Hiring a real estate assistant is an incredibly exciting time for any professional. Business has gotten so busy that you can no longer independently keep up with the workflow. By hiring a real estate assistant, not only are you able to source the helping hand you need to maintain your booming business, but you also make a smart investment into your future. An assistant can help you better delegate your workload and provide more space to focus on client relations.

There are many perks to hiring a real estate assistant. They can:

  • Make appointments for you.
  • Answer incoming phone calls.
  • Confirm appointments.
  • Evaluate incoming leads.
  • Work on your social media marketing.
  • Manage your processes.

Hiring a real estate assistant should be part of a well-structured real estate business plan. Your finances and business should meet specific criteria that you set before you decide to hire an assistant.

When to Think About Hiring a Real Estate Assistant

Answering the question of ‘how to hire a real estate assistant’ isn’t nearly as challenging as determining ‘when’ it is the appropriate time to take the plunge. 

Hiring an assistant too early means that you are paying the salary of someone who is not yet able to perform their job at full capacity — giving way to excessive downtime or menial tasks to keep them busy. A real estate assistant should give you more time in your schedule to focus on tasks that you may have had to cut out due to lack of time. With the help of an assistant, you should be able to allot more time toward important activities like prospecting and connecting with potential clients. 

Ask yourself these questions, as you consider if hiring a real estate assistant is right for you:

  • Do you find yourself struggling to find time to call people back? 
  • Do you find that time blocking is no longer effective because you always have another pressing task to do?
  • Do you sometimes feel like you need to be in two places at the same time?
  • Are you consistently gaining clients (averaging around 25+ closes in a year)?
  • Do you feel like if you continued on your current trajectory, you might experience burnout?
  • Do you find yourself looking to others for organization?
  • Do you regularly forget to update your calendar? Does this cause you to miss important meetings?

If you answered ‘yes’ to two or more of the questions above, then it may be time to consider hiring a real estate assistant.

What to Consider When Hiring a Real Estate Assistant 

Before determining if it’s time to pursue hiring a real estate assistant, you must first conclusively concur that you need one. If you aren’t quite at a level of business that would provide full-time hours to an assistant, consider hiring one part-time. There are many details to assess in determining what kind of assistant you want.

When you decide to hire a real estate assistant, your level of responsibility increases dramatically. Not only are you providing for yourself and your family with your business, but you are responsible for another person at this point. There are some signs that will let you know when you are ready to hire a real estate assistant that we will discuss.

A virtual real estate assistant is an excellent option for those easing into the idea of an assistant. Virtual real estate assistants typically impose lower hourly rates while providing the same quality of work as their in-person counterparts. And thanks to the nature of remote work, virtual assistants are often well versed in online management tasks like marketing, social media, emails, scheduling appointments, and more. It’s important to note that there are some tasks they won’t be able to do in a digital capacity. For example, a digital assistant won’t be able to let clients into a rental or file physical paperwork.

Should your assistant have their license to sell real estate? 

A licensed assistant will be able to show properties to potential clients. Having another person available to show properties allows you to focus on larger deals, while they might handle rentals. Additionally, they could be a resource in conducting open houses and working with clients, supplementing their administrative work as well.

The end goal should be to supplement your existing business with someone who can provide the same level of care and attention to tasks that you would. If possible, find someone who can complement your weaknesses. For example, if you’re not skilled in social media, find someone who is well versed in social media platforms to fill in gaps in your business. If you are generally unorganized, find someone who runs a tight ship and can help keep you on track. An assistant can not replace your role, but they can serve as an excellent partner in helping you unlock the next level of your real estate plan goals.

How to Hire a Real Estate Assistant

Step 1: Create a Job Description and Listing

The first step in making the move to hire a real estate assistant is creating the job description, which will later serve as the job listing. This will determine the schedule (or available times they can work), the duties required, what level of experience you require, and if there are any education or licensing requirements (an active real estate license, for example).

Some job responsibilities might include:

  • Managing calendars and adding appointments as necessary. Confirming upcoming appointments and cooperating with other businesses to plan events.
  • Organizing files and uploading them to the corresponding systems.
  • Drafting letters, writing emails, and managing databases.
  • Professional phone acumen. Contacting clients and other businesses.
  • Microsoft Office proficiency.
  • Social Media Marketing and content creation.
  • Pulling reports.
  • Other duties and responsibilities as directed.

Step 2: Advertise Your Real Estate Assistant Position

After you have created the sample job description, you should start advertising the position. Reach out to the people you work with, would like to do more business with, or that are successful in the field. Additionally, you can place ads on online job boards like Craigslist, Indeed, and Snagajob.

Another potential source of candidates may be through new agents who are inexperienced and looking for mentorship. Not only would they benefit from the exposure to a successful agent who they can model their habits after, but they also have a license.

Step 3: Identify Your Ideal Candidate

Once candidates for your position start to come in, consider making a list of optimal qualities you are looking for in the ideal candidate. While the job description is going to identify your must-haves, be sure to delve into ideal levels of education, training, or experience, too. For example, are there software programs that would be great that they were proficient in? Would knowing the right people, or having worked in a similar position elsewhere be beneficial for your business?

Step 4: Set Up Interviews

When it comes time for the actual interview, you’ll want to keep notes on the applicants and your thoughts regarding them. Here are some example questions you might ask:

  1. Why do you want to work in real estate?
  2. When is the last time you’ve been professionally challenged, and what were the results?
  3. What are your professional goals? Where do you see yourself in five years?
  4. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What would your last employer say are your strengths and weaknesses?
  5. What is your availability like? Are you available on nights, weekends, and evenings?

During the interview, you will want to discuss the job description and let them know that they will be a pioneer as an assistant. See if they have any thoughts or offer any suggestions that could give you the idea that they would quickly become invested in the work you are doing.

Make the Move to Hire a Real Estate Assistant

Finding the right fit for your team is not an instant process and requires some thought and deliberation. As you continue to build your real estate team, you will learn from your experiences of interviewing and onboarding new members of your team. Take the time to set regularly planned check-ins to make sure that the job is a suitable position for them and vice versa. Addressing concerns and corrections immediately is essential for open office communication.

For most agents, managing people will be far more difficult than any other aspect of the business. Real estate agents, by nature, are self-driven critical thinkers. If your assistant requires constant communication or direction, this might cause ongoing issues that need to be addressed.

Tom Ferry’s team of experienced real estate coaches can help you devise a strategic plan regarding when and how to hire a real estate assistant. With a free consultation, an expert coach can help evaluate your situation and provide you with sound guidance on what to do in order to reach your vision of success.