Can a VA be for a temporary gig or is the arrangement different? Thank you for the post. It is intrguing, so do add more.

Great Sean, for us to be successful we have to view ourselves as Micro corporations.  And structure accordingly - With Honor - Connor

I too am intrigued by this idea. Are there contracts to sigh or is it per Diem? I assume you funnel numbers and contracts to them and they then take it over. I know another agent that has one and she said it is great, she had previously had someone in person as an assistant and this works better. I sure would like to have the time to do everything, but I seem to get further behind. I have been told that I am a serious micro-manager....

Interesting.... tell us more of how it works....Thanks

I could really use an assistant here in Provincetown on Cape Cod.  However, since we are a small resort community, it is very difficult to get quality people with computer skills and a good work ethic.  If you happen to know of anybody, please let me know ASAP.

How much is their rate? I'm thinking down the road myself to have one?

Sean - I hope you will blog in more detail about the experience.

Thanks

My virtual assistant keeps my web sites fresh.  She saves me from the grudge computer work.  I've worked with a virtual assistant for 7 years.  It is wonderful.

No one touches my files. 

Sean, Congratulations! Anything you can pay someone else to do that frees you to make more contacts and see more people is VERY GOOD!!! I have had my VA for almost 4 years and don't know how many hours she frees up each week, but it is wonderful. You may, now, want to see what other tasks you can delegate! And may, need a different VA for the marketing, or Internet, or FSBO Campaigns!!!!! Thanks for sharing and way to go on having a featured post!!!

Sean - Congratulations on your new found success.  I love it when agents "Think outside the box" and take the plunge.  All my best.

A virtual assistant is a great idea, but may of your follow up activities can be managed using a CRM, which totally automated the process and costs quite a bit less.  Even the most basic CRM's include drip marketing campaigns, which if used effectively, can increase your presence with past clients as well as allowing you the freedom to control your email marketing.

When looking for CRM's make sure that they are being sent from a white listed server or the majority of the emails will be picked up as SPAM

Best of luck to you! 

Sean, congratulations!  We absolutely LOVE our VA she is Laura Monroe of Activerain!  At one time we tried several onsite employees and it did not even come remotely close to the value we receive with our VA.  We hire our VA at the company level.  You only pay for the work you need.  It is amazing! 

Great post and idea, Sean!

Interesting - In working up my business plan for the coming year, I've been toying with how I can offload some of the daily activities.  Great idea.

Sean, maybe your VA could free up some time to answer some of these questions...

But seriously, I am a manager by nature.  I have learned to delegate.  My wife hates that, and when I get busier, I'll be going the VA route.   

Im not quite ready for an assistant, but definitly need help.  Do you pay the VA on a per deal basis or a per month basis?  How did you go about finding a VA? 

Hi Sean~ OK I stand it anymore, I'm hi-jacking this post;) If your VA is here on AR please hi-jack with me! 

Here are a few blogs that will answer MANY of the above questions, but essentially well qualified VAs are paid hourly, per project, or by monthly retainer, and those prices can run anywhere from $30-$50 an hour, or more for things like web design etc. There are a ton of cream of the crop VAs here on ActiveRain, but as with anyone you work with, you must do due diligence in getting references, asking about their experience, and how they work. 

If you would like to hire a VA, AR has its own little Request for Proposal Area where you can submit your requirements, and VAs will answer you;) 

Real Estate Virtual Assistants: The Ultimate Guide Part 1...What You NEED to Know About Professional VAs BEFORE you Take the Plunge!

Real Estate Virtual Assistants: The Ultimate Guide PART 2......Creating a Virtual Action Plan Before You Delegate!

The Top Technology Tool for Agents 2008: the Real Estate Virtual Assistant

Do You Need A Real Estate Virtual Assistant? Submit Your Requests to our New Group!

I will happily answer any questions anyone may have regarding VAs.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to check into this.

Thanks for hijacking. I was dying for some answers, as were many others I'm sure. Thanks for the post Sean.

Hi Sean,

Congrats to you for your new found idea.  This is something we have also thought about - just curious what made you finally go over to the other side?

Hi Sean,

                CONGRATULATIONS!!!! It is so nice to have someone sing the praises of our industry. VA's can help so many in so many ways. You will be surprised at how many different ways a VA can help you.  Good luck with your VA.

Sean,  Thanks for the info.

Laura, Thanks for the links and info.

Heather in Indy

Sounds like a great plan and one that seems to be working. Might have to consider it!

Sean,

Sounds like you need to blog more about this.  So many people are interested in the details.

Thanks

Sean, what are the benefits to a VA versus an assistant?  I hired a full time assistant for $9/hr. and it has really been a boost for me!  I work 40 hour weeks instead of 70 and enjoy life a lot more.  I actually got to take a vacation this year.  She's contract labor since I'm not providing a place for her to work, and much cheaper than the VA's I checked into.  She also can go up to my office to put together relo packages and send faxes and other paperwork.  Curious to see if a VA should be my next hire.

I use Sandra Wedmore for my va her website is www.wedomoreforyou.com it has been wonderful i have her doing all kinds of things and have been really happy with her.

Great Post

Best, Geri Doyle

www.doyledevoe.com

Sean, I fully expect to try using a virtual assistant for the first time in '08...

Sean,

Kudos to you for taking the plunge and singing the praises of the VA industry.  It's always nice to hear positive feedback about the work we do as VA's.  Congrats on finding your VA...I'm sure it will lighten the load and help you run business more smoothly.  The possibilities are endless!

Sean~

 Ok, now I am getting on it, tomorrow.  I will be visiting the websites that have been posted, I am curious and I was looking at Top Producer, oh decisions....  Thanks for giving me the push I needed.

Go you!  I totally agree, hiring VAs is the single smartest investment I've made in real estate in forever.  And for those of you who don't think you can afford it-the key to a VA is that they work by the project so you're not saddled with a salary in the slow times.  Plus, no learning curve.  It's beautiful!

Very cool. We too, have been looking for a VA. I am still going back & forth on a an in -house assistant vs. VA. I still need someone actually in the office for us too. We will see.

WOW! Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments here, and thank you to Laura for hijacking the post, as I haven't had a chance to check in with my blog. I will be posting a follow up blog to this one on Monday, sharing some more insight about your comments and questions, as I can tell there is a lot of interest here in this topic. Laura - feel free to continue to hijack :)

OK. I see what you're doing, Sean. I'm now just one hitched leg away from jumping on the virtual assistant bandwagon. :-) Great post!

Chuck, the bandwagon looks nearly full.. but I think there are plenty of excellent VA's out there.

I will blog some more about this on Monday. Just to get some of you started on the idea, if you are not in a financial position to hire someone on an hourly basis, I suggest starting with transaction management where you can pay per transaction for the VA to handle the details of getting your clients to closing. Then, as you increase your revenue, you will be able to gradually add responsibilities.

Thanks again everyone for all of your comments. I will try to address as many of these questions as I can in my future blogs

I have posted a follow up to this blog:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/294398/My-First-Days-with

I will continue posting on this topic. So keep checking back!

Great information.  Are there any VAs that charge closer to $10-$15 per hour? 

Cathleen - that is probably less than most of them out there, because the VA's I recommend are already trained in Real Estate, thus saving you at least 20 hours of training. However, if you are needing simple tasks completed, on an as-needed basis, I suggest www.Elance.com where you can post a job and have people bid on it

I totally agree that it is a good idea to find a VA with real estate knowledge or experience.  It will save you a lot of time & frustration.  I have seen VA's in my area as low as $25 per hr, but also have rate plans per project or retainers.