15 Proven Tips To Hire A Commercial Real Estate Virtual Assistant in 2024

1. Identify your needs

This is one of the most important tips when searching for a virtual assistant. We have seen countless agents hiring the wrong virtual assistant company because they failed to consider their needs.

Remember that not all real estate virtual assistant companies provide the same features. Therefore, some might align with your goals, and some might not. 

The best way to ensure you’re choosing the right real estate virtual assistant is to know what you need from them. Do you need to optimize a few real estate aspects? Or are you hiring solely for customer-handling purposes?

When you know what you want, you can maintain greater transparency. Thus, remember to create a list of specific tasks and responsibilities you need assistance with. 

2. Determine the required skills and experience

When hiring a commercial real estate VA, determine the specific skills your ideal candidate should possess. We also recommend paying close attention to their experience. An experienced real estate virtual assistant can fulfil your expectations without any problems.

This clarity will ensure you hire only the most qualified VA for your real estate business. Some of the key skills you should look for are:

• Real estate knowledge
• Technical proficiency
• Research and analytics skills
• Communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Marketing and social media management

Moreover, the candidate should also have a couple of years of industry experience. Remember that the real estate industry has various aspects, some of which require close attention. A virtual assistant with experience in real estate management, brokerage, or investment would undoubtedly benefit your business.

3. Create a detailed job description

A detailed job description goes a long way in hiring the perfect commercial VA. It sets clear expectations and helps candidates understand whether they are a good fit for the role.

When creating a job description, ensure the job title and summary are clear and to the point. Do not write any fluff, as it can lead to potential confusion amongst the candidates. It’s best to write a summary that outlines the role and its importance within your organization.

You also need to highlight the virtual assistant's responsibilities. This way, they can determine whether they will sustain within your real estate management environment. In addition, highlight the required skills and experience.

Now, you can add compensation while writing a job description. While it’s not mandatory, mentioning the pay scale will maintain clear transparency.

4. Leverage your network

Let’s imagine a scenario. You’ve hired a real estate virtual assistant from a job board. However, after a few weeks, you realize their performance is below average, and you have no option but to let them go.

This is a common scenario which leads to wasted time and effort. While there are some excellent virtual assistance solutions for property managers, finding the right one is difficult. So, what should you do?

Talk with your industry peers. If you have connections with other real estate agents, ask how they found the perfect commercial real estate virtual assistants. Also, ask them if they have any referrals.

Word-of-mouth is one of the strongest aspects of the real estate industry. When someone from your network suggests an experienced real estate VA, they can probably fulfill your expectations.

Moreover, asking for recommendations will also help you nourish connections within your network. This way, you can ensure you’re hiring the best candidates.

5. Use various job platforms

This is another excellent tip for hiring the best commercial real estate virtual assistant. But why do we emphasize this tip so much? This is because job platforms can help you match with the right candidate.

Remember that there will always be the right commercial virtual assistant for your real estate business. You just need to capture their attention. But how can they know if your business is looking for a virtual assistant in the first place?

This is where the job platforms come into the picture. More often than not, the job platforms are filled with talented and qualified real estate VAs. When you post a vacancy, they will know you’re looking for the right talent.

However, don’t make the mistake of sticking only to one job platform. Consider sharing vacancies on multiple platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, etc. This way, you can get a large pool of virtual assistants specialized in the real estate industry.

6. Use social media platforms

Sometimes, you cannot find the right candidates on the job platforms. Surely, you will receive a few hundred resumes, but none of them can align perfectly with your needs.

If you’re facing the same situation, we recommend looking for commercial real estate virtual assistants on social media platforms. Yes, you read that right.

Leverage popular social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. We don’t recommend Instagram as it’s less professional than these two platforms. With a solid JD, you can reach a broader pool of commercial real estate virtual assistants.

7. Screen resumes thoroughly

Screening resumes is a crucial step in hiring a commercial real estate virtual assistant. Focus on candidates with relevant real estate experience. This includes roles in property management or real estate administration.

Additionally, check for technical proficiency with CRM systems, real estate management software, and office tools. This will help you know if they are eligible to handle the minor or major technical aspects of your real estate company.

You must also pay close attention to the resume's clarity and professionalism. This will help you determine the virtual assistant's communication skills. Look for multitasking and organizational abilities, such as managing multiple projects or clients simultaneously.

8. Conduct initial video interviews

Once you shortlist a few candidates, your next step is conducting initial video reviews. When you talk with the candidates, you can know their professionalism and communication skills.

Remember that a resume is not everything. While it creates a base part, it cannot evaluate a candidate properly. This is why we recommend having an initial video interview with the selected real estate virtual assistants.

Consider having the interview on either Zoom or Google Meet. During the call, observe how the candidate talks and answers your questions. As a real estate agent will have frequent client interactions, confident communication skills are necessary.

Also, ask about their previous experience in commercial real estate and the tasks they have handled. You can also discuss the software and tools they have used in their previous roles. Their familiarity with these platforms can indicate their readiness for the job.

9. Test their technical skills

It’s extremely important to assess the technical skills of the commercial real estate virtual assistants. This is one of the key points to remember which will help you attract the right talent.

Do you know how to determine a candidate's technical skills? We recommend assigning a practical task. Give them a small and relevant project regarding real estate management. But you can also give them other tasks at your convenience.

The task will reflect the daily responsibilities they will handle. Also, pay close attention to how they handle software specific to the real estate industry. Evaluate their ability to follow instructions, attention to detail, and how efficiently they complete the task.

So, what’s the benefit? It will help you know how much technical skills the VAs have. As a result, you can know their problem-solving skills.

10. Check references

Contacting references will help you verify the reliability and past performance of the virtual assistants. Contact their previous employers and clients to gather feedback. You can also contact their previous colleagues to know their work ethic and ability to meet deadlines.

Don’t forget to ask industry-specific questions. Do they have experience in handling client projects? How many real estate businesses have they worked with?

When you ask these questions, you can know their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, references also highlight the professional behavior of virtual assistants. This will help you make a more informed hiring decision.

11. Set clear expectations from the beginning

Make sure you set clear expectations with the commercial real estate virtual assistants. This way, you can create a long-lasting relationship with them. The real estate VAs will also know what to expect from your business.

Before onboarding them, discuss your goals, performance metrics, and communication methods. You also need to be transparent about their responsibilities and deadlines.

Make sure they understand what your business needs and why you’re hiring them. This will help them upskill or complete work as per your requirements. Moreover, setting clear expectations from the start will avoid potential misunderstandings.

12. Get a trial first

A trial period will help you if the virtual assistant is right for your real estate company. The same goes for the virtual assistants too. They can also know if they are comfortable working with your business.

This period will also help you check the virtual assistants' performance before you offer them a long-term position. During the probationary period, monitor their work closely. Determine how they can communicate with the team and complete their work.

Provide them with feedback if they need areas of improvement. This probationary period will ensure that both parties have a mutually beneficial working relationship.

13. Focus on comprehensive onboarding

You can effectively hire a real estate virtual assistant with a proper onboarding process. Upon shortlisting, you need to ensure they’re attended to promptly.

Provide them with all necessary resources, including access to software, training materials, and company documentation. Introduce them to key team members and explain your organizational structure and workflows.

You can also guide your business processes, standards, and expectations. This way, the virtual assistant can understand their role, feel welcomed, and become more productive.

14. Have realistic expectations

No matter how excellent virtual assistant services you hire for your real estate business, you must have realistic expectations. You cannot expect them to work 24/7 or fulfil their responsibilities without any mistakes.

Remember that even though they might have a strong real estate background, there’s always room for improvement. Thus, they will need some time to understand your business’s processes.

Make sure you’re patient and sympathetic with them. With constructive feedback, you can also help them improve their performance.

15. Contact a real estate virtual assistant company

Sometimes, the best real estate virtual assistant may not prove suitable for your real estate business. In such cases, you need to start the talent-hunting process again, leading to additional costs and effort.

Why worry about the hiring process when you can contact Sofia? We’re one of the best platforms where you can hire the most reliable virtual assistance for real estate agents. As we can streamline various real estate tasks, you can focus more on networking and business growth. 

So, what makes Sofia stand apart from the crowd? How can we help your real estate business? Here are some reasons why you should choose Sofia:

• Years of real estate experience
• Cost-effective solutions
• Seamless integration
• Enhanced productivity
• Reliable professionalism

But that’s not all. Sofia can also help you with various real estate services. Some of them are:

• CRM management
• Cold calling
• Schedule appointments
• Listing packet preparations
• MLS search and updates
• Property listing management
• Social media engagement
• Bookkeeping

One of the best things about Sofia is that we will provide you with customized solutions. Additionally, we will ensure our scalable solutions help your business at every stage.