References
NAR Library & Archives has already done the research for you. References (formerly Field Guides) offer links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of perspectives. EBSCO articles (E) are available only to NAR members and require the member's nar.realtor login.
Characteristics of Personal Assistants
- 15% of REALTORS® use at least one personal assistant
- 52% of personal assistants are licensed
- 46% of personal assistants are employed full-time
- 51% of personal assistants work exclusively for one REALTOR®
Source: 2021 National Association of REALTORS® Member Profile (National Association of REALTORS®, 2021)
Real Estate Professional Assistant Course Certificate Program
The Real Estate Professional Assistant Certificate course is designed to sharpen current professional assistant's skills or jumpstart an aspiring assistant's career. As a result, the assistant will become an irreplaceable part of the agent's business plan or team, and help manage risk.
What Can a Personal Assistant Do for You?
8 Reasons for Agents to Hire a Real Estate Assistant (Fit Small Business, Dec. 15, 2021)Previous clients are one of the most valuable sources of business growth through real estate referrals. Therefore, you need a plan to continually follow up with former clients and stay top-of-mind through personal connections like phone calls, emails, and occasional methods like holiday cards and pop-by gifts. However, sending holiday cards or gifts to all of your previous clients is a time and labor-intensive undertaking, especially if you don’t have a real estate assistant or a team. Task your assistant to find the right cards, handwrite notes, add the addresses and stamps, and get them all in the mail.
What Can An Unlicensed Real Estate Assistant Do? (Kyle Handy, Oct. 20, 2021)
Likewise you can use an unlicensed real estate assistant to obtain information from your database. They can operate similar to a real estate ISA or Inside Sales Agent, but rather call and update your database with up-to-date mailing addresses, contact information, birthdays, and more.
How to Use a Real Estate Virtual Assistant to Grow Your Business (Follow Up Boss, Jun. 2, 2021)
- Create buyer’s packets and powerpoints
- Send mailers to your spheres of influence
- Graphic design for digital and print assets
- Schedule (or even write) blog posts
8 Reasons to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Real Estate Tasks (Young Professionals Network, Jan. 11, 2020)
You can double and even triple your current income when you start to delegate tasks that are holding you back from your potential to earn. This quote by Jean Paul Getty sums it up: “I would rather earn 1% off 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.” Research from the Harvard Business Review also found that delegating more of what you don’t have to do yourself, frees up your time so you can spend it where it’s really valuable. Increasing your productivity typically results in an increase in income.
Personnel Issues
When and How to Hire a Real Estate Assistant (Rocket Pro Insight, Jul. 7, 2021)
A general rule of thumb is to hire a part-time assistant when you close 20-25 transactions annually, says Mark Bradley, principal and broker at HomeSouth Residential, Inc.
What to Look for in a Virtual Assistant (REALTOR® Magazine, May 12, 2021)
Interview at least your top three candidates before making a selection. You might get fatigued reading resumes, which might make you lean toward one of the first candidates you look at. Remember that hiring the right person will save you time and money by avoiding replacement costs.
Real Estate Assistant Salaries in the United States (Indeed, Mar. 1, 2022)
The average salary for a real estate assistant is $17.43 per hour in the United States.
How to Hire a Personal Assistant Who Saves You 10 Hours a Week (Entrepreneur, Jun. 18, 2020)
While every assistant brings a unique set of personality traits and skillsets to the table, the one that I don’t compromise on is a strong capacity for handling ambiguity. Hiring a personal assistant shouldn’t be thought of as automation — your assistant should be able to synchronize with your operational behavior and be an extension of what you’re doing in your busy day.
Hiring the Right Personal Assistant for You (REALTOR® Magazine, Apr. 17, 2020)
“The personality of a real estate assistant, in general, usually includes liking stability, routine, and safety. They like to have things organized, and they like to support somebody,” Rosenblum says. But they often choose the real estate industry because it can be exciting. They get to be involved in a very important transaction in someone’s life, and they get to see pretty homes, too, she explains.
Personal Assistant Resume Sample and Skills List (The Balance, Feb. 14, 2020)
As a personal assistant, you will frequently be exposed to sensitive material, from trade secrets to highly personal information that you will need to keep confidential. A related skill is being tactful, the ability to react gently or not at all to information that other people might find difficult or embarrassing. You must, in other words, be a safe person for your manager to be vulnerable around. After all, only you will know how much assistance they need.
eBooks, Books & Other Resources
Be a Kickass Assistant (eBook)
As a member benefit, the following resources and more are available for loan through the NAR Library. Items will be mailed directly to you or made available for pickup at the REALTOR® Building in Chicago.
Become a Mega-Producer Real Estate Agent: Profit from a Licensed Assistant (Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western, 2005) HF 5438 H42b
Real Estate Assistants: a Guide for Risk Management (Chicago, IL: National Association of REALTORS®, 2001) HF 5438 N16rm
The Pocket Assistant's Guide for Real Estate Professionals (Canton, OH: Carmel Publishing, 1997) HF 5438 R33p
The Professional Assistant: a Guide to Success for Real Estate Assistants (Chicago, IL: Real Estate Education Co., 1996) HF 5438 R33
Multiply Your Success with Real Estate Assistants (Chicago, IL: Real Estate Education Company, 1994) HD 1375 R22ms
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