The Virtual Assistant For Real Estate

 Most real estate companies have been forced, due to reduced sales, to reduce their staff. In many cases only the partners and a secretary work.

In the United States, more accustomed to working as independent agents, they use the figure of the virtual assistant , a freelancer who, without having to work in the real estate office, can perform administrative, technical or creative tasks, with the consequent cost savings.

In issue 14 of Real Estate magazine, I published the article " The virtual assistant for real estate ", which I reproduce below: 

What is a Virtual Assistant?

Also called Cyber ​​assistant or virtual secretary, it helps with office tasks (the services that can be expected from a person who works in the office) and specific functions such as communication with clients or the execution of marketing plans.

With a virtual assistant you save on hiring personnel (taxes, insurance, space and equipment in the office), in addition to receiving invoices only for the time dedicated to each task requested and performed.

It is not a temporary contract, but rather long-term support to solve business needs. 

Furthermore, it is not necessary to make a great effort to teach the assistant, but rather to indicate the objectives of his tasks and give him basic information; The assistant is trained in specific subjects, especially marketing, technology and internet tools.

The assistant is also accustomed to working hourly, not exclusively during the week and not only during office hours. You can ask them to do a report on a convention you attended on Saturday and have it ready to publish first thing on Monday.

Having an expert, for example in the technological area, means savings in cost and time.

In the United States, the virtual assistant for real estate (REVA) is a highly recognized figure used by real estate agents.

They have been using it for several years, in fact there is an association "International Real Estate Assistant Association, or IREAA™" that promotes its proper functioning.

There they have the same time available as here, but they do more tasks at the end of the day. The difference is that they subcontract specific and non-critical management and communication jobs to specialized people, who are dedicated to carrying out these tasks on behalf of the real estate agent, more quickly and at a lower cost. 

The real estate agent does not have to be an expert in the use of tools and technologies, which is why on many occasions they decide to start a project due to lack of time to learn how to use a tool, or if they start, they give up because they cannot maintain it. a daily execution rhythm or continuous monitoring.

The Virtual Assistant is the one who can do these tasks periodically, in addition to knowing technological tools that reduce execution times and improve results.

 

SERVICES OF A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Coordination of real estate listings

– Enter new listings in the MLS, in the real estate association program, or in the real estate portal programs,

– manage updates and modifications,

– request and supervise photographic work, videos and virtual tours,

– design brochures or flyers,

– create and send listing emails to clients,

– generate internal weekly activity reports,

– generate market reports (price evolution, supply and demand in the area) and disseminate them to the media,

– prepare the material for an Open House,

– create ads and publish the listings on classified ad portals,

– updating of listings on the web and supervision,

– advice on innovative strategies aimed at improving productivity.

 

Real Estate Marketing

– Design of brochures, posters and multimedia presentations about the company's services,

– Search for information,

– Creation of content for the website and blog,

– Search for agreements with other websites in the environment,

– Design and print advertisements for the written press or for the internet,

– Manage communication with web users, respond to emails and blog comments.

 

Online marketing and technology

– real estate website redesign, 

– web and blog optimization for search engines,

– certification in usability and user experience,

– creation and distribution of online magazines (eZine) or newsletters,

– use of content management systems, for dynamic websites,

– optimization of landing pages from search engines to get more valid contacts (leads),

– get external links and references on other websites and blogs,

– generate corporate identity on social networks, such as LinkedIn, Xing or Facebook,

– manage messages on Twitter, such as new properties acquired or sold,

– inform about new tools, technologies and websites that can improve the company's work,

– publish corporate information in Google tools: maps, local businesses, google base,… 
 

Other services

– Editing of digital photographs and videos

– Creation of texts for advertisements, claims or the copy of the real estate website

– Contact and customer management

– Management of reminders and gifts for clients

– Diffusion of brand image

 

The technological factor 

According to IREAA data, more than 80% of home buyers begin their search on the Internet. To be competitive, you need the support of independent professionals who know the latest technology and how to apply it to the real estate business.

The real estate agent must be an expert in his intermediation tasks; he does not also have to be expert in the use of real estate management programs, content managers for the web, in the creation of real estate blogs, in the publication of properties on real estate portals, in import and export data files, etc. All of this can be tasks carried out by the virtual Assistant. 
 
The virtual assistant helps you both to move forward with specific plans and to develop long-term strategies. One of the great advantages is that it provides the organization with flexibility that is not usually available, at a fair price: you only pay for the services provided.

 One of the tasks that a real estate agency must carry out is to sow crops in its area of ​​influence, sending valuable information to the people around it, data on the prices of homes in the neighborhood, on new properties put up for sale.

This task that requires perseverance can be executed by the assistant, always under the premises indicated by the broker. This work can be done more easily if computer programs and marketing tools are used that the assistant masters, and they can be more creative if said assistant is specialized in managing marketing campaigns and launching communications.

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