Virtual Assistant thoughts

[Account Closed]

I was interested in hiring a virtual assistant and was curious as to what I can expect as far as price and work done. What are your guys thoughts on virtual assistants?

[Amanda DiBiase]

As a VA, I can give you a little insight on this. Virtual Assistants can really assist you with any work you need done, as long as you can give proper training and guidance in the beginning. It is important to develop a working relationship as you will be trusting your VA to handle many aspects of your business.

That being said, you can hire a foreign VA for a few dollars an hour but there are cons to that as they aren't in the same time zone, English may be a problem, and it may be hard to communicate. VA's can be found on larger sites like elance or Odesk, which are kind of like a marketplace, or you can find one local to you through basic web searches or Virtual Assistant forums where you can submit an RFP. Rates can vary depending on experience and level of service. Some will charge hourly, some will charge package rates. You will get what you pay for essentially.

For REI's, Virtual Assistants are best to help with listing management and coordination, email marketing and direct mail campaigns, market research, transaction coordination, social media, and buyer/seller/agent correspondences- things that are essential but also take up a lot of your time.