3. Assistants
Having an assistant comes in very handy and should be
more than cost efficient
An assistant can free the agent to perform activities that
are more productive
4. A. What is a Real Estate
Assistant?
REAL ESTATE ASSISTANTS are helpmates and
extensions of successful real estate agents
They are delegated a variety of duties that agents
would normally be required to do in the course of a
business day that takes them away from spending
time in the “field”
Assistants may be licensed or unlicensed
6. Who Hires?
According to a survey conducted by the National
Association of Realtors® agents who employed
assistants felt that hiring those assistants contributed
to their firms’ increased profits
On average, the brokerages with over 50 agents
employed 7 assistants or more, and most successful
smaller firms employed at least 1 or 2
7. A. Your Resume
Certain characteristics are important to include in your
resume:
Consistency
People skills
Education
Real estate background
Skills
Recommendations
Personal appearance
Interests
8. B. Interview Questions
You should expect to be asked a variety of
questions by a prospective employer
Brushing up on your skills will only increase your
chances of performing well under the pressure of
the interview process
9. C. The Job Offer
Now that you’ve been offered a job as an assistant
you have some decisions to make
Part-time employee
Full-time employee
Employee or Independent Contractor
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR – pays his taxes, works
with a minimum of supervision and set his own schedule
12. A. Alphabetical Filing System
Files are organized alphabetically by street address
and year
Any document that has BOTH buyers’ and sellers’
signatures is referred to as a SHARED DOCUMENT
13. B. Master Transaction File
A MASTER TRANSACTION FILE contains all the
documents a brokerage may require on a single
completed transaction
14. C. Computer Filing
Computer files are more convenient, less time
consuming, take up less space and are more “green”
than the “old school” method of saving every piece of
paper generated by a real estate transaction
For a variety of reasons, however, you should still keep
a paper file containing signed copies and originals of
documents for each transaction
15. D. Updating Data
The inventory of homes must be kept current
As an assistant, you can take on the task of keeping
all listings current
Your agent’s website also needs to be updated
regularly
16. E. Keeping and Assisting with
Appointments
Keeping track of your agent’s appointments in a
timely fashion is also important
You need to know where and how to reach your
agent at all times
Determine which documents your agent prefers to
take on listing/selling appointments and make up
packets ahead of time
17. F. Staying in Touch with Your
Agent’s Clients
Keeping your agent in constant contact with prospects
is a very rewarding task for both of you
18. G. Technology
You may be asked to take pictures of your agent’s
new listings
MLS services have the capability of entering ten
pictures for each listing
Many real estate software programs are available to
help with a variety of tasks for example:
Letter writing
Microsoft Excel® for spreadsheets
Top Producer® keeps agent’s databases
Mobile is the way to go for CAR® forms
19. H. Notary Public
Being a notary public is extremely helpful in real
estate and to your agent
As an assistant, you can perform this duty for your
agent’s clients
The following are required of a notary public:
Thumb print required
Purpose of notarization
18 years old and California resident for last 12 months
Official Seal of Notary
20. I. Escrow Coordinator
Your agent may want you to assist with escrows
You will need to have all the pertinent information on
the transaction and a good understanding of the
escrow process
21. J. Follow-Up Details
After finalizing a closing, now is the time to review the
transaction with your agent to decide if some
improvements can be made for the next one
This should be an ongoing endeavor to fine tune your
skills for the highest efficiency
22. Chapter Summary
• Assisting as a Career
• What is a Real Estate Assistant?
• Why Become an Assistant?
• Who Hires Assistants?
• When Does An Agent Need an
Assistant?
• Getting the Job Done
• Your Resume
• Interview Questions
• The Job Offer
• What Do Assistants Do?
• Office Administration
• Updating Data
• Keeping and Assisting with
Appointments
• Staying in Touch with Your Agent’s
Clients
• Technology
• Notary Public
• Escrow Coordinator
• Follow-Up Details
