Sure, an VA can help with file coordination, mailings and client correspondence, but can they really help you win over a listing appointment? You bet.

It is important to do your due diligence when looking for a virtual assistant. Choosing a qualified and talented team of virtual assistants will be the key!  If you have the right VA on your side, all you will need to do is tell them your goals, and they will take care of the rest.  In our experience as a Virtual Assistant Team, our clients often say, “I’d really like to stand out from my fellow agents in the area,” or “I’d really like to attract more high end sellers.”  

Over the years, we have developed thorough systems that we are ready to put to work for each client.

We’ve even put together comprehensive Marketing & Pre-Listing Presentations that can be customized to showcase your your marketing efforts:

Read more…

When should I hire an assistant? How should I train them? What should they do for me? These are questions I get asked every time I coach a new client or speak before a group of REALTORS. Assistants can be an important addition to a REALTOR’s business. Hiring an assistant can also be one of the most frustrating experiences, and financially challenging, times in business.

Before a REALTOR should hire an assistant, they should clearly identify the need for one and the job responsibility of the assistant. I believe the purpose for the assistant is two-fold. The first is to relinquish the low pay off activities to someone who has less value per hour than I do. Second, to fill in the gaps in the areas I am not highly skilled at doing.

To determine what the low payoff activities are, make a large “T” the size of a piece of paper. On the left write the high payoff activities. On the right fill in low payoff activities. List the things you do based on value on each side, meaning value based dollars returned to you when you do those things. We generally earn 85-95% of our income doing about a half dozen things. The key is to identify those things. Then create a game plan to increase the time we are doing those high payoff activities on the left side. By taking the right side low payoff activities, you can develop an assistant’s job description. Over time they should be trained to perform the bulk of the low payoff activities so you can focus more energy on the high payoff activities.

Now we need to focus on what we are truly skilled at and enjoy doing. Separate those tasks and activities. Create a list of activities you are not skilled or highly efficient at. These should be delegated to staff, affiliates, or completely dropped from performing. Then we must find the person who has the skills and enjoys doing those functions.

Too often we hire people like ourselves. This does not allow someone to fill in our gaps. I always looked for staff that enjoyed the paperwork aspect, the office behind the scenes environment, someone who had strong organizational skills and someone who was a great follower. We already had a leader and did not need another leader – I was it.

The timing of adding a staff member is important. We often add an assistant too late. We are overwhelmed and throw the new assistant in the pressure cooker with us. We have more business than we can handle effectively, so we hire. The problem is we have no time to train then their performance, and ability to perform effectively right now, discourages us. That is truly a no-win situation for an assistant.

My advice is to hire before you are in a crisis. Try hiring your assistant in the slower months of your business. I realize you will have to feed the business for a few months. But you will be able to invest the training time necessary to produce a quality assistant who will be ready to perform at a high level when you take off. When you are growing and very busy it is hard to find time to train staff properly. Preparation is the key to achieving success through assistants.

Take the steps to evaluate your need for an assistant. Then create the job description out of your low payoff activities. Then invest the time daily to train, coach, and monitor your assistant. These steps will ensure you are hiring an assistant that is a wealth center. A quality assistant will increase your business and give you more freedom to spend with your family.

Today, the House passed its version of the FHA reform; now, it is on the Senate to vote on their version of the bill. Where the rubber meets the road is determining exactly how the new legislation will affect the housing industry and the buyers who rely on FHA programs to make purchases happen, when they may not have the financial resources for a 20% down payment.

Previously, the monthly FHA mortgage insurance premium was .55% of the loan amount. Now, it has essentially tripled to 1.55%. Many within the FHA claim that this additional premium will help to strengthen the Administration’s balance sheet while building additional reserves to guarantee more loans and reduce long-term costs for borrowers.  Others would argue that present borrowers’ monthly expenses will rise and make it harder for others to qualify.

Continue reading…http://www.brokeragentsocial.com/article/798/fha-reform-is-here-now-is-it-good-or-bad

http://www.hgtv.ca/articles/articles_realestate_new.aspx?sub=1&cat=3&by=1

Buying

• 10 Tips for Turning a First Home Into an Income Property
• Bidding War Basics For Buyers
• Buying or Renovating Your House with the Planet in Mind
• Create Value in Your Home with Scott McGillivray
• Creating a Second Suite
• Design Tips to Last For First-Time Homeowners
• Finding the Cracks in Your Financial Foundation
• Finding the Right Mortgage
• House Hunting: Find the Right Fit for You
• How to Find a Real Estate Agent
• Location, Location, Location
• Nailing Down Home Renos with Scott McGillivray
• Real Estate Glossary
• Sarah Richardson’s 10 Tips for Finding and Buying Your Dream Home
• Ten Tips to Consider Before Buying a Home
• The Essential Cottager’s Companion
• The Home Buyer’s Guide
• Tips for Finding the Perfect Vacation Home
• Understanding Condos
• What You Should Know Before Buying a Home

For Sale signs have been springing up all over our region for happy summer home and year-round residents and is keeping listing and closing coordinators busy.

How is the market in your neck of the woods?

Join Laura Monroe of Creative Agent Solutions.com for our teleclass on Active Rain the Real Estate Network. With over 150,000 members who are Real Estate Professionals, you can’t afford to miss this! Learn all about Active Rain; from getting started, optimizing your profile, points, blogging for leads, joining groups, and taking advantage and all the tools it offers your business and your client’s as well.

Register here

Now, REVA Institute is extremely proud to be known as the only retailer of the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER Certification for Virtual Assistants.

Save $20 off of the cost of the Webographers certification just by visiting this link!