Real Estate Agents Really Need Your Help!
How big is the opportunity?
- It's a huge market: Over 75 million owner occupied homes
- It's a very active market: Over 7 million homes sold every year
- Lots of agents need help: The National Association of Realtors has over 1.3 million members.
What kind of help do real estate agents need?
Their biggest need is for help with their marketing.
Real estate is very much a relationship oriented business. Over 80% of their clients come from personal contact and referrals.
Starting, building and maintaining relationships requires a lot of consistent contact. The top agents contact their "Met" databases, on average, 33 times per year.
Maintaining a high volume of quality contact is absolutely vital. Good agents must maintain steady relationships with 200-500 people.
And when the responses finally come; tight follow-up on those leads is absolutely crucial. Because successful agents are always busy working directly with their clients; they need steady, competent help to keep their marketing machines running.
Their most demanding need is for help with their transactions.
A typical real estate transaction involves a dozen or more contract documents totaling 60 or more pages, each needing signatures by six or more signers. Every "i" must be dotted and every "t" crossed; and it must all be done within specific timelines.
We're talking about the biggest transactions of most people's lives. The emotional and financial tensions are high. Tight control and timely execution of details is absolutely crucial.
Good agents typically have multiple, simultaneous transaction processes going. That's an awful lot of balls to juggle at once. That's why they definitely need your help.
Why are virtual assistants more desirable for real estate agents?
Flexibility - Real estate is not a 9-5 job for the agents. Most clients have 9-5 jobs; so agents must be able to get their work done around their clients' schedules. That's why agents appreciate assistants who are able to work more flexibly.
Expandability - Quite often, real estate is a feast or famine business at the agent level. When things are hot an agent can use several assistants. When they are not, then agents freak out over having to carry a payroll. That's why agents appreciate having a pool of talented virtual assistants available to tap as needed.
Readiness - Virtual Assistants come with several very distinct advantages:
- Workspace - No need to find a desk and chair for the assistant to work at (a very big issue if you've seen many real estate offices).
- Technology - No need to provide a computer, software, Internet access or a phone.
- Ability - No need to train the assistant on systems processes.
Why is virtual assisting in real estate more viable now than ever?
Four Key Online Real Estate Systems
A Virtual Assistant who is familiar with the following systems can perform 95% of the assistance an agent needs; virtually. These online systems are:
- TOP PRODUCER 7i - This is the leading real estate agent management system. It handles all their marketing, databases, scheduling, mailing, emailing, flyers, presentations and the non-document side of transactions.
- ZipForm/WINForms - These programs enable agents to complete a single cover sheet with contact and property information, then generate all the contract documents with just a few clicks.
- DocuSign - This program manages the distribution of documents, then the capture and consolidation of electronic signatures.
- Relay - This program is a contract document repository and checklist that helps keep transaction processes on track, and on time.
Mastery of these real estate systems is your key to Virtual Assisting success.
Agents don't want to hire someone to assist them, then have to pay them to learn what to do and how to do it. The much prefer hiring assistants who are ready to go when they need them.
If you are not already there, we can get you up to speed so you'll be able to jump right in and go for it.
Is This You?
Opportunity Seeker
- Constantly looks for ways to increase value to clients
- Looks for client needs
- Continually improves personal skills
- Compulsive Organizer
- Likes to bring order out of chaos
Detail Controller
- Can't stand anything falling through the cracks.
Responsibility Taker
- Exceptionally able to make commitments and keep them.
Success Supporter
- Get personal satisfaction from helping others increase their success.
Self Starter
- Doesn't need anyone else to direct the next move.
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