It is becoming increasingly common for businesses to hire virtual assistants to deal with all real estate-related tasks.
Gone are the days when a virtual assistant was just responsible for basic admin tasks such as data entry and answering phones.Hiring a virtual assistant allows your business to run far more smoothly, and appraisers can dedicate the time and effort needed to vital aspects of their job in the real estate industry.
There are so many essential elements of the appraisal business which need expert knowledge, so having a virtual assistant to take the day-to-day pressure off is vital.
Why Should Real Estate Appraisers Hire A Virtual Assistant?
Real estate professionals are hiring virtual assistants to become part of a dedicated team in their services.
Just because the person you hire isn’t based in your own office doesn’t mean they will not prove effective in their role.
Why pay higher fees for a full-time in-house assistant when a remote virtual assistant proves more cost-effective?
A remote worker who works from home is more than capable of doing time-heavy data entry tasks without having to pay higher fees for their assistant services.
You will be shocked at how much time you save each day on time-consuming office tasks such as inputting data and answering emails when you hire a virtual assistant.
They say time is money, and in this case, it is so true. The time you save each week on data entry can be spent on more important things like lead generation.
You can decide what tasks you want to delegate to your virtual assistant as your appraisal business. Therefore, you could train your new hire to suit your everyday needs as a real estate appraiser.
As well as answering phone calls, email management and dealing with client queries and scheduling client appointments, you could train them in office management.
In addition, training them on how to write real estate reports from conducted research would be highly beneficial.It is evident that the more time you dedicate to analytics and property research, the higher the chances of attracting more clients to your business. And as we all know, the more clients we have, the more profit we generate.
Finding The Right Administrative Tasks To Hand Over
VAs can provide several different services to your business. It is up to you to decide what services and tasks you want to delegate.
Usually, tasks include making phone calls, data entry, travel arrangement schedules, email inbox management, and scheduling appointments.
However, a thriving business may require a lot more from a virtual assistant in terms of tasks.
As social media plays a prominent role in modern business, it would be beneficial for your virtual assistant to have extensive experience in social media management, collecting and analysing data entry, graphic design, blog writing, and bookkeeping.
The person you hire must be willing to learn new skills, so don’t be afraid to send them on additional online courses to upskill to your requirements. These courses will come at an added cost but will prove invaluable.
Your real estate business will thrive if you take the time and effort to assess what your company needs from its virtual assistants.
During the hiring process, you must identify if the candidates you select have any transferable skills that will benefit your organisation in the long term.
You and your office management team must ensure that your hire isn’t restricted to performing mundane data entry tasks.
The virtual assistant you hire must be a highly motivated individual with the expertise to manage to complete every task they are set.
Save Hours A Day To Focus On Your Appraisal Business
Saving time on some tasks so those saved hours can be assigned to other, more critical areas of your business is vital to maintain high standards.
You need to figure out how many hours are wasted on doing daily admin tasks.
Taking care of day-to-day admin jobs takes time, so hiring a virtual assistant will help you concentrate on your appraisals which helps to determine which interested clients and lenders are most relevant to your business operations.
When you realise what benefits your fully trained virtual assistant can bring your company moving forward, you will wonder how you managed without them.
It has been found that during the typical working day, office-based employees waste a tremendous amount of time looking at websites, drinking tea or coffee, engaging in unrelated social media activities such as Facebook, and even applying for other jobs.
In some cases hiring a remote virtual assistant can save you a lot of money when you consider how an in-house employee wastes much time.
If you do a complete and honest review of your business, you will be shocked at how many hours you can save. It is estimated that, on average, companies can hold up to 200 working hours each calendar year.
Spend the 200 hours you saved wisely. You can produce extra appraisal reports and contact clients to ensure you complete lead generation follow-ups, generating additional sales.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is paramount if you are to stay refreshed and motivated. Therefore, you could decide to spend the additional saved hours with your family or divide the hours between client networking and friends and family.
List Out The Necessary Real Estate Appraisal Skills
The person you hire to be your virtual assistant appraiser must be skilled in conducting research from public records and be excellent at analysing report data.
Working as part of a team of appraisers without any issues is also a must.
Being skilled at writing highly detailed reports is essential, so make sure you do your due diligence when hiring your real estate appraiser.
Having impeccable touch-typing skills will be highly adventurous in this role. The person you hire must have a typing speed of roughly 30 words per minute.
In addition to these skills, the virtual assistant must verbally dictate detailed reports.
Your assistant must have the experience to ensure that property records are continuously updated correctly.
Document databases play a crucial role in the day-to-day running of all appraisal businesses. Therefore, having a virtual assistant who is adept at keeping an up-to-date property portfolio is vital in keeping you one step ahead of your competitors.
In all businesses, accuracy is vital, but particularly in the real estate appraisal sector. If property records are incorrect, it will have a detrimental effect on your company.
Therefore, attention to detail by your virtual assistant is vital concerning property prices and specification details.
Hiring And Training Your VA
Even the most experienced business people can struggle to hire and train a virtual assistant.
Firstly you have to search for suitable candidates via online job freelance platforms. Sifting through countless profiles, not knowing if the people offering their services are suitably qualified.
It is easy to be caught out and select a candidate to be your VA without going through the proper process and due diligence just because you don’t have enough time to do the procedure correctly.
Loads of people will contact you seeking a job, but it is vital to do your research thoroughly and not just select the first person with basic data entry skills.
Here Are Some Essential Tips To Consider
1) Do the candidates have the experience the role requires?
You must select five candidates to go forward to a formal interview. Therefore you don’t want to narrow your chances of hiring a suitable VA by selecting candidates without the relevant skills and experience to perform the required tasks. Transferable skills are an advantage.
2) Communication skills to a high standard?
If the candidates are slow to respond to your emails, this is a big red flag regarding how well they communicate and their time management skills.
3) How are their verbal communication skills?
It may be wise to do an informal Zoom or Skype call to assess how well they verbally communicate.
4) How good is their ability to follow instructions?
Candidates who can’t follow simple instructions when applying for a job certainly don’t deserve an interview.
5) Are they highly motivated?
Often you have to use your gut feeling when assessing if a person is motivated. However, the tone of their voice and general enthusiasm are typical indications of how motivated they will be if hired.
Let Us Help You Hire Your First VA
Hiring a virtual assistant can prove tricky, as you will need some experience in dealing with virtual assistants from different countries.
Finding the right virtual assistant can be time-consuming and end up being a significant distraction for business owners. So let us do all the seraching, hiring, training, and managing for you.
We also have a team of talented VAs available and seeking work at a company like yours so give us a call today for a free consultation.