All
Members
Companies
Blog
Forums
Podcast
Webinars
    User Log in  /  Sign up
  • Forums
    Newest Posts Trending Discussions Followed Forums Real Estate News & Current Events General Landlording & Rental Properties Buying & Selling Real Estate Deal Analysis See All
  • Education

    Read

    BiggerPockets Blog BPInsights: Expert Analysis Coronavirus Content & Resources Guides Glossary Reviews Member Blogs

    Watch

    Webinars Video Library Financial Independence Blueprint Intro to Real Estate: Rentals

    Listen

    BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast BiggerPockets Money Podcast BiggerPockets Business Podcast Real Estate Rookie Podcast Daily Podcast (Audio Blog)

    Topics

    Business Operations Finance Finding Deals Property Management Property Types Strategy
  • Network

    Recommended Vendors

    Real Estate Agents Mortgage Lenders Companies Hard Money Lenders Contractors Investment Companies

    Search

    Members Events Jobs
  • Tools

    Calculators

    Rental Property Fix and Flip BRRRR Rehab Estimator
    Wholesaling Mortgage Payment 70% Rule Airbnb

    Services

    BPInsights: Property Insights Tenant Screening Property Management Lease Agreement Packages

    New Feature

    BPInsights (beta)

    Quickly analyze a property address or ZIP Code to compare your rent in your neighborhood.

    Analyze a property
  • Find Deals
    Real Estate Listings Find Foreclosures External Link Ads, Jobs, and Other
  • Bookstore

    Real Estate Books

    Profit Like The Pros Bidding to Buy See all books

    Featured Book

    BiggerPockets Wealth Magazine book cover
    BiggerPockets Wealth Magazine

    Written by financial journalists and data scientists, get 60+ pages of newsworthy content, expert-driven advice, and data-backed research written in a clear way to help you navigate your tough investment decisions in an ever-changing financial climate! Subscribe today and get the Oct/Nov issue delivered to your door!

    Get the Magazine
  • Pricing
Log In Sign up
User
Quick search links
Podcast Hard Money Lenders Books Washington
BlogArrowReal Estate Investing BasicsArrow6 Tips for Hiring Your First Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Real Estate Investing Basics

6 Tips for Hiring Your First Real Estate Virtual Assistant

Bob Lachance
Expertise:
6 Articles Written
hiring-virtual-assistant

Investing in a dedicated real estate virtual assistant can be one of the best decisions you make for your business. You can cut down on your operational costs as well as achieve more of a work-life balance, allowing you to focus on the tasks that grow your business.

Want more articles like this?

Create an account today to get BiggerPocket's best blog articles delivered to your inbox

Sign up for free

6 Tips for Hiring Your First VA

1. Delegating

Identifying exactly what tasks you can start outsourcing to your VA is a critical starting point. Even smaller tasks such as appointment scheduling, social media management, or handling emails is a good starting point.

I would recommend going through your normal work week and document all the tasks you are doing and how much time you are spending on each one. At the end of the week, determine what tasks are taking up too much of your time that would be better spent on income-producing tasks. Almost anything over the phone or internet can be done by a virtual assistant!

Related: Hire a Virtual Assistant for These 21 Tasks (& Supercharge Your Productivity!)

2. Training

This is a crucial step for setting your VA up for success. Although some VAs are pre-trained in real estate specific tasks, you will need to train them according to your own systems and processes. Even if you don’t currently have a need for a VA, documenting your processes is essential to being able to replace yourself in the future. Screen recording and voice-over instructions can be very helpful for this.

3. Consistent Communication

consistent-communication

As with most relationships in life, communication is always an important factor to a healthy partnership. Having a short daily or weekly meeting with your VA is a great way to set goals, celebrate wins, or talk about any adjustments that may need to be made.

There are free Wi-Fi texting apps such as WhatsApp that allow you to communicate throughout the day. You can also use video conferencing software such as Google Hangouts, Skype, or Zoom to have face-to-face communication with your VA. If you both have iPhones, you can also FaceTime.

4. Setting Expectations

By setting clear expectations and goals, you can ensure a great and long-lasting relationship with your VA. Let them know exactly what their role is and what you expect from them to encourage their brilliance. This will set you both up for success—win-win!

Related: How to Find the Correct Virtual Assistant for Your Real Estate Marketing Needs

5. Equipment

Having the right tools in place for your virtual assistant to work with is another way to encourage a successful partnership. Provide your communication platform for them to message, video conference, and make calls. Provide access to your CRM, social media, or any account they should need for your business. Providing the right tools ensures they have all they need to succeed.

6. Be Prepared

writing-notes

Having your virtual assistant create a manual on how they accomplish their daily tasks can be beneficial if you plan on adding more VAs to your team later down the road so they can pass on what you have taught them. This can also include screen recording or call recording.

Overall, implementing virtual assistants into your real estate business can have a profound impact on the growth of your business when done correctly. By following these six tips to help you get started, you will have a healthy working partnership that will allow you to work on your business instead of in your business.

 

By Bob Lachance
Bob Lachance has been an active business owner and real estate investor since 2004. Entrepreneurial by nature, he currently owns and operates many different businesses around the world. He helped t...
Read more
Bob Lachance has been an active business owner and real estate investor since 2004. Entrepreneurial by nature, he currently owns and operates many different businesses around the world. He helped to create the top real estate education and mentor program in existence today. He is also the founder and CEO of premiere virtual assistant staffing company REVA Global.
Read Less
3 Replies
    R.J. Petrillo Rental Property Investor
    Replied about 1 year ago
    I hear a lot of talk about hiring VAs from outside of the US for low cost, but seldom do folks followup with any recommendations of services/agencies/sites to find these folks. Can anyone recommend any? I've heard a lot about Southeast Asia and Mexico.

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
    Kenneth Fillion
    Replied about 1 year ago
    R.J. We use VA Talks (https://www.vatalks.com/). Our assigned agent is in India which makes communication a bit challenging but overall, they do a nice job for us. They've helped us mostly in website development and marketing material design. We're now looking at them to manage our monthly new lead generation process and monthly direct mailing campaigns. Kenn (https://thearrowscompanies.com/)
    R.J. Petrillo Rental Property Investor
    Replied about 1 year ago
    Thanks Kenn. I will give them a look.

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
Rotate Log in or sign up to comment

Related Blog Posts

Real Estate Investing Basics Jan 13, 2021

Investor Spotlight: From Accidental House Hack to Financial Freedom Featuring Whitney Hutten

By BiggerPockets

Whitney Hutten’s first deal could’ve gone sideways. But she saved it, pressed on, and transitioned into a full-time investor who now has 60 deals under her belt.

Read more →

Real Estate Investing Basics Jan 12, 2021

How Much Do You Need To Save for Your First Investment Property?

By Whitney Hutten

There’s no cut and dry answer for how much money you will need to get started in real estate investing. It depends on a few factors.

Read more →

Real Estate Investing Basics Jan 12, 2021

Investing for Equity vs. Cash Flow: Which Is More Important?

By Andrew Syrios

Like with most things in real estate, your primary focus depends on your situation and goals. But in this instance, one goal is better.

Read more →

Real Estate Investing Basics Jan 11, 2021

Note Investing: How To Find & Finance Real Estate Mortgage Notes

By Scott Smith

Investing in real estate mortgage notes is a profitable and hands-off alternative to hard real estate investment. Learn the ins and outs here.

Read more →
Log in Sign up

Log in

Forgot password?

If you signed up for BiggerPockets via Facebook, you can log in with just one click!

Log in with Facebook

Or
btn_google_dark_normal_ios Created with Sketch. Continue with Google

Let's get started

We just need a few details to get you set up and ready to go!

Use your real name

Use at least 8 characters. Using a phrase of random words (like: paper Dog team blue) is secure and easy to remember.

By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.

Or
btn_google_dark_normal_ios Created with Sketch. Continue with Google

Why create an account?

Receive a free digital download of The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing.

Connect with 1,000,000+ real estate investors!

Find local real estate meetups and events in your area.

Start analyzing real estate properties, we do the math for you.

It's free!

Explore

  • Membership
  • Community
  • Education
  • Marketplace
  • Tools
  • FilePlace
  • REI Resources
  • Perks
  • Glossary
  • Reviews
  • iOS App
  • Android App

Company

  • About Us
  • Press
  • Advertising
  • Careers
  • Stats
  • Contact Us

Important

  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Terms of Use
  • Rules
  • Privacy
  • FAQ

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
© 2004-2021 BiggerPockets, LLC. All Rights Reserved.