The growth of your real estate business will at some point require a decision as to how to leverage yourself and get more done. In particular, most real estate professionals want to keep that personal touch in serving their clients. But there comes a time when the mundane and repetitive administrative functions are stealing time from more important client interaction.
Usually, the decision of whether to hire help or not is the easy part. Once you're there, it's about how to get the right person(s) for the job at the right cost. The choice of an in-house employee or a real estate virtual assistant is often the next step. Here are some things to consider:
Closing Transaction Management - Lots of details, many tasks, important deadlines.
Do You Need Help with Listings? - Employee or VA, there's a lot of help available for listing management.
Marketing - Ad Layout, Design & Placement - Take a load off and maybe get better quality than the D-I-Y approach.
Internet Marketing - Fewer Choices Here - Fewer VA firms offer web site design and marketing; careful research required.
Your Time - Which Choice is Most Efficient? - Don't spend more time coordinating with a VA than you would managing an employee.
Okay, It's Dollar Time - If you're developing a preference, a cost comparison will help to finalize a decision.
This isn't an endorsement of a real estate virtual assistant over a full time employee. However, many have found that they can better control their overhead and get the job done with a virtual assistant on an as-needed basis. The key is usually an organized system and efficient coordination/commuication to maximize VA output for the time they spend on your account.
