Admit it, no matter how hard you try, you cannot do everything yourself. You always need help to manage some important tasks for which you cannot get enough time out of your busy schedule. There is nothing bad in acknowledging that, and as a real estate agent, you also need an assistant to boost your productivity and sales.
A lot of people have this misperception that the job of a real estate assistant is all about delivering lunch and taking appointments. However, it is much more than that. You can hand over your low-value yet busy work to the assistant while focusing on other important things that only you can control. It will also help you get some free time to improve the quality of your life. However, the most important thing is knowing the right time to hire a real estate assistant – only then can he help in serving the purpose.
Here are a few key points mentioned to make sure that you hire the real estate assistant at the right time.
When You Can Analyze Your Affordability Level
Your affordability level is a factor to whether or not it’s finally the right time to hire a real estate assistant. If your annual income is more than your expenditures and you easily end up saving or investing it somewhere else to grow, you should start looking for the assistant.
We can’t pinpoint a specific number to tell you that you’re earning enough to be able to hire the assistant. It solely depends upon your lifestyle, opportunity cost, and other important factors. If investing a few dollars (that you can afford obviously) on hiring an assistant can help improve your reputation in the real estate industry, seal the deal!
When Your Family and Loved Ones Are Constantly Complaining
Real estate is a full-time and overwhelming occupation that would require consistent and hectic working hours. You might end up compromising the time you spend with your family. If your family is constantly complaining and asking for your time, it indicates that you need to balance both work and personal life. This is a perfectly good reason to finally hire a real estate assistant so you can spend more time with your family.
When You’re Willing to Make a Calculated Move
Some seasoned real estate agents still don’t feel confident enough about their skills. If you are not one of those and you’re sure to have the potential to take your business to the next level, think about hiring a real estate assistant.
However, don’t just go and do it without executing a proper plan and strategy. List out all the pros and cons in your mind to make sure you’re taking a calculated risk.
When You’re Having a Hard Time Managing Little Details of Transactions
If you’re constantly moving from one client to another, the previous transactions might get ignored. Eventually, you’ll end up earning a bad reputation. Once you do, earning your clients’ trust is almost impossible to get back once it is lost.
So, when you feel like you are rushing and don’t have enough time to manage the little details of transactions, communicate with previous clients, and provide them with a follow-up, you should consider taking help from a real estate assistant.
When You Have a Clear Job Description
Have a clear job description for the real estate assistant. You should know where you are going to fit him in the equation in a way that he helps grow your business further.
There are many tasks a real estate assistant can take up. For instance, here are the following tasks you can add into the job description:
- Answering phone calls
- Creating documents
- Preparing reports
- Handling incoming and outgoing emails
- Processing new listings
- Scheduling property tours
- Taking messages
- Sending emails to past clients
- Photographing listings
- Managing closing paperwork
- Preparing sales contracts
- Reaching out to new leads
- Scheduling appointments
If your job description outlines all the responsibilities and duties like this, it shows you are clear about why you need an assistant. By then, you’d know that it is the right time to hire a real estate assistant to help you maintain the workflow and achieve the goal in the long run.
When You’re Ready to Train Your Assistant
The first few months with a real estate assistant will go slow. You cannot expect an assistant to come and take charge of everything in one go. Even if the assistant you hire is exceptionally talented, you would still need to invest some time in training him to do what you want and need in your real estate business.
Don’t expect the assistant to read your mind and do everything accordingly. Consider hiring an assistant only when you are ready and willing to train him.
When You’re Prepared to Delegate Your Responsibilities to Someone Else
As a real estate agent, you might get used to doing everything on your own. If you are a Type-A personality who likes to have control over everything, you might have a hard time letting go of your work. You have to be mentally prepared to delegate your tasks and duties to the assistant. So, make sure you hire an assistant only when you are ready for it.
When You’re Willing to Let Go of the Assistant When They Don’t Work Out
Not everything will go according to your plan. Even if you choose the best assistant, he or she still might not work out for your specific job.
Firing employees can be one of the most difficult things to do. So, you must prepare yourself to have the courage to terminate the assistant right away and look for other better options.
