How to hire the best real estate agent assistants for your team

Ever missed a hot lead because you were too slow to follow up? Or had your spouse beg you to put down the phone during dinner? You're not alone. 

Today, we’re tapping into expert tips from real leaders who have been there to share their insights and experiences on how to hire the perfect assistant and bring some balance back to your business.

4 expert-backed steps to hire the best real estate assistants

Whether you’re a high-octane solo or multi-tasking team leader, you know all too well that trying to do it all yourself is actually holding you back.

The following strategies are tried and tested by real team leaders with ace-level support.

1. Know when you need help

Joe Oz runs his real estate group remotely from Montclair, New Jersey, and he's the first to admit he learned his lesson the hard way. 

After reading "The Millionaire Real Estate Agent" by Gary Keller, Joe had an eye-opening moment. "I had this moment in my life when my business was making my life unmanageable," he recalls. Like many successful agents, he found himself drowning in work until he finally built a team that allowed him to "buy back" his time and transition to remote leadership.

Here’s a simple set of questions to ask yourself to determine if now is the time to hire a real estate assistant:

Work/life balance

• Are you constantly taking calls in the middle of family dinners or personal time?
• Are you carrying multiple phones or devices to manage your workload?
• Does your spouse or family complain about your constant availability to clients?
• When was the last time you took a real break from work?

Business management:

• How many opportunities have you lost in the past 3 to 6 months due to a lack of follow up?
• Have you found leads or contact information sitting on your desk weeks after receiving them?
• Are potential clients telling you they've moved on because of delayed responses?
• Do you frequently discover missed opportunities after it's too late?
• Is your follow-up system more reactive than proactive?

Time management:

• Are administrative tasks preventing you from focusing on revenue-generating activities?
• Do you spend more time managing paperwork than meeting with clients?
• Are you working longer hours but seeing diminishing returns?
• Could your business grow if you had more time for lead generation and client meetings?

The right time to hire isn't when your ego says you should, but when your business volume is affecting client experience and keeping you from growing.

“I think people start teams for the wrong reasons. They start teams because they think they have to. They start teams out of ego. They start teams for a lot of those reasons. But really, the only reason you should ever start a team is because you have more business than you can handle and the consumer experience is suffering,” says Joe in a recent episode of the Real Estate Team OS podcast.

Here’s how Joe knew it was time to break free of the time-consuming tasks holding him back and start building a team:

2. Use values-driven hiring 

Becky Garcia, who leads The Garcia Group, a powerhouse 99% female real estate organization in Phoenix, built her team from the ground up with values at the core. Her team-building journey kicked off during the 2008 REO market boom when she found herself swamped with calls. 

"The number of calls we were getting—the sign calls, the interest in our listings—it was too much for me to handle," she recalls. Starting with just one admin to handle paperwork, Becky quickly realized she needed to think bigger. "That only bought so much time. I needed to add more agents to help with the buyer side of transactions."

Start small: 

• Begin with one admin assistant to handle paperwork and basic tasks
• Test your management style and identify additional needs
• Use this experience to refine your hiring process

Evaluate cultural fit:

• Would this person mesh well with the team dynamic?
• Do they show initiative and accept accountability?
• Would you trust them to represent your brand with VIP clients?

Implement a team-based interview process:

• Invite promising candidates to observe team meetings
• Watch how they interact naturally with current team members
• Note their body language and engagement level
• Have them meet multiple team members for diverse perspectives

Create a multi-step evaluation system:

1. Initial screening interview
2. Team meeting observation
3. Individual interviews with key team members
4. Group feedback session
5. Final decision incorporating all input

 Look for these specific qualities:

• Self-motivation
• Coachability
• Strong communication skills

With 9 admin staff and around 30 agents, Becky's hiring philosophy goes beyond filling positions that broadly match their job descriptions. She looks for team players who pass what she calls the "airport test"—people she wouldn't mind being stuck with during a long layover. ✈️

And her process is refreshingly human. Candidates attend team meetings to get a feel for the culture and the team gets a say in who joins their ranks. 

Here’s how Becky explains her team’s value-led hiring process:

3. Set clear expectations

Veronica Figueroa was running herself ragged as a solo real estate agent. As a busy "farming agent" with a growing family, she found herself constantly missing life's precious moments— soccer games, recitals, family dinners—always being that person on the phone during vacations. 

"I know what it feels like to not truly be present in your family's life," she reflects. The wake-up call came when she realized she had enough business to help other agents succeed while creating a more sustainable work-life balance for herself. Now, as Team Leader of The Figueroa Team at eXp Realty at eXp Realty, she's built a well-oiled machine with clear standards for onboarding, development, and accountability.

"I sleep so much better at night," she says, knowing her team runs on consistent, transparent expectations rather than a sloppy ad-hoc approach.

Here are some tips to help you bring on highly skilled real estate virtual assistants (VAs):

Clearly define work hours and availability expectations upfront

• Set specific "on-call" hours vs. offline hours
• Establish protocols for urgent after-hours communications
• Define expected response times for different types of requests

Create detailed onboarding resources

• Document core processes and procedures
• Outline training milestones and timelines
• Establish performance metrics and review schedules
• Define what success looks like at 30/60/90 days

Institute regular check-ins and accountability measures

• Schedule weekly one-on-one meetings
• Set up progress tracking systems
• Create feedback loops for continuous improvement
• Define consequences for missed expectations

Align work responsibilities with both business and lifestyle goals

• Map out which tasks will be delegated
• Identify priority activities that free up the agent's time
• Define how success in the role supports work-life balance
• Create clear boundaries between work and personal time

Build in flexibility while maintaining standards

• Document backup plans for time-sensitive tasks
• Create systems for coverage during vacations/time off
• Define escalation procedures for various scenarios
• Set guidelines for schedule modifications

Here’s how Veronica sets clear expectations to make sure she’s hiring and onboarding the right people:

4. Build an integrated VA team (even when hiring from abroad)

Jessica Boswell, who leads the J. Boswell Team at LPT Realty, cracked the code on building a rock-solid VA team—even in cases where the entire team works remotely from overseas. headfirst. "I trained my VAs like they were domestic employees, and I manage them like they're domestic employees," she explains.

Jessica’s VAs aren't just behind-the-scenes workers—they're front and center in team meetings and actively shape the company culture. As she puts it, "They're helping me build the culture." Thanks to this approach, her VA network grew organically through referrals, with her executive admin even launching her own business in the Philippines.

The real secret to success with your in-person or virtual assistant is making sure they’re treated like any other member of the real estate team.

Questions to ask:

• Have I invested in all necessary software tools (project management, time-tracking, communication) for my VAs?
• Am I including VAs in team meetings and cultural development?
• Am I providing training that's equivalent to what I'd offer domestic employees?
• Do I have a clear replacement process if a VA relationship isn't working out?
• How can I better tap into my existing VAs' networks for future hiring?

Top tips:

• Follow established VA onboarding systems
• Integrate VAs into team culture and meetings
• Treat remote VAs with the same respect as local staff
• Support VAs' professional development
• Build relationships that extend beyond task delegation
• Tap into successful VA relationships to find additional qualified candidates

Here’s the backstory on how Jessica built her incredible team of VAs.

Scale smarter with support

You can't do it all alone, and you shouldn't have to. Whether you're drowning in paperwork, missing opportunities, or just tired of being chained to your phone during family dinner, the right  assistant can be a game-changer.

As our expert team leaders have shown, building a solid support team isn't just about delegating tasks—it's about creating space for growth, balance, and delivering the kind of experience that keeps clients raving.

Top FAQs: hiring a real estate agent assistant

Here’s a closer look at some of the most frequently asked questions about hiring a real estate agent assistant or VA.

What does a real estate assistant do?

A real estate assistant’s day-to-day responsibilities can include a range of tasks like data entry, CRM management, prospecting support and scheduling appointments; client communication such as lead follow-up and listing updates; transaction coordination including paperwork processing and timeline management; and real estate marketing support through social media management, open houses, market research, and creating promotional materials.

What skills and characteristics should you look for in an administrative assistant?

Look for someone who's not just tech-savvy but also a people person. They need to be highly organized and a clear communicator who can shoot off professional emails and handle phone calls with confidence. You want someone who doesn't crack under pressure when things get hectic (and in real estate, they will).

How much does it cost to hire a virtual assistant?

The cost of hiring a virtual assistant for real estate typically ranges from $500-2,000 per month, depending on their experience level, location, and hours worked. 

When calculating costs, factor in additional expenses like training time, software subscriptions, and potentially higher rates for specialized skills like transaction coordination or marketing expertise.

Should I hire a part-time or full-time assistant?

The decision between part-time and full-time help really boils down to where you are in your real estate business journey. If you're just starting to feel overwhelmed but aren't quite underwater, dipping your toe in with a part-timer might be your best bet. However, if you're consistently closing 20+ deals a year, dropping balls left and right, or finding yourself tied up with  admin work instead of growing your business, it's probably time to bite the bullet and bring on full-time support.

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