Archive for August, 2007

A Real Estate Assistant Can Keep You From Hitting the Wall

Friday, August 31st, 2007

You know those days when it feels like you’re running to stand still – those days where you’re just treading water? Sure, everyone has them once in a while, but it seems to happen to a lot of people in real estate.

Maybe it’s the calls that are coming in from sellers asking questions about what’s going on in the process of selling their home. Maybe it’s calls from buyers who are wondering why you just cant find the perfect property for them no matter what you do (even if the reason for this is that they keep changing their minds about what they want of need in a home). Maybe it’s something else altogether – not getting to updating your website or answering emails.

It’s easy for real estate professionals to get burned out. More and more, the busier that their practice gets, the less they have time to focus on the elements of their business that drew them to real estate in the first place. In other words, the more that business grows, the less time they have to focus on it and the sooner they hit that wall: the wall that stops them from continuing to make progress and meet their goals.

And that’s why a real estate assistant is a valuable asset for any real estate business. Whether you need web design work, research, bookkeeping help, brochures to be designed, phones to be answered or any number of other services, a real estate assistant can keep you from hitting that wall – a real estate assistant can help you to keep your business fun and make work feel, well, less like work.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
A real estate assistant can help you avoid burnout.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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Choose a Real Estate Assistant Who Can Help You Develop a Business Plan

Thursday, August 30th, 2007

Real estate is about more than just helping buyers to buy homes and sellers to sell them; real estate is a business.

Whether you are new to real estate or you’ve been in the field, whether you work independently, with one or two other agents or a large agency, in order to achieve your real estate business goals, you’re going to need to know what those goals are.

One thing that you can do to establish your goals and determine when you’ve achieved them is to create a business plan for your real estate company – and a good real estate assistant can help.

You’ll be able to sit down with your real estate assistant to discuss what your business goals are, then you’ll be able to define how you will achieve those goals and determine what will happen once they are achieved.

You’ll be able to work with your real estate assistant to determine what sets your business apart from others in the area and work with her to determine how to best market those differences.

Your real estate assistant will also be able to work with you to write your business plan so that it will help you to gain funding – if you need it – or to cater your plan towards investors or other agents who you want to work with so that you can show them just what your business is about.

By developing a business plan with your real estate assistant, you’ll both have a better sense of what needs to be done so that you can achieve your goals – and your real estate assistant will be better able to help you to reach them.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
A real estate assistant can help develop your business.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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Your Real Estate Assistant Can Update Your Website

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007

When you’re out in the field or talking with your clients, chances are good you look at your real estate website and think, “Oh, I can update that tomorrow.”

The problem is that your website isn’t like a brochure or other traditional marketing. Unlike a flyer or brochure, you can’t just put up information and expect others to find it. That’s where your real estate assistant comes in.

Your real estate assistant can keep the content on your website fresh. This may mean that your real estate assistant will add information about new listings so that prospective buyers are aware that it’s on the market. It may mean that your real estate assistant will add information about open houses or other events like homebuyer seminars that you’re offering to try bring in new buyers.

There are, of course, other things that your real estate assistant can do to update your website. He or she can add tip sheets and other information for both buyers and sellers, can optimize your site for the search engines or even update a daily blog.

By keeping your website updated, you’ll find that you’re able to get information about your business out there to more people in the area. As a result, you’ll be able to bring in new buyers and sellers – without having anything more to do yourself.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
A real estate assistant can keep your website updated.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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Choose a Real Estate Assistant for Your Desktop Publishing Needs

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

Even though when you buy a software office suite, you’re sure to get desktop publishing software: but does that necessarily mean that you’ll automatically know how to use it? For that matter, when you look at the rest of your day – showing homes, meeting with buyers and sellers, taking calls, returning calls, adding listings to the MLS and updating your website – do you have the time to learn how to use your desktop publishing software?

Of course not – by this point you’ve probably realized that you don’t have enough time in your day already. And that makes hiring a real estate assistant a smart decision anyway.

Your real estate assistant can help to make sure that you’re able to get everything done throughout the course of the day. He or she can aso tackle all of your desktop publishing needs.

Want to create a newsletter to send out to your buyers and sellers each month? No problem, your real estate assistant can take care of it. Looking to create great Just Listed or Just Sold postcards? Your real estate assistant can take care of that too. Same with flyers for the properties that you represent, marketing brochures for your business or even tip sheets that will let your buyers and sellers know what to expect throughout the process.

Whatever your desktop publishing needs are, a real estate assistant can help you to meet them – and, if you hire a real estate virtual assistant, you can be sure that those needs are taken care of, even from a distance.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
A real estate assistant can create great marketing materials.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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10 Things a Real Estate Assistant Can Do for Your Business

Monday, August 27th, 2007

There are probably a lot of you out there who are wondering whether a real estate assistant could really help you to improve your business. Can a real estate assistant really help you to get and stay more organized – especially if he or she works virtually from an office other than your own? Can a real estate assistant really help you to market your business?

The answer is simple: of course a real estate assistant can help you to build your business. Here are just 10 things that a real estate assistant can do to ensure that you’re working towards your goals.

  1. A real estate assistant can work with you to ensure that the basic administrative tasks are done in your office – things like answering the phone to talk with your clients, making sure that the mail gets sent out and similar tasks.
  2. Your real estate assistant can help you to take care of basic accounting tasks – making sure that your books are accurate and let you keep track of bills to be paid and the income coming in from sales and other expenses.
  3. Your real estate assistant can help you to create a great website that draws in those who are searching for services like yours within your farm area.
  4. A real estate assistant can answer your emails, post to your blog and keep fresh content organized for your website – not only will they look great, but people will want to read them.
  5. Your real estate assistant can research neighborhoods so that buyers know what they’ll have easy access to and create great tip sheets to help them decide what they really need in a home. Likewise, your real estate assistant can work to create sellers tip sheets including suggestions for showing and staging the home and what to expect from the sales process.
  6. A real estate assistant can help you to follow up with your buyers after the sale and help to provide thank you notes and housewarming gifts.
  7. A real estate assistant can help you to design print marketing materials – postcards, flyers and even newsletters that let your clients know about properties that have been just listed or recently sold so that they know more about your business.
  8. Your real estate assistant can work to coordinate listing information in the MLS and on your own website.
  9. A real estate assistant can create photo tours and virtual tours so that far away buyers who are moving to your area will be able to get a feel for the properties that you represent.
  10. Your real estate assistant can work with you to determine what your business really needs in order to grow and to help you develop strategies for solving any problems that your business may face.

Of course, there’s much more that a real estate assistant can do for you. If you’ve still got questions, just ask!

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
See some of what a real estate assistant can do for you.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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A Real Estate Assistant Can Help Your Business Grow

Sunday, August 26th, 2007

When you’re looking to grow your real estate business, it won’t take long to realize that you just can’t do it on your own. After all, you can’t be at the office answering the phone and out in the field working with buyers or sellers that you represent. You can’t be in the field helping clients to buy or sell a home and be back at the office keeping track of emails or expenses or marketing campaigns.

The problem is that there often needs to be a step in between working on your own – owning an independent real estate company – and bringing on a staff of agents. Fortunately for you, there’s a step in between: bringing on a real estate assistant who can help you to grow your business.

With your real estate assistant working with you – whether he or she works as a virtual assistant or from your office – you can be sure that there will always be a friendly person available to answer calls that come into your office. You can be sure that your real estate assistant can answer emails, post to your blog, update your website and make sure that every possible bit of information about a new listing will be available so that you can start interesting buyers in the homes you’ve listed.

Your real estate assistant will enhance your ability to communicate with current and prospective and even past clients. He or she can research neighborhoods, help you to provide tips to buyers that will help them determine what they are looking for in a home and to help sellers know what to expect throughout the process.

As a result, you’ll be sure to attract more clients – buyers and sellers alike. They’ll know that they can count on your support, know that you’re working both for and with them and that there will always be someone available to answer their questions. Your business will be growing in no time!

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
See how a real estate assistant can help grow your business
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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Choose a Real Estate Assistant Who Can Give Your Buyers an Edge

Saturday, August 25th, 2007

When you choose a real estate assistant for your business, you want to be sure that you’re bringing on someone who can help you with running your business. You’ll want to be sure that the person you choose to work with knows about real estate, can help your sellers with questions that they have and can help you to give your buyers an edge in the market.

What can a real estate assistant do to help your buyers to stay on top of and get ahead of others looking at the same homes they are? For one thing, he or she will be able to create buyers’ tip sheets that are customized for your business – guides to the process of buying a home, guides that allow them to know what to expect and how to find a great mortgage lender.

For another, he or she can create guides to specific neighborhoods that are in your farm area. In these guides, your real estate assistant can present information about churches, schools, shopping centers, restaurants and other spots that may be of interest to your buyers.

Of course, guides and tips aren’t all that a real estate assistant can help you to provide. In addition, he or she can stay on top of homes that come on the market and notify your buyers about properties that will interest them – even if the home becomes available on a day that you’re spending in the field.

In other words, when you choose a real estate assistant, know that you’ll be choosing someone with whom you can work closely – someone you can trust to be there for you as well as the buyers and sellers that you represent.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
See what a real estate assistant can do to help your buyers.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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Your Real Estate Assistant Can Create Absorption Reports

Friday, August 24th, 2007

How much competition is there in your real estate market? How many other agents are there in your farm area – agents who are competing for the same listings that you are?

This week, the focus has been on marketing – in print and online. It’s been about setting yourself apart from your competition. Today’s no different.

Another thing that your real estate assistant can do for you is to create custom absorption reports.

absorption reports

There’s no doubt whatsoever that there are other agents in your area. There’s no doubt that those folks who are going to be selling a home are going to want to be sure that they’re choosing the right real estate agent. With your real estate assistant on your side, they’ll have no doubt that you’re the right agent for them.

Why? Oh, just a little thing: you’ll be able to show all of the trends in the area and explain why you’ll do things the way you will. You’ll be able to go into the interview confidently – and that will inspire their confidence, showing them you’re the only agent they need.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
See what your real estate assistant can do to set you apart
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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Your Real Estate Assistant Can Take Charge of Marketing

Thursday, August 23rd, 2007

For some, marketing may seem like a difficult concept. For some people there’s an understanding that marketing is the process of setting their real estate business – or any business – apart from their competitors so that they are able to be the ones bringing on the new clients.

The problem is that they have no idea what to do to launch a marketing campaign. They don’t know how to design the right materials – or even what materials they’ll need. But they do know one thing: bringing on a real estate assistant can give them an edge.

That’s right – in addition to helping you maintain communication with your clients, designing your website and being there for your clients, your real estate assistant can take charge of marketing your real estate business.

What can your real estate assistant do?

  • Create postcards for your business that can be sent out to your farm area as well as just listed and just sold postcards.
  • Create brochures for your real estate company that highlight why your services are the best for them.
  • Create tip sheets for buyers and sellers that will help make the process of purchasing or selling a home as simple as possible.
  • Create print marketing for the properties that you represent to file in information tubes on the lawn sign or for takeaways from an open house.
  • Creating newsletters that you send out to clients and prospective clients in the area.

Basically, your real estate assistant can take on a wide variety of marketing projects and make it so that those in your farm area know exactly who you are and what you can do to help them buy or sell a home.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
See how a real estate assistant can market your business
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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A Real Estate Assistant Can Help You to Communicate

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

Some people are great on the phone. Others are fantastic with face to face conversation. Still others would prefer to talk to others online – through email or with a blog.

When you have a real estate assistant working with your business, no matter what your communication style is, your other bases will be covered as well.

Sure, your real estate assistant may not be able to go out into the field and talk with buyers or sellers for you – this is particularly true if you choose a real estate virtual assistant to help you out – but it’s probably a safe bet that, if you’re in real estate, that’s one of the things that you’re most comfortable doing.

But while you’re out doing it, your real estate assistant can be back at the office – yours or his or her own – answering calls from current and prospective clients, explaining the sales or buying process, answering questions or prioritizing the calls back that you must make.

Similarly, your real estate assistant can manage your email campaigns, answering general inquiries as well as more specific questions that come in. He or she can also write your site blog which will help you to build a relationship with your clients, to answer some questions even before they’ve been asked and generally provide some great information about your business and real estate in general.

Communication is key in most businesses, but it’s particularly important when you’re in a business like real estate where you’re helping people make huge decisions regarding buying and selling homes and other properties. Let a real estate assistant help make it easier for you.

Kandra Hamric – Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Your real estate assistant can help you get and stay in touch.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Blog
888-REVA-USA (738-2872)

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