Empire Coaching Blog

May 16, 2025
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20 min read

How to Use a Virtual Assistant to Scale Your Real Estate Business

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced real estate market, top agents aren’t doing it all alone—they’re outsourcing strategically. Virtual assistants (VAs) have become a key part of modern real estate operations, allowing agents to offload administrative work, streamline marketing, and focus on dollar-productive activities. Whether you're a solo agent or running a growing team, learning how to leverage a VA can be the smartest investment you make in 2025.

This guide breaks down what real estate VAs do, how to hire one, and how to measure the return on your investment.

What Is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

A real estate virtual assistant is a remote professional who supports agents and brokerages with a range of administrative, marketing, and sales tasks. Unlike in-house employees, VAs work remotely—often from another state or country—and are hired on a contract, freelance, or agency basis.

They specialize in the real estate space, which means they understand the unique demands of property listings, CRM management, transaction coordination, and lead follow-ups.

Key benefits of VAs over traditional hires:

  • Lower cost structure
  • Flexibility in hours and scope
  • No physical office space required

Benefits of Hiring a Real Estate VA

Hiring a VA isn’t just about saving time—it’s about multiplying your productivity and profitability. Here’s how a VA can transform your real estate business:

  • Cost-Effective Growth: You can scale operations without the overhead of full-time employees.
  • Time Freedom: VAs handle repetitive tasks, giving you more hours to focus on listings, clients, and closings.
  • Faster Client Response: With someone monitoring your inbox and CRM, follow-ups happen instantly, increasing conversion rates.
  • Improved Consistency: From social media scheduling to lead database cleanup, a VA brings structure to your backend operations.

Top agents who delegate wisely consistently outperform those who try to do everything themselves.

Tasks You Can Delegate to a Real Estate VA

The beauty of hiring a virtual assistant is that you can offload both routine admin tasks and more specialized support functions. Here are some high-leverage duties that a real estate VA can handle:

  • CRM management – Entering leads, tagging contacts, setting reminders
  • Calendar and inbox management – Scheduling showings, replying to general inquiries
  • Listing coordination – Uploading MLS details, ordering signage and photography
  • Social media – Creating graphics, writing captions, and scheduling posts
  • Email newsletters – Writing and sending monthly client updates
  • Transaction support – Preparing documents, monitoring deadlines, communicating with title companies
  • Lead follow-ups – Calling or emailing prospects and nurturing cold leads
  • Market research – Compiling comps, pulling neighborhood data, tracking price trends

By delegating these responsibilities, agents gain back 10–20 hours per week—time that can be redirected toward income-producing activities.

Specialized VA Services for Realtors

Not all VAs are generalists. Many offer specialized skills that can significantly improve the quality of your marketing, lead generation, or transaction management.

Some examples include:

  • Cold calling and prospecting VAs – Ideal for outbound lead generation and FSBO follow-up
  • Transaction coordinators (TCs) – Skilled in managing contract-to-close processes
  • Real estate marketing VAs – Experts in Canva, email marketing platforms, and branding content
  • Database and CRM specialists – Keep your systems clean, tagged, and optimized
  • Video editors or content creators – Repurpose listing videos or reels for social media

These VAs can be hired on a project basis or as part of your virtual team depending on your needs.

How to Find the Right Virtual Assistant

Hiring the right VA isn’t about finding the cheapest option—it’s about finding the best fit for your business. Here’s how to narrow down the search:

Step 1: Choose the hiring path

  • Freelance platforms: Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph (great for short-term or international VAs)
  • VA agencies: MyOutDesk, Virtudesk, REVA Global (vetted, trained, industry-specific talent)
  • Direct referrals: Ask colleagues for trusted VAs they use

Step 2: Screen your candidates

  • Check portfolios and client reviews
  • Request a short task trial (e.g., calendar entry, listing upload)
  • Use interviews to assess communication style, availability, and real estate knowledge

Remember, the best VA is one who fits your business culture and complements your working style.

Hiring and Onboarding Best Practices

Once you’ve selected a virtual assistant, proper onboarding sets the tone for long-term success. Here’s how to ensure a smooth start:

Define the role clearly:

  • Create a detailed job description with expected tasks
  • Outline your preferred communication style and response times
  • Set specific KPIs (e.g., number of calls, email responses, updates per week)

Use the right tools:

  • Communication: Slack, Zoom, or WhatsApp for daily check-ins
  • Project management: Trello, ClickUp, or Asana for task tracking
  • Training: Record Loom videos or create SOPs (standard operating procedures)

Trial period:

  • Start with a 30-day trial to evaluate fit and results
  • Offer feedback weekly to fine-tune expectations and performance

A strong onboarding process minimizes miscommunication and builds trust from day one.

How to Manage a Remote Real Estate VA Effectively

Managing a virtual assistant requires systems, not supervision. Rather than micromanaging, build a structure that supports autonomous work and ongoing accountability.

Daily success routines:

  • Morning check-ins to confirm tasks and priorities
  • End-of-day summaries highlighting wins and roadblocks

Weekly cadence:

  • Weekly Zoom calls to review KPIs and shift priorities
  • Feedback sessions and recognition for achievements

Tools to streamline management:

  • Google Sheets: Use shared trackers for task logs
  • ClickUp/Trello: Create templates for recurring tasks (e.g., listing workflow)
  • Loom: Provide quick training videos without scheduling live meetings

By systemizing communication and task flow, you free yourself from constantly having to check in—and empower your VA to perform.

Cost of Hiring a Virtual Assistant

The cost of a real estate VA depends on location, skill level, and task complexity. Here’s a general breakdown:

  • US-based VAs: $20–$40/hour
  • Philippines-based or international VAs: $5–$12/hour
  • Specialized services (marketing, TC): $15–$25/hour or project-based pricing
  • Full-time support: $800–$1,500/month for overseas, $2,500+ for domestic

When comparing VA costs to in-house employees, the savings are significant. There’s no need to pay benefits, office overhead, or cover idle hours. Plus, VAs can scale with you as needed—project by project or full-time.

ROI of Outsourcing Admin Work

Outsourcing administrative tasks to a VA allows agents to reclaim hours each week and reinvest that time in dollar-productive activities like showings, negotiations, and lead generation.

Tangible ROI examples:

  • Faster follow-ups = higher conversion rates
  • Consistent marketing = stronger brand presence
  • Less admin time = more closings and referrals

Agents who track their VA’s output often report a 2–5x return on investment within the first 60 days—especially when the VA contributes directly to lead nurturing or client retention efforts.

When to Know You're Ready to Hire a VA

Many agents wait too long to bring on help. Here are clear signs you’re ready:

  • You spend more time on admin than selling
  • Leads are slipping through the cracks
  • You’re working late nights and weekends just to keep up
  • You have a growing client list but can’t scale without support

If your business growth is being throttled by your time, a VA can be your catalyst.

Common Mistakes Agents Make with VAs

Avoid these pitfalls to get the most from your virtual assistant:

  • Micromanaging: Undermines trust and slows progress
  • Poor documentation: Without SOPs, your VA is flying blind
  • Hiring too fast: Always test with a trial period before long-term commitments
  • Ignoring feedback: VAs often bring insights from working with other agents—listen and improve

Hiring a VA is a business relationship. Treat it as such, and the results will follow.

Tools That Make VA Collaboration Easy

Technology bridges the gap between your office and your virtual assistant. Must-have tools include:

  • CRMs: Follow Up Boss, kvCORE, LionDesk for client management
  • Project Management: Trello, ClickUp, Asana for workflows
  • Training: Loom for video instructions, Google Docs for SOPs
  • Communication: Slack or Zoom for real-time updates
  • Automation: Zapier and Calendly to automate client touchpoints

With the right tech stack, your VA will operate like an in-house teammate—without the overhead.

Scaling with a VA: From One to a Full Team

Most agents start with one VA—but as their business grows, so does their virtual team.

A scalable VA team might include:

  • Admin assistant: For calendar, CRM, and listing input
  • Marketing VA: Handles social media, newsletters, and graphics
  • TC VA: Manages contract-to-close workflow
  • Inside sales agent (ISA): Cold calling, lead screening, and follow-up

Many brokerages now run hybrid teams where only a few roles are local—everything else is virtual, efficient, and cost-effective.

Conclusion

The modern real estate business is no longer built on doing everything yourself. By hiring a virtual assistant, agents gain the power to scale without burnout, increase productivity, and focus on what truly grows their income. Whether you’re closing five homes a year or fifty, a VA could be your most strategic hire in 2025.

✅ FAQs: Using Virtual Assistants in Real Estate

1. What does a real estate virtual assistant do?
They handle tasks like lead management, CRM updates, marketing, transaction coordination, and administrative support—remotely.

2. How much does it cost to hire a virtual assistant for real estate?
VA rates range from $5 to $40 per hour, depending on location and specialization. Most overseas VAs fall between $6–$12/hour.

3. Where can I find a good real estate virtual assistant?
Trusted platforms include Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph, and specialized agencies like MyOutDesk or REVA Global.

4. What tasks should I delegate first to a VA?
Start with time-consuming admin work: CRM updates, calendar scheduling, social media, and listing management.

5. Can a VA really help me grow my real estate business?
Yes. By outsourcing non-revenue tasks, you gain time for prospecting, appointments, and closing deals—resulting in significant business growth.

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