Assistants help in many ways Here are some responsibilities you can delegate to an assistant:
A licensed assistant can:
- Coordinate home inspections and appraisals. That includes setting and confirming appointments, preparing paperwork, and even attending meetings with appraisers when necessary.
- Help with open houses and showing properties. An assistant can schedule appointments, develop a driving route for showing properties, and even show properties when needed.
- Provide listing assistance. Use an assistant to update the MLS and other databases and prepare listing packets and packets for out-of-town buyers.
- Facilitate closings. That includes providing documentation for the broker and coordinating details, such as date, location and documents needed.
- Write advertising copy. Writing catchy, accurate and legal real estate ads takes someone who fully understands the real estate business.
An unlicensed assistant can:
- Handle general administration. With an assistant ordering office supplies, filing, organizing files, typing and tidying the office, you’ll be freed up to work with clients.
- Take on marketing tasks. Expand your business by using a marketing assistant to develop and implement direct-mail and email campaigns. Your assistant can also maintain your mailing lists, print labels, and coordinate the labeling, sorting and bundling of mailing pieces.
- Route incoming phone calls. Make sure a friendly voice answers your phone. You’ll send a message that, even when you’re not in the office, all your bases are covered.
- Maintain your database. Developing a user-friendly and effective database is time consuming — but there’s no more effective prospecting tool.
- Manage bills and billings. As important as this task is, it can easily be handed off to an assistant.
SOURCE: Howard Brinton, STAR POWER Systems, Boulder, Colo. 
© 2013 Florida Realtors®