To enter the real estate industry, one of the fastest ways to do this is to work with an unlicensed assistant to a successful real estate agent or broker. Benefits of this are normal hours and a salary or hourly wage. The duties performed by such a real estate assistant do not require a license. The requirements of this are general office-type skills, such as good computer skills, graphics design experience, people skills, and some organizational abilities.
What does one need to consider when hiring a real estate assistant?
Before determining if it is time to accompany hiring an assistant, you must first conclusively acquiesce that what you need one. If you are not quite at a level of business that would endeavor full-time hours to an assistant, consider hiring one part-time. There are many ways to determine what kind of assistant you want. When you decide to hire a real estate assistant, your level of importance increases enormously. This is an excellent opportunity for those easing into the idea of an assistant. Virtual real estate assistants customarily impose lower hourly rates while providing the same quality of work as their in-person counterparts.
Steps to benefit you hire a real estate assistant
Hiring a real estate assistant can benefit you leverage your time and taking your business to the next level such as –
Step 1 – Decide if you are ready to hire a real estate assistant
Knowing when it is the right time to find an assistant is crucial. Some of the signs that might indicate that you need to hire an assistant are such as –
- Missing meetings due to scheduling errors
- Difficulty in scheduling calls
- Need to be at two different places at once
- Desiring a home base while you are in meeting with clients
- Need to have an organizational help
- Need to have a second brain to evaluate business decisions
Step 2 – Creating a job listing
A potential real estate assistant will acknowledge your job listing based on the requirements because you will want to make sure the wording is right to entice the best-suited candidate. Some of the crucial responsibilities and character traits to include are such as –
- Help in managing the databases
- Help in preparing market reports
- Maintain business and personal calendars
- Help in drafting letters and press releases
- Help in preparing meeting spaces as needed
Step 3 – Endorse your real estate assistant position
One can post their job listing online using various career-oriented sites such as Indeed or LinkedIn, but there are other ways also to connect with potential assistants as well. Someone who is studying real estate might be attracted to the position to learn about the inner-working of an office, so be sure to reach out to recent graduates.
Step 4 – Creating a list of qualities to look for in a real estate assistant
Once you get a pool of potential hires, layout what is most crucial to you in an assistant. Do you value personality over technical skills? Are you seeking experience in real estate or someone with general experience assisting a real estate professional? Make a list of qualities you are looking for, try to find someone who will atone for areas where you are weak or in areas that can be easily delegated, and make a huge encounter on how much time you have available each week.
Step 5 – Questions that one needs to ask in an interview
Conducting an interview can be just as nerve-wracking as interviewing for a position, you need to ask what prospective assistants can endeavor you to make your daily life easier. After a greeting and overview of the job description, interview questions customarily flow similar to the following questions such as –
- Why are you interested in real estate?
- Tell me about your time at that company, what did you learn in this company?
- Your weaknesses and strengths as an employee
- What are your professional aspirations?
Step 6 – Talk compensation
Money can be an uncomfortable topic, but it is better to be upfront about it. Detail the pay you are willing to administer and make sure the candidate is on the same page. A professional real estate assistant will require to make at least minimum wage. With this, you can get an idea of how much other assistants in your niche are making by searching websites such as Payscale and Glassdoor.
Step 7 – Onboard a new assistant
You have selected an assistant! Now it is time to make them feel comfortable in their new work environment, as well as prepare them for some daily duties. When communicating their responsibilities, assume the mindset that they require i.e. a full explanation of the workings of your office to avoid communication gaps. For a proper onboarding, you will want to such as –
- Introduce them to any co-workers they might be seeing regularly
- Accustom your assistant with your top clients
- Emphasize communication as crucial going forward
- Create a 30-day onboard plan that you can work through with them
Step 8 – Assess your assistant
Since a real estate assistant is someone who you will be working with constantly, you must be proactive with how you administer them. If there is an issue with their job performance, let them know how to improve them. An assistant can make your professional life easier. So make sure that this is the case once they have time to settle in. Here is what you should be providing your assistant with to coach them in their job performance such as –
- Quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals with measurable results, so that they will know if they are doing a good job or not
- Regular one-on-ones
- Detailed evaluation that gives examples of when you’re assistant aligned with your brokerage values or when they were off course
- A clear career path with advancement goals your assistant can work to accomplish with
Wrap Up
Finding the right fit for your team is not an instant process and needs some thought and deliberation. Because you continue to frame your real estate assistant team, you will learn from your experiences of interviewing and onboarding new members of your real estate team.
