What I learned upon my return to the REAL World –

First I apologize to those that have read this on the ActiveRain website – since this is my first post in a while, I have copied it on both sites. Please forgive. Thanks so much!

Okay, so you read my last post about my venture back into the “real” world of real estate and what I encountered. 

Here are some questions that I was asked by some of the realtors I came in contact with.  Maybe you have been asking the same quesions.

These questions are from perplexed agents who saw the need to advance their understanding of technology, but where not sure how they could:

•       “I know that I need to blog to improve my exposure and marketability, but I have no idea what to blog about or where to start!  I am completely lost.”
•       ”I want to keep up with today’s technology, but I just don’t have the time.  I like to give face to face customer service to my clients so I don’t have time to do all this stuff on the internet.”
•       “My sellers keep asking me about certain products that they heard about another agent using.  They want almost immediate feedback because they know that it is possible today.  What can I do?  They are threatening to leave when the listing expires because I am not up-to-date?”
•       “I know that the internet IS the real estate of the future – but I don’t know what I need to do and what is effective in marketing.  There are so many different programs and sites.  What do I choose? How do I set up action plans?  How do I respond to the overwhelming emails?  They want an answer quick and I can’t always be at a computer.”
•      “I know that I need an assistant – but I can’t afford a full time employee right now.  There is no way I can get this all done, but I need to be the best.  How can I get started without having to take on an employee full time or even part time?”

The answer to all of these questions is the same – and it lies within the virtual assitant industry.  Hire a virtual assistant.  You can pay for as little or as much as you need.  So you don’t need full time right now but you need some help.  Not a problem. Most virtual real estate assistants would be happy to find an affordable plan to get you started and thus grow your business. Because they work with many different agents across many different states, they dont rely on you for all of their income and thus are able to offer you just as few hours as you need.  !0 Hours all you need a month?  I would be happy to accomodate you!  What can it hurt to find out more?

Be sure to check out my next blog post where I plan to blog about the importance of ”BEING REAL IN THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY”  One thing that I encountered in my 9-5 job were many phony people who didn’t act or deliver as they had promised.  The only thing you have to offer your clients really is yourself.  At least give them the benefit of encountering you.  Nothing bothers me more, than 2-faced people.  IF you dont like me – that is absolutely fine!  But at least be real about it!

I Ventured into the “Un-Virtual” World, and now I am BACK!!!

First I apologize to those that have read this on the ActiveRain website – since this is my first post in a while, I have copied it on both sites. Please forgive. Thanks so much!

It has been a while since I have blogged here! Unfortunately circumstances forced me to put my Virtual Real Estate Business – An Assistant On Call - on hold for a while and seek work in “the real world.” I was out of it for about 2 years! However, now I can return to my own business with updated knowledge and experience that I may pass on to those that I assist.

I went to work for a local real estate office as an administrative assistant, and I wanted to share what changes I noticed since I was in the same position over 2 years earlier.

The basics, of course, remained unchanged. But there where several striking differences:

1. Agents are much more dependent/comfortable with online technology than they were even 2 years ago – Previously, some agents seemed to enjoy what the internet could offer, but some agents still chose not to participate in what they hoped would be a passing phase. Now agents are almost “forced” to explore technology so that they are not left behind! The internet and its online resources are no longer optional, but instead required. If you don’t want to make it in real estate or be an effective agent, I urge you to ignore what technology has to offer. This leads me to my second similar point:

2. Home Buyers/Sellers are much more tech savvy than they were even 2 years ago – Client are becoming increasing tech savvy and they expect and agent who is the same. Gone are the days where people HAD to RELY on a person with a license to show them what homes are available before they are ready to look. Almost all people KNOW they can turn to the internet before they ever have to contact an agent – shouldn’t your name be out there? They now have this information at their fingertips. They want an agent who has more to offer than just the ability to pull mls listings and take them to houses – ESPECIALLY the sellers. There are so many different systems in place now to effectively market a home. Zillow, CraigsList, Virtual Tours, E-listings and so many more – you can even put your listings on Facebook now!!!

3. There is so much to be done on a daily basis that the highly productive agents cannot survive without an administrative assistant! – You are a realtor. Your job is to meet with the clients and do the things that require a license to do. But what do you do about the day-to-day items? How do you get it all done? Simply, YOU CAN’T! As tech savvy agent, you get dozens upon dozens of emails a day regarding your online marketing. Do you have time to give each one individualized attention? NO! You have buyers to take out, houses to list etc. But someone back at the office can handle the mounds of electronic mail that you get per day. They can make sure that all of your internet marketing for all those houses you listed with technology friendly sellers is up-to-date. They can make sure that these same sellers receive information on their internet marketing which is readily available for those who have it. This assistant can make sure that sellers are getting steady feedback and updates that today’s technology allows – did you know that you can get a “play-by-play” of when your house is shown?

Bottom line, – even though you may not need an assistant now – you will in the future if you hope to be productive.

In summary – IF YOU WANT TO BE ONE STEP ABOVE OTHER AGENTS, AND GET THE LISTINGS AND SALES, YOU MUST BECOME TECHNOLOGY SAVVY.

Check out my next blog post on questions that I encountered during my journey into the “real” world. I also have an easy answer for those questions.  Read ON.

Links for Your Liking – 2

Here are some more real estate or real estate virtual assistant related links for you to take a look at. Enjoy! Please feel free to email me if you would like to see one of your favorite helpful links added here!

iSucceed – This site bills itself as “Your Best Resource for Real Estate Training and Mentoring.” It is chock full of all kind of ideas and tips. On the left you will see an orange box with the words “Try It Now.” This will give you a sample of the type of things that the site contains. It will give you a good idea of if it is for you or not. If you are a new agent, or an agent that has had a hard time lately, check it out. It may just get your creative juices flowing!

First Home Tour – This is a virtual tour website that is MLS and Realtor.com compatible. I have not fully used it myself, so I am not sure how user friendly it is. Let me know if you find out. The good thing is, they offer a 30 day no obligation free trial to check it out!

Connect Utilities – ATTENTION! Calling all real estate agents, real estate virtual assistants, transaction coordinators and homeowners. If you have ever bought, sold or participated in the sale of a home, I don’t have to tell you what a hassle it is to get all the utilities and other items turned off and then turned back on can be. This website simplifies all to one easy step. Agents you can amaze and wow your client by adding this as part of your service package. Connect Utilities can assist with the scheduling (for new connection, transfer or disconnection) of your household utilities. However, it can also help you with the connection of other home services such as cable, phone, Internet, newspapers, and even home security. You can order and schedule everything within minutes instead of having to spend most to all of a day on the phone (mostly on hold.)

Give Away of The Day – I love this site so much that I devoted an entire post to it previously. This site gives away different free software everyday with absolutely no strings attached. I have downloaded several items and they are great. Everything is ad-ware and spy-ware free. I tried it for a while before I began singing its praises and recommending it to others. I added the RSS feed to my RSS feeder and I check the site everyday. I have been doing so for over a month, and I have had zero problems with the software that I download (I have downloaded 5 or 6 programs. One was a brainstorming program valued at over $120.00!). You cant pass this one up.

Fill-In-The-Blank Press Release – I devoted an entire post to this fabulous site also. If you have been intimidated by creating a press release in this past – fret no more. This site is free and lays out an entire press release and all you have to do is fill in the blanks with the information you desire. After that, a fully customized press release is submitted to your in-box . It is like having your own PR firm.

I-Neighbors – This site bills itself as “Your Neighborhood On The Internet.” This is great for real estate agents and clients alike. If you are a real estate agent, and you would like to establish yourself as THE authority for a certain neighborhood, here is the free way to do so. You can create a neighborhood email list and correspond with your neighbors; organize and share neighborhood events; add photos; rate business and share opinions; create neighborhood polls; send free faxes to local government officials; share important documents for your neighborhood and much more. You don’t have to be a real estate agent to take advantage of this great site. Great for those with HOA.

Create the perfect Hud statement – If you are a busy real estate agent who closes a lot of real estate transactions, you may want to take a look at this site. It will create the perfect HUD statement for you to use over and over again in minutes. You can Demo the site for free to see what it has to offer.

Postlets – Do you like to use free classified ads to market your listings? If so, this site is a must visit. As a real estate virtual assistant who specializes in marketing coordination – I find this site indispensable. This free site helps you create templates so that uploading your site for marketing takes only a few clicks of your mouse. The list of standard features, drop down menus and check-boxes make creation a snap. You can even add up to 12 photos. I use this site daily. It is free so check it out.

I have some more links that I am working on sharing with you next time. I am ALWAYS looking for great links to include in this section. If you have one that you would like to share, please feel free to reply to this post, or you can email me at nancy@nancyruben.net.

Thanks and I will have more for you soon.

What Can A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Do For You? Part 3 – Under Contract

I have just completed the 3rd post of my series “What Can a Virtual Assistant Do For You?” It is a very detailed explanation of what a real estate virtual assistant can help you do during each and every stage of a real estate transaction. You can find it on Active Rain at the link below.

Part 3 of “What Can A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Do For You? – Under Contract Phase

If you would like to start with the previous 2 posts in this series please click on one of the links below.

Pre-Listing Phase

Listing Phase

What Can A Real Estate Virtual Assistant Do For You? Part 2- Listing

I have posted the second part of my blog series “What can a virtual assistant do for you?” Part 2 on Active Rain. This is the post that deals with what a real estate virtual assistant can do to assist you during the listing phase of a real estate transaction. Please click on the link below to check it out!

What Can A Virtual Assistant Do For You? Part 2 – Listing

But I already know how to do this stuff. Why would I need a Real Estate Virtual Assistant?

“Why would I pay someone else to do something that I already know how to do?” This is question that comes up often when I am talking to a prospect about using my virtual assistant services. I saw another virtual assistant talking about it on her Active Rain blog and it really got me thinking.

Many times, when we virtual assistants advertise, and I am guilty of this myself, we list all the programs we know, and we talk about how well trained and proficient we are at these said programs. What we tend to leave out is “But Why?”

A real estate agent does not always need to hire a virtual assistant because we have some vast and unattainable knowledge that will sky-rocket their business into the 22nd century. The knowledge of various programs is always a plus, but the biggest bonus that a real estate virtual assistant offers is more time. Even if you are not a real estate agent, I am sure that you can attest as to how invaluable time is. Furthermore, it is very hard to be a successful real estate agent while you are tied up doing administrative tasks and marketing work. When a real estate agent takes their state exam to receive their license – the questions on the exam don’t have anything to do with what technique is best for marketing a home in the Bay area. The exam deals with terms, legality, ethics, and procedures. That should be the agents focus. If they stay occupied with these items, you can easily see why they wouldn’t have much time to sit down and sent out and email blast after creating a great flyer.

Webster’s dictionary defines assistant as a noun – “one who assists; a helper.” Then I looked up the definition for helper and that was even more interesting. Webster’s defines helper as”a relatively unskilled worker who assists a skilled worker.” Now this is not to say that real estate virtual assistants are unskilled – but instead, it just helps me relate a point. When one goes to hire a real estate virtual assistant, it is not always because the assistant can accomplish something that a real estate agent cant. It just means that the virtual assistant can help agent accomplish more goals by spending less time on time consuming areas.

So, instead of marketing by saying “Would you like me to how you how to make a bigger and better website? Or “Can I help you make a killer drip email campaign?” Perhaps I should ask

“Would you like me to show you how to have more hours in a day?”

Because by handling all the administrative and marketing tasks for a real estate agent – that is essentially what I am doing – giving them more hours in a day to do what they do best – real estate.

Virtual Assistant + RE Agent = ??? What can a VA do for you? Blog Series

I have started a series on Active Rain regarding the specifics of what a virtual assistant can do for you before, during, and after a real estate transaction. There will be 4 or 5 parts. Please check it out at the link below. If you would like, you can either post comments here, or on the active rain blog (but I think you have to be a member to post on the active rain blog.)

The first post concerns how a real estate virtual assistant can help you during the pre-listing phase of a real estate transaction.

 

My Virtual Assistant Blog Series on Active Rain

The “Paper-less” Transaction ?!?!

I love paper! I have it everywhere. I have tons of cutesy little notebooks, adorable stationary, and dont even get me started on post-it notes. At times, I have lost my computer to the massive post-it note insurgence. Printing – I print everything. I have massive manilla folders, 3 ring notebooks, drawers and cabinets full of paper. Oh the trees that have suffered a terrible fate at my hands. However, I considered myself up to date with the technology of the times. I mean c’mon, for somethings, you still need paper. Gotta have something to feel or touch – make it real. But then, I realized what a contradiction I am.
I am a virtual assistant. Clients all over trust us to deal with their day to day business, and they may never lay eyes on us! Imagine my amazement when I learned that you could have a complete closing with NO PAPER.

Previously, I worked in a real estate office for about 4 years as a marketing coordinator. Only then did I see my love of paper made to look miniscule in comparison. A whole room full of file cabinets. Storage attics that held up to 7 years of files. When I think about it, the whole office revolved around papers. How many calls have I made to agents for missing addendums or ammendments? A closing could be stalled, or at worst fall through because of the lack of one sheet of paper. You call the agent, they call the other agent, everyone is questioned as to who last saw the paper. The real estate office then turns into an episode of CSI with no one trusting anyone else. I swear, I have seen the broker to the point of breaking out the fingerprint kit. Our pending files were kept under lock that only the administrative personnel had access to. At night the key was relocated to a secret location. That is when I discovered, the DANGER of paper.

Okay, that was a really dramatic and comedic approach to the subject. But it is true. Real Estate revolves around paper. Imagine my surprise when I was introduced to the paperless transaction! The entire process from listing to closing can be processed online. No more lost paper drama! Lost the original – pull it up online. An assistant in California can effectively manage transactions for an agent in Georgia, and never loose a moment of time. Then after closing, a disk with all the important documents can be burned to a cd, with a cute little picture of the house on the label and presented to the buyer. A cd! No huge file of papers that you drop halfway out of the lawyers office, or hits the floor of the car when you slam on the breaks.

Transaction management programs such as Relay and Settlement Room provide the platform for buyers, sellers and their agents to seamlessly manage every single aspect of a real estate transaction. If a buyer wants to know what is going on, all they have to do is log in, and take a look. If an agent wants to see what is left to be done – all they have to do is check the action plan in their transaction management program. It is truly amazing, and it makes the life of everyone so much easier. I can think of so many times that I have had to pour through files the size of War and Peace to find a one page addendum. This elimantes that problem. I am still amazed!

Technology is truly awesome. There is just no telling where we will be in 10 years. I am all for this new wave in real estate management. But – I am sorry- I am going to have to keep my post-it notes.

Obeo.com

I just heard about this site – Obeo – (I am not sure how new it is) from the International Real Estate Assistants Association. The fact that it is a real estate site and a way to search for homes is the extent of my knowledge. This site is new to me. I am going to research it myself and provide an update, but if any of you know anything about this site, please feel free to share your experiences (positive or negative) by commenting.

Welcome to “Have you used this?”

This is the section of my blog where I am going to post questions about various services or websites that I come across. Usually, it is one that is new to me. This section is highly interactive! I am going to take some time to research the subject myself, and update the post. But in the mean time – I would love to get comments from those who are familiar with the subject in question. Please feel free to share any information that you feel helpful!