Property managers have their work cut out for them. Doing everything required to maintain properties for clients, on top of accounting tasks and observing government regulations, can take a toll on managers and real estate brokers trying to operate a successful business.
So, to prevent yourself from burning out completely, you must learn how to find and maintain a competent staff, starting with a property management virtual assistant.
A VA will take care of your business's low-level tasks so you can focus on big-picture items for your business. This enables you to generate more revenue as a property manager while avoiding operator burnout (OBO).
This article discusses everything you must know to find and train a virtual assistant who can help reduce your potential for burnout. It'll also tackle some of the more difficult parts of managing your virtual contractor, particularly ending the working relationship with them if things aren't working out.
First, you must know where to find the best virtual assistants, specifically for real estate and property management. Whether your VA lives and works in the Philippines or another country, getting a person knowledgeable about your industry makes the training process much easier!
VPM Solutions can help you find the best virtual assistant Philippines offers for your real estate and property management needs. Once you've set up your free company profile, you must post a job description. Provide a job summary, list the VA's responsibilities and duties, the skills they must possess, and the salary you're willing to pay.
Next, you must interview the top candidates to see who among them is fit for the job. Ask them questions about situations that put their abilities to the test. The goal of the interview is to learn more about their problem-solving and communication skills and whether they are who you're looking for in your business.
After choosing a virtual assistant, it's time to put them to the test through rigid training.
First, you want to establish your communication process. Then, aside from emails, identify which messenger app and project management tool you'll use together to send messages and get updates for tasks.
Next, you must have standard operating procedures and documentation for the VA's responsibilities. Create training videos introducing the tasks to them, why they need to do them, and how to do them correctly. Providing them with clear directions sets the baseline for completing the tasks and leaves little to no room for mistakes.
At the same time, you should be open to suggestions from your virtual property management assistant if they can develop better ways to perform your real estate tasks. In addition, you want your virtual assistant to provide you with feedback and insights that could potentially make your job much easier.
Reporting, feedback, and other pressing concerns can be addressed in strategic meetings scheduled every month or quarter. This is where you analyze your VA's performance and brainstorm ideas on how to improve. Give constructive feedback and insights into how they can do their jobs better, or praise them for a job well done. At the same time, ask them if there's anything you can do to make their jobs easier.
Remember that working with VAs can only be successful if you provide them with the information and resources they need to succeed.
Unfortunately, not every virtual assistant turns out to be the right person for the job. So if your virtual assistant is adding to your burnout despite your best efforts, you must let them go.
Your VA should know why you're ending your business relationship with them, and you can provide specific examples supporting your explanation. Be clear and professional as you are breaking the news to the VA—don't get sucked into an emotionally charged conversation.
As difficult as these things are, always put things into perspective. You want to run a profitable business, and if the VA is more of a liability than an asset, then it's time to cut ties to keep your business afloat. For your virtual assistant, being in a role that doesn't suit them won't be good for their long-term happiness or success, either.
Moving on from a virtual assistant when it's not the right fit helps them move on to find a better role that suits their skills and goals. In addition, you can use your experiences with this VA to create your next job posting. Also, learn from any mistakes you've made while managing your previous property management virtual assistant to create a more successful experience next time.
Finding time to enjoy your real estate or property management company is hard because of the tasks at hand. The good news is you don't have to do everything yourself!
VPM Solutions is a virtual assistant company that provides VAs with property management training and skills to serve in a variety of roles. Choose from our pool of virtual assistant talent so you can begin delegating repetitive or low-level tasks and focus on the things that help your property management business grow!
Download our free resource to find your next virtual assistant! Get the "Real Estate Virtual Assistant Hiring Kit."