Sharon- I am curious about these answers as well, parking! Katerina

Katerina - since I posted it to the VA Group, perhaps we'll get some answers tomorrow.

Hi Sharon~ I firmly believe that there is a VA for every specialty, and more often than not can handle a multitude of tasks. One of the best advantages to a VA is that you are only paying for time on task, and don't have to feel obligated to full time support, as our businesses have other clients as well. And to answer you directly, yes, VAs can handle re-directed phone calls. Here is a blog of on one of the ways a VA can handle those calls.

I have to admit that I'm slow on the uptake with the Virtual Assistant. I'll be reading your blog to learn. I'll click on Laura's link right now. Thanks, Sharon.

Sharon - this is interesting; I will be watching the responses!!!

Laura - thanks for the link. Sarah's blog made a lot of sense. It's all too easy to be distracted by a phone call and then have to start all over refocusing on your project. 

Andrew - thanks. You may want to join the Real Estate Virtual Assistants Group and follow the various conversations of the VAs.

Barbara Jo - I think many of us think of using a VA, not sure how to start, then get distracted by daily business, et.  

Sharon, the paperwork, websites, etc have made our business a lot harder.  Using a VA might be the answer for some, however, I'm not sure they would know how to keep the website going.  Anxious to see your responses.

I was just thinking about this the other day. What a timely post! I think a VA just might be a great way to help grow a business, but I think I need to do a little more research. I look forward to some of the responses here.    

Kay - I think that would be a case of choosing a VA who did know how to keep a website going. They each have a different bundle of abilities.

John - you definitely need to know what you want a VA to do - then you can better decide which VA to hire. 

Sharon,

VA's can indeed fill in and assist on-site assistants. And you are right about the many different specialties offered. Many VA's are already trained on the most popular programs and systems that agents use. This can save you time and money since there is no need to train an on-site assistant in these programs.

There is an active rain group to request proposals from a VA and you can go to www.IREAA.com to request a proposal or look up specialties and programs that the member VA's have training and experience in. Laura Monroe has many helpful blogs on using a VA. Of course any of the VA members on AR would be happy to answer specific questions or refer you to a VA who specializes in the areas you require.

Dean Louise - thanks for the link. I knew about requesting proposals from guru.net but not from VAs. That's useful information. I see from the link that IREAA used to be CyberstarVAs - was the group or the founder affiliated with Allen Hainge?

Sharon,
I'm glad you found the link useful, it's a great resource! Yes I believe the founders were associated with Allen Hainge. He recommends using professional VA's when teaching his seminars and in his coaching activities.
Many Real Estate coaches recommend utilizing VA services to help your business grow. They state that it is important for agents to focus on income producing activities and outsource the administrative type duties.

Dean - so true!

Sharon, I think it's great you're pondering the other roles Virtual Assistants can play to get things done. I sometimes feel I have too many projects to tackle and the VA helps the agent leverage their time better. Great thoughts!

Wonderful questions! REVA's come in all shapes and sizes based on their abilities and specialites. Laura is absolutley correct in the fact that there is a VA out there who can fulfill most all your needs. Sarah Reiter has a wonderful directory and "Request for Proposal" system on her website. As a REVA, I specialize in Transaction Coordination but many of my clients also use my services for marketing and lead management. As you develop a relationship with whomever you choose, you can determine how much you want to remove from your "To-Do" list and move it to your VA's. Good luck and I truly believe that the only question you will ask yourself after finding the right REVA is "Why didn't I do this sooner?"

Gary - often it's the things we're not doing and not even thinking of that a VA can help with.

Sandi - thanks for your comments. You're so right about the only question. When I took the plunge several years ago and hired an onsite assistant my only question then was "Why didn't I do it sooner?"

I'm a little late on the upload here having just recently joined AR but thought I'd add a little to this discussion while I'm here!

A lot of the reasons why agents don't contract with VAs is because they just aren't sure where to start, what the VA can actually do for them, or aren't aware that their hectic lifestyle can easily become much more manageable.  Here are a few blogs that might help with each of these subjects!

• Hey - Let Go of My Stick!
• That Time Management Issue
• Why Hire Someone When I Can Do It Myself?

I hope these links are helpful!  Of course, feel free to contact me or anyone else here if you have more questions!

~Renae - Marketing 4 Realtors - www.marketing4realtors.biz

Market 4 Real!

Hi, Renae,  Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's never too late to comment - you'll probably find some great posts that are over a year old - you can't eat the elephant all at once, but periodically you'll find an Oldie But Goodie.  When you do, keep commenting! And - welcome to Active Rain.

Sharon - Thanks for the welcome! I've come to really enjoy this community in the short time I've been here and it is because of people like you who are willing to share their knowledge that I realize just how great it is here!

~Renae

I think VA's are good for a lot of things. The important thing is to get a VA who specializes in a particular niche and is really good at that niche. I would rather hire 2-3 VA's and have them each do what they are best at than hire 1 VA to try to do too many things. This is what Tim Ferris does who wrote the book, "The 4 hour Work Week" which, by the way is a great read!

Renee - you're very welcome!

John and Lisa - yes, that makes sense. Then you're getting the benefit of all their learning and expertise in that niche.

Sharon -

As a VA who's had my business for over 5 years, I would encourage you to interview your VA candidates and make sure you ask some simple questions...

1.  Do they work full-time as a VA or do they do VA work on a part-time basis?

2.  Ask the VA for references.

3.  If the VA has a team that works with her..find out how they track the progress of your tasks and how they track accountability/performance.

4. What is the VA's real estate background?  Training?  Education?  Certifications?

There aren't any right/wrong answers to the questions above....just helps you to make an informed decision on which VA is right for your team. 

Cathryn - thanks for your suggestions. I'd add a 5th question - how familiar is the VA with specific programs that you want to use.  I know that most VAs wouldn't charge for their time learning a new program, but their familiarity with a particular software can mean the difference between just using it and being able to contribute suggestions for efficiency or different uses.

Dear Sharon,

The wonderful thing about the VA industry is that there are many niches that different VAs choose to specialize in - real estate support being one of those. A VA would be a wonderful solution for you as a means to obtaining coverage for vacation and sick leave - remember, with a VA you only pay for the time you use. Also, it is a good way to test the waters and see how you a) like working with a VA in general and b) like working with a particular VA.  

With regards to your question on answering phones, by utilizing software such as Ring Central, is completely plausible that a VA could answer calls placed to your office without your clients knowing.

When considering a VA you should consider first and foremost if they have the experience and skill set to be able to handle your requests (e.g. are they proficient in updating flyers, have they worked with the software you use, etc.) But it is also very important that you consider the following:

1. Are they reliable - you want to be able to trust the person you delegate tasks to in their ability to perform in an expedient and accurate manner
2. Are they functioning on a full time or part time basis - is this something they do on the side or is this their career and passion
3. Do you have chemistry - sounds like a strange comment, but the ongoing relationship you will build with the VA you chose is no different than that you would do with a traditional in house member of staff. In fact, as you will be working virtually, it is even more important.

Hope that helps!

Lidia - welcome to Active Rain! Thanks for your advice here, and in your first couple of blog posts. I hope you'll stay involved.

I have 20+ years of consulting experience which has evolved from on-site work to outsourcing to virtual assistants.  The key is to use them for (a) the tedious, time-consuming tasks that must be done, (b) the tasks that you are not well versed with such as web, marketing materials, etc., (c) things you hate doing such as record keeping, data entry, whatever.  The thing we excel in is the creation of marketing materials for agents involved with the sale of land or lots.  Since we are also land developers, we know what information the buyer needs to see (which is not available in traditional listing services) and are able to create comprehensive "property information reports".  Find your niche - find your need - and then find the right people.  I'll be happy to discuss with anyone - anytime.  Regards,  Debbie York, Tandem Realty Group, Marietta, GA

Debbie - thanks for your comments. I love "Find your niche - find your need - and then find the right people." That's really what it's all about.

Hi, I'm new to this network, but not the world of virtual assistants.  Virtual Assistants can do a lot of things to help your real estate business.   It  does make sense to have 2 or 3 virtual assistants on retainer rather than work one virtual assistant to death.  A lot of virtual assistants focus on being great in a couple of areas rather than being mediocre in several.  Personally, I excel in the areas of data entry, email management, and blogging.  I'll be happy to speak or type with you if you need help in those areas.

DeAnna Troupe

DeAnna Troupe's Virtual Assistant Service, Stone Mountain GA