“I’ll have my person call your person,” you’ve always wanted to say. Hiring a real estate agent assistant may seem like a big deal – finally, someone to delegate the tedious details too! However, hiring a real estate assistant is about growing your business rather than your ego. This is because a real estate assistant can free up your time to focus on sales and other high-value tasks.
Do you want to know if you should hire a real estate assistant? If you consistently close 25 or more deals per year, it may be time to hire an assistant to handle tasks like marketing, delivering signs, scheduling appointments, and handling paperwork, freeing up your time to focus on client service and new business development.
What you should know about hiring a real estate assistant.
When Should I Hire A Real Estate Assistant?
As previously stated, hiring a real estate assistant does not entail having someone bring you lunch or schedule your appointments. That is why it is critical to ensure that you have enough tasks for the assistant to complete. When you close 20-25 transactions per year, it’s a good idea to hire a part-time assistant.
This guideline is important because it indicates whether you have enough money to cover the costs of a real estate assistant. A real estate assistant, unlike an agent, does not work on commission. As a result, whether you’re selling homes during a specific period or not, you must feel financially secure enough to pay them. Most real estate assistants are paid hourly, with a commission paid when homes sell.
In real estate, some of the most important but “simple” tasks, such as email follow-up, connecting with past clients, scheduling appointments, and setting and tracking third-party contract services, are also the most time-consuming.
Many agents get caught in a vicious cycle of extreme marketing that results in a flood of clients, then abandon marketing because they’re swamped, and then end up closing escrows with nothing in the turnpike due to neglected marketing campaigns. With the help of a real estate agent assistant, you can better manage this cycle and avoid a business that is built on feast or famine. So, if you want to sell a certain number of homes in the winter, you should keep track of what tasks you might have been able to offer a real estate agent assistant to see if one is a good fit for you.
But the real question is whether your clients are receiving your full attention. And you must ensure that you are providing excellent care to them by providing impeccable service and communication.
As a result, he believes that the perfect indicator of the need for an assistant is when you become so busy that you begin forgetting or overlooking certain tasks or details for your clients.
How To Hire A Real Estate Agent Assistant
You’ve realized that you’re spending too much time on ancillary tasks and not enough time ensuring that your buyers are satisfied customers. You require an assistant but are unsure how to find, hire, and train your new team member.
Here are the steps you must take to begin.
Step 1: Identify The Type Of Assistant You Need
Once you’ve decided it’s time to hire a real estate assistant, the first step is to make a list of the tasks you want them to complete to ensure you’re looking for the right person.
Then, consider the type of assistant who will best serve the needs of your company or brokerage. Begin by determining whether your assistant will require a real estate license to perform the tasks you’ve assigned to them. A licensed professional, as opposed to a typical administrative assistant, will most likely have a better understanding of the real estate industry, which will be useful for more difficult projects.
You should also estimate how many work hours an assistant will require to complete their tasks, as this will help you decide whether to list the position as part-time or full-time.
Step 2: Reach Out To Your Network Or Create A Job Listing
Next, consider using your network and reaching out to trusted sources to avoid being inundated with job applications. Someone may know someone who can help speed up the hiring and vetting process.
If that doesn’t work, make a job listing that is very specific about the duties to increase your chances of finding the right person early in your search. A simple “help wanted” sign in your physical office or a local newspaper ad can help you generate some interest in the job. However, it is even more critical to post your position on all of the major job boards, such as LinkedIn and Indeed. Real estate professionals also look for job openings on industry-specific job boards like iHireRealEstate, so you should consider posting your position there as well.
Step 3: Arrange Interviews With The Top Contenders
If you’ve decided to create a job listing, the next step is to sift through all of the resumes and identify the most promising candidates. You’re ready to start interviewing once you’ve narrowed your choices down to the top three to five candidates.
Prepare interview questions that will reveal their ability to think creatively and quickly on their feet. You should also determine whether they are up for client-facing activities or prefer to work more behind the scenes. You are looking for a personality type that will excel in your desired position.
If you don’t have the time or bandwidth to conduct these interviews, consider partnering with a local recruiting agency, which can scout and interview potential candidates on your behalf.
Step 4: Vet Your Final Candidate
Finally, before making an offer, contact their references and ask specific questions to determine whether they are a good fit for both your personality and the skills required. You should also confirm that any certifications, courses, or licenses they’ve listed are valid if they’re required for the job.
Real Estate Assistant Duties
A real estate assistant can do almost anything you ask of them, as long as they are capable. Responding to emails, scheduling appointments, mailing or delivering documents to clients, and arranging closing gifts are all common responsibilities. They can also install signs and lockboxes, design brochures and other marketing materials, and, if skilled, take and edit photographs. If social media isn’t your thing, you can delegate platform management to them so you can leverage social media without spending money.
And, in addition to task-oriented abilities like organization and attention to detail, Johnson emphasizes the importance of soft skills. A good assistant must be good at communication and understand your needs as an entrepreneur.
However, before you begin looking for a real estate agent assistant, create a job description so you know exactly what you’re looking for. Brainstorm the tasks that would be most beneficial to delegate so that you know you’re hiring the right person. For example, if you want someone to handle your scheduling but are an expert at using Instagram to generate leads, make it clear to them – and yourself – which tasks you want to outsource and which you believe you can add value to.
Hiring someone to deliver signs or keep your contact management platform up to date is not the same as looking for someone with experience prequalifying leads or writing listings.
Bottom Line: Real Estate Assistants Allow You to Concentrate on the Bigger Picture
Some agents will not benefit from real estate assistants, particularly those who are still building their client portfolios or do not yet have the infrastructure to scale their operations. However, if you hire the right person and give them direction, your assistant can help you focus on what’s important – building and retaining client relationships.
