I Guess I put my foot in it...VA's please come forth!

First of all, VAs are in every industry, not just Real Estate. I am a member of a VA forum that just reached their 3,000th member yesterday. One common denominator is that most of the VAs (women and men) have more than 10 years experience in their field before making the switch to VA. So we know our way around the office. Some come from corporate settings, some from small business settings, it's just too varied to mention them all.

As for a Real Estate virtual assistant (REVA) that means someone has decided they want to work exclusively within the Real Estate industry. The type of experience can be so varied, even in that niche. One might be good at desktop publishing, for example, one may be better at coordination or project management.

A PREVA is a professional real estate virtual assistant, meaning the VA comes with actual Real Estate experience, either as an agent, or working in a RE office, maybe as the secretary.

Your question is what can a VA bring to the table? The best analogy I can come up with is a nurse. How many nurses do you know that can do the doctor's job, but she just doesn't have the degree. When my son had his accident it was a nurse who diagnosed the correct problem. She told the doctor what to X-ray and she was correct.

There are so many things a REVA or PREVA can bring to the table. If you are looking at it as, you the agent has the knowledge and us the assistant is only there to assist you with the grunt work, then yes, that is true. But there's a lot more to it.

I think that most VAs, because we are looking for business, tend to show that we can help, follow directions, and all the other "reactive" things you talk about. They are marketing themselves as helpers, assistants, not a service that can do what you can't. Maybe that's what's rubbing you the wrong way.

Just to throw out a little bit more marketing jargon, this is called Positioning, lol. The market determines your position, you just need to give them the bones to base their assumptions on if you want to control your position in their minds.

As for me, personally, I have lots of marketing knowledge. I have to position myself as a helper if I want business. But, suppose an agent wants to send out a mailer, I can see in the wording if he's push marketing or pull marketing and I can make suggestions. The problem as a VA is that she may not want suggestions. That is why most VAs do a phone consultation before any contracts are signed to be sure both the agent and the assistant are on the same page. For me, eventually I'd like to add a service that involves setting up marketing goals and plans, possibly for new agents.

I had a little time to think and I think, Kristal, that what you picture as a VA is really a work at homer.  

Most VAs are small business owners, not work at homers. We understand what it is to run a business and all the different components that goes into it.

The next step up is entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur is a small business owner who isn't content with just doing their business. They walk through life looking for problems to solve and then start businesses to solve the problem. The best entrepreneur makes each business self-sustaining so they can move on to solve the next problem. Some VAs are entrepreneurs but I think most aren't.

When you hire a VA, you are more than likely going to get the small business owner, even though you think you're getting a work at homer. So what the VA can bring to you is their experiences as a small business owner as well as their life experiences.

OK...I'm in on this one too:) I will have to say first though that Crystal(w/a C & Y) is a colleague that I greatly respect~

Just like every industry (especially real estate)there are those VA's who are truly professionals at what they do, and many who are just in it because it looks like easy money. Cheap website, a few logos and boom, they call themselves a VA..not very educated in their field. Kristal, it sounds like you've been exposed to the latter, unfortunately. Anyone not educated in their field is going to be "reactive".

 VA's who are business owners, educated and talented, will seek to work with and maintain client relationships with those clients who want to build on success, and work as "partners" to  build on that success. Clients who look upon their VA as an "employee" are not benefitting from the dynamic at all. That dynamic is what sets (good) VA's apart from an "employee." We are naturally  in a "proactive" role...seeking out the tools that will benefit you, learning the technology, etc, so you can focus on getting the business for yourself, which in turn helps our businesses grow.

What drives an "employee" to go out a learn technology that you don't have time to learn? Minimum wage? Your winning personality? The fear of not losing their job?  A VA who is any good will learn it because it makes them better, makes you better, and the partnership is a win, win.

Doing your due diligence before hiring  a REVA cannot be stressed enough. In the past 3 years this field has exploded with more and more work at homers calling themselves VA's offering services they simply have copied off of anothers website.

With blogging now available, you can quickly find out who has the experience & knowledge, a personality you might like to work with, etc. before making a phone call.

I think if the market continues to cool, those agents with full time assistants and teams of assistants looking to re-organize their budgets might find a good VA or small team of VA's  a great way to get results with out the same overhead. And if it doesn't work out.....well, you're not obligated to keep us "employed" we already are!

"As for a Real Estate virtual assistant (REVA) that means someone has decided they want to work exclusively within the Real Estate industry. The type of experience can be so varied, even in that niche. One might be good at desktop publishing, for example, one may be better at coordination or project management.

A PREVA is a professional real estate virtual assistant, meaning the VA comes with actual Real Estate experience, either as an agent, or working in a RE office, maybe as the secretary."

Just wanted to add to, and perhaps clarify slightly, the above excerpt of Crystal's earlier comment. 

PREVA is a VA specializing in the Real Estate niche and has documented, recent experience in this market.

Conversely, REVA doesn't necessarily mean that the VA has NO experience in the RE field, and only has experience in related fields.  At least in my case it certainly does not.  My mother is an agent, my sister is an agent, my stepfather was a part timer.  I grew up around agents and the RE industry and assisted them with showings, marketing items etc.

I have worked both as an assistant to an independent agent and in-house with a broker for a few years.  But, in my case this was not my most recent employment, and the people at the REVA network were unable to contact my previous client and employer for references as they are in South Africa.  Thus, until I have proven my experience and expertise here in the US I am to carry the title REVA.

There has been some debate about "letters" keep 'em or ditch 'em... the jury is still out on this, but I felt compelled to post this clarification as I certainly don't want to be perceived as an inexperienced "upstart" in this industry because of them. 

I think that between you, you have outlined our "Value Add" beautifully and I am proud to be a part of an industry that has incredible ambassadors such as yourselves.

Thanks! :)

Wwll, Kristal, I have a VA that lives in Parker.  A brand new MBA with a small child at home and another on the way.  She is one of the best things in my life.  While she is not REVA or PREVA she is ESSENTIAL.  Her husband is a feature writer for the Denver Post and Kristen also does beautifully with anything written or techy.  What an asset.  A toast to the VAs everywhere!