Scaling a business can be very challenging, especially when it comes to the daunting task of hiring new employees. Employees are expensive and require training, human resources, office tools, and space. A real estate virtual assistant can alleviate some or all of those stresses and increase productivity.
A popular way to scale lean and affordable ways is hiring virtual assistants or VAs. Let another company manage its HR! A virtual employee can be significantly more affordable than a traditional employee, especially those sourced from exchange rate advantages areas like the Phillippines. They are often already trained on the tasks you need, and it is easier to switch between assistants if you are dissatisfied.
Best of all, their time can often more easily be scaled to your business needs.
Below are the best virtual assistant companies for real estate, each with its focus on developing the kinds of skills in their VAs that Realtors need.
Top Real Estate Virtual Assistant Companies
MyOutDesk
My360 is a leading Spanish virtual tour company that offers stunning 360-degree camera shots that can be turned into virtual tours. Their tours include unlimited images, the ability to embed them, and even a forced registration feature for capturing leads on social media and elsewhere. With My360, you'll be able to show your clients a truly unique view of your property and make a sale in no time.
Summit VA Solutions
Summit VA Solutions provides a full-time VA corps for a wide range of real estate roles, including transaction management, property management, marketing, administrative work, and more. Their VAs are based in the Philippines and have an impressive amount of experience and training with the most common real estate software systems.
Transactly
Transactly is a unique transaction software that offers broker users a free product. The company earns its money by charging transaction coordinators for their services. This is a huge advantage for brokerages that do not want full-time transaction coordinators or salespeople, but still want them to spend time on paperwork.
Virtudesk
Virtudesk is a US-based VA service that offers real estate agents the ability to hire part time, full time, or for individual projects at low hourly rates. The possible roles include admin, transaction management, prospecting, and more. This eliminates the need to hire, fire, train, and manage payroll, making it easier for agents to scale their businesses.
Zirtual
Zirtual offers a wide range of services, including data entry, social media marketing, website maintenance, and real estate assistants. If you need help but aren't sure if you have enough work to justify a part-time employee, consider Zirtual.
Other Real Estate VA Services
Other real estate virtual assistant services include:
- Ossisto
- ShoreAgents
- Streamline Agents
- Virtual Assistant Talent
This also doesn’t include the “gig economy” platforms where you can find and hire individuals for projects, part-time, or even full-time work, like:
- Fiverr
- Freelancer
- Upwork
- Toptal
Also separate from this category are virtual ISA companies that focus on inbound, outbound, reception, and telemarketing, like:
- AgentAssistant
- Agentology
- Real Contact
- Rokrbox
- Ruby Receptionists
- Upcall
Foreign vs. US-Based Real Estate Virtual Assistant
There are many upsides to using a real estate VA service with assistants in the Philippines.
Most Filipinos speak English, especially the ones serving as US VAs. They work the same hours as your time zone, so there is no issue with workday availability. They are an excellent solution for agents wishing to save money on tasks like data entry, social media management, or transaction management.
For obvious reasons, these services probably aren’t ideal for any customer service roles. Many of them do not even offer ISA services.
If you need help with a customer-facing role like telemarketing, you are likely better off with a service based in the United States. Some, like Virtudesk, even offer college-educated VAs.
Full-Time vs. Part-Time vs. Per Transaction
There are very flexible VA options for every real estate agent.
Many services prefer to offer full-time VAs. Dedicated virtual assistants can efficiently focus on the real estate agent’s most relevant skills and technology. Like full-time employees, these VAs can be better integrated into the company culture and develop long-term relationships with you and your business.
Part-time VAs are often paid for 20 hours a week or hourly rates. They will be more expensive than the same VA service at full time, but obviously can be a more manageable entry point.
The model I wish I had known about sooner is paying per transaction. And only when the transaction closes! These VA services allow an individual agent or small team still growing their business to have an affordable way to bring on a professional transaction coordinator. I might go so far as to recommend that even new agents outsource their transaction management to a VA company.
Final word
Hiring a real estate virtual assistant for your real estate business can be a wise and agile way to grow your team or add to your existing business.
