I came across this when I was researching color ideas for my new site..and loved the energy it inspired.

As you may already know..Real Estate is changing. It takes place in the office, at home, in Starbucks, and from your car. Having the right tools to do business means leveraging technology with productivity from “virtually” anywhere.

Using a professional real estate virtual assistant is fast becoming a viable option for real estate professionals to find administrative and marketing assistance. But making the decision to use a “VA” can be vague without having the proper information, tools and references to evaluate where to look for a VA, what to look for in a VA, and exactly where to start.  So begin here:

A Real Estate Virtual Assistant will..

• Help you discover innovative strategies that will propel your or your team’s business by increasing productivity by 20%-60%.
• Be your real estate assistant, when don’t have the time to train someone, and don’t want to deal with the hassles or the expense of an employee.
• Provide virtual support for real estate tasks such as Listing Coordination, Marketing, Social Media Management and is knowledgeable in the most up to date trends, real estate programs, and Web 2.0 technology available.

Yes! You CAN Afford a  Virtual Assistant:

Whether you’re a Top Producer or a new agent, need a one-time project or an ongoing relationship, we have flexible plans that will work for you, and can be tailored to fit your needs…and better yet…are affordable! You can pay hourly, per project, or by monthly plan. We can provide the perfect combination of reliable real estate assistant services with creative designs for your collateral marketing materials. Many original templates can be seen in our Portfolio.

Working Together, Virtually:

With Creative Agent Solutions.com as your real estate virtual marketing assistant you have a partner who has already been trained on some of the most up to date Internet marketing tools used today. We consider it our job to learn those new concepts, so you don’t have to. Together, we can implement creative real estate marketing strategies to keep you in front of the competition, and give your listings the extra attention needed in today’s market.

Need more info on virtual assistants for real estate?

We know that you will want to be as informed as possible when making the decision to outsource to a VA. Take the time to educate yourself with the resources you may find here. Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions for answers to questions most commonly asked, then give us a call for a FREE consultation.

OK, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am on a quest to learn more about all of these video trends that are taking off in real estate, because frankly I only see it becoming more and more valuable to our businesses. As a real estate virtual assistant, I’m always trying to keep myself educated so that I’m trained to provide the best assistance when new trends are arriving on our doorstep, so that we can assist agents, and free up their time.

The video file formats can be a bit daunting, as they are all different. We have video from our cell phones, digital cameras, flip-videos, iMovies, webinars, downloaded from and to Youtube, our blogs etc, iPods, iPhones, and other video devices. To be able to use these files on the platforms that are most useful to our businesses, there will come a time when one format needs to be converted to another, especially MPEG 4.

Well, I stumbled upon a program that will allow even video newbies to convert almost any video format to another, and its called ANY VIDEO CONVERTER…great name huh?

To quote their website:

Any Video Converter (for PC) features include:

* User-friendly interface that is easy to use.
* Converts all video formats to Apple iPod Video, Sony PSP and more
* Batch convert any video formats including avi, wmv, asf, mpg, mp4, etc.
* Support DivX and Xvid avi format as importing and exporting video
* Support default video/audio settings or user customized parameters for video and audio.
* Has the option to preview the video in real-time before conversion .
* World’s fastest video conversion speed with stunning video and audio quality.
* Supports adjust many video/audio options for MP4 files. For example, video/audio sample rate, bit rate, video size…

I’m still trying to wrap my brain around most of this, but this FREE program is a good place to start, and is a good tool to bookmark for future reference…as you may need it:)

Oh, yes…and for the MAC users out there(you know who you are;)…here ya go: There is an AVC for MAC!

Laura Monroe | Real Estate Virtual Assistant | Copyright 2008

Real Estate Virtual Assistant True Story…#26

Ok, I’m frustrated and hope to prevent anyone this frustration in the future, I am going to present a WARNING to you! Nope, I will not name names, but I have worked with a certain real estate website company that has JACKED with a client of mine, and I’m mad.

The Scenario: Agent buys a nice, catchy domain name for their coming soon website. After looking at all the nice RE website providers, you decide to go with one that will “conveniently” transfer your brand-spanking new domain to their servers, offer you all sort of domain associated email mailboxes into one nice little package that you pay a nice fee to. (STOP RIGHT HERE! Don’t do it!)

Scenario cont- Things are going fine until you decide to take your nice catchy domain to another website provider. Well, your current website provider does not want to make it easy for you to leave, NO!

When you contact your current website provider to move YOUR domain, you are told that your domain manager is a 3rd party host that has nothing to do with your website provider. However, they are nice enough to give you a link to your domain manager so that you may log-in point the domain, however there is no support contact information for actually transferring your domain.  Your domain associated email, is also hosted by another 3rd party host, ( a different host) but if you move the domain, your email will go down. How long..? Who Knows..?

Such is the case with one of my clients. This may not seem like such a big issue, but if your website servers go down, your email goes down with it, and you will have no idea how long it will be down, so you better have a way to deal with that issue, when your website provider tells you its “not their problem”

So, let’s make this simple. When you get your domain at GoDaddy.com or another host, keep it there, where YOU can manage it!!! Do not allow another website host to host it for you, because they may set-up a 3rd party manager for you. If and when you go to move your domain you will not lose as much time waiting while your emails end up in the middle of nowhere!

Nuff said.

Communicating virtually can sometimes be a challenge! In today’s technology driven real estate market the more efficient I can be at communicating, and explaining is vital to productivity, so yes, I’m always on the look-out for tools and techniques, and I found another one that I love, and finally put to good use this past week. The Jing Project. This free program allows me to visually record my computer screen, and my voice at the same time allowing me to send the video via email, blog etc.

I have clients that are a Top Producing Team of 5, a Mega Team that have joined together at the first of the year. Very busy as usual, communication to all 5 team members can yes, be my ultimate challenge! Our goal this year was to get the team to start blogging on their individual and team blogs. But, not having as much time to sit and walk them through this new concept in person left me trying to find a way to walk them through posting, logging in, adding photos, media etc. Bring in the Jing Project!

First of all…a little about me. I like tools that are free and have short learning curve. I signed up quickly for a free account, downloaded the software, took the video tour, and that was it! I was able to record a “blogging tutorial”, with my voice, and send it on its way to all five members of the team!

Because of this tool, I was able to communicate directly and efficiently…and more importantly..VIRTUALLY!

OK Folks! Its time for another lesson in my Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Virtual Assistants Series. It’s been a while since I’ve put out another part to this, and long over due. I am seeing questions and mis-information pop up all over the place and I’d like to go back to REVAs 101.

Click below for Part 1 and Part 2 which are the Prerequisites to this series:)

Real Estate Virtual Assistants: The Ultimate Guide Part 1…What You NEED to Know About Professional VAs BEFORE you Take the Plunge!

Real Estate Virtual Assistants: The Ultimate Guide PART 2……Creating a Virtual Action Plan Before You Delegate!

Ok, have you read part 1 and 2..? Good, because reading those will tell you if you are ready work with a VA. It takes a certain mind-set to findthe right VA for you, and if you’ve done your homework, you are well on your way to a long and rewarding relationship. BUT, a word of caution. No relationship will work without communication, so be prepared to communicate.

TIPS FOR FINDING A VA

First Choice: Get a referral. If you know someone who has a great VA, ask to speak to them first. Or get on your real estate network and ask your colleagues if they know of one. However, if the VA works for your agent friend in the same local market, you may not have access to that VA due to confidentiality agreements and ethics in place by the VA. Its a common practice to be exclusive to only one agent per market. But they maybe able to help you find another suitable VA, and refer you to a high quality Associate.

Second: Place an RFP (Request for Proposal) on ActiveRain, network or organization that allows you place a job description, and requirements, so that you may receive applicants and set up consultations with the interested VA. Active Rain has a Find a VA RFP System to help you find a VA. Simply post your requirements, and field your responses. Others include the IREAA, Reva Professionals. Be specific with your job description. Are you looking for a Listing/Marketing Coordinator, Transaction Coordination, Lead/ Database/CRM manager or all?

Third: Internet Search Search for Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and you will see many websites from companies that specialize in real estate support. View the websites and contact the VAs by phone or email to set up a consultation.

TIPS FOR CONSULTING & HIRING A VA

By now you should have quite a few qualified candidates to interview. Have your job description, requirements any other questions ready. Set up your consultation appointments and get rolling. What do you say, talk about..?

1. Introduce yourself, and allow the VA to do the same. Briefly review your needs and goals, and ask the VA if they offer those services and what strengths do they have that would serve to be the most helpful to you. Check for your VAs response, level of communication and understanding of your goals. Ask if they have had clients facing similar challenges and what they have done to offer support.

2. Are they Compatible? Ask about their computer systems, hardware, & software compatibility. Ask them about specific vendors that you work with like Top Producer, Number 1 Expert, Point 2 or any other program you would like them to operate and manage for you. Are you willing to work with any learning curves..? Ask the VA if they charge you to learn a new product or tool, or if they do it on their own time? How vital is that to your success?

3. What is their Availability? If there is only one VA you will be working with, how do they handle their client load, and overload..? If there is a team of VAs, how is that work delegated and managed..? Discuss hours, rates and plans that are available.

4. How do they track the hours or time that they work, and is this time available to you at all times? The return on your investment is crucial, and VAs will probably vary on their speed and turn around times.

5. Conclude your consultation by allowing the VA to ask you questions about you, your business, and your work style. Make mental notes, on friendliness, enthusiasm, pro-activeness, and listening skills. Let them know if you have worked with a VA before, and how your experience was and wasn’t.

5 TIPS FOR KEEPING A HAPPY, PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUR NEW VA

1. Create a clear job description. Start small if its hard for you to let go and delegate, it takes getting used to! Get systems in place, and communicate regularly. You can always add on later.

2. Establish clear lines of communication. Whether by email text message, phone or other means clarify what you prefer, what your VA prefers. Clarify that the VA confirms received emails etc.:)

3. Schedule Weekly and Bi-monthly update meetings. Keep your VA on track, stay on top of updates and continue to brainstorm new ideas. Your VA cannot read your mind, and may not know what challenges you a face daily or are in the pipeline. Build that rapport by sharing up- coming events so that your VA may prepare to support you when things get crazy. The more lead time we have the better;)

4. Create your goals and establish deadlines. Once you have your VA up and running on your systems and tasks, take this time to establish new goals for your business, set deadlines and share them with your new team member. If there are things you have been putting off, now is the time to move those BIG ROCKS.

5. Provide constructive feedback! Everyone loves to hear feedback. If there is something that is working well, and you are happy with, PLEASE share that with your partner. It helps the VA get to know you even better, and what your expectations are for accountability and progress. If something is not working out, see if there is a problem in communication, lack of knowledge, or a larger learning curve than expected. Work together to find solutions.

Working with a VA is an investment and not to be taken lightly, just like any assistant. But the rewards can be immense and long-term if done right and done well! Let your VA help you, and its a win win for everyone!

NEVER LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT! Remember that deodorant commercial?  It can be applied to so many areas in our businesses, you can’t help but relate to it.  I have to say that one of the many benefits of being a real estate virtual assistant, and owning my business is that I get to partner up with agents at all different levels in their businesses. From Top Producers, new agents and teams the challenges are as different as the individuals themselves. But sometimes, I see them sweat.

One recurring theme that often pops up when considering options in an agent’s marketing efforts is the overwhelming amount of vendors and choices to be made. Branding yourself, as we all know is extremely important. But with so many options in direct mail, email marketing, property marketing pieces is your branding really consistent, or do you often change mid-stream only to start over because you have found something better..? Or do you start over because a competitor has better looking marketing pieces or logo…? Has your franchise been pushing one way to do things, but you feel your way is better?

Stop the madness, and stop second guessing yourself! It is far better to develop your branding and marketing by starting small, consistent and top-notch, then to go to every vendor in the world to get as many marketing pieces out as possible, only to change your mind. Second guessing your marketing efforts will cost you more money and more business in the long run. How can you stop this madness of second guesses, and create your image and branding that will carry you to your next transaction, and to the referral after that..? How can you track your ROI on your marketing efforts to find out what is working or not working..?

This is where a real estate virtual assistant can be a huge help! Navigating the sea of real estate vendors is one of the things that VA’s do best. We know what works, what doesn’t work, what’s in and what’s out. We can help you navigate through the options to develop a system, an image, a brand that will consistently grow your brand and your name, and we can track your ROI to make sure you are getting your money’s worth from your choices. If you haven’t yet gotten comfortable with a CRM lead/database management system that works for you, your real estate virtual assistant can guide you to a system that may work for you and your work style. Not only that, but your real estate VA has probably used to some extent or another many of the programs and vendors out there, and may or may not have to be trained.

Get your image and branding to the level you want, keep it consistent, keep it top-notch, and whatever you do….keep it! Let your real estate VA help you stay on the path you have created for success. If you are second guessing yourself, your potential clients are too! And remember…never let them see you sweat.

It never fails!

You have a great new listing you are anxious to send out to your colleagues, and have a creative real estate flyer put together with photos, that really captures what you hope buyers will fall in love with. You send it as an attachment in your email to 200 agents, and BAM…it’s SPAM-BLOCKED! Don’t let this happen to you! Let the recipient open their email and have that lovely listing pop out at them automatically! It’s so easy your real estate virtual assistant can help you with this, or you can do it yourself!

Most of the time, real estate property flyers are quickly put together in a Word or Publisher document, and attached to your email. ( I hope you are saving as a locked PDF to keep others from editing your document, but more on that later;)

But with the need of filtering out spam in our email accounts, the convenience of simply emailing a file has become more difficult. But by adding a few simple steps, you can insert your flyer into the body of the email. No knowledge of HTML needed. How..?

By converting your document to a picture file (.jpeg, .gif, etc) and inserting the photo in the BODY of your email. (best if done in MS Outlook):

The Steps:

Converting the Flyer to a Photo

1. With your flyer opened on your desktop, take a screen shot using the PrtScn/SysRq key on your keyboard.

2. Open up a photo editing software program, like Paint (found under Programs/Accessories), and save as a .jpg, .jpeg, or .gif file and save into you’re My Pictures file.

3. In the photo editing software, crop the photo of the flyer to the borders of the flyer. You can enhance or resize at this time if need be. Resave as another picture file.

4. Insert flyer photo in body of email. Add in your signature line, a link to your virtual tour, and WALA!…a branded beautiful email flyer.

More helpful hints: Even if you use an online program like V-flyer or Postlets for your listings, you can convert those screen shots into photos as well, and insert just as you would above.

Need FREE Photo editing software? Picasa by Google is a GREAT photo editing tool, as well as Picnik.

Yep, it happened to me, copyright infringement! Plagiarism! Stealing, Robbing & Violating!

My main website content was copy/pasted onto another virtual assistants website as if it were there for the taking, like a free sampling of teriyaki chicken at Costco! Yes, like you, I have heard the stories, read the stories somehow thought, naw…it couldn’t happen to me. But, now that it has.. it’s like the old Bridget Fonda movie…Single White Female…CREEPY!

The story gets even creepier once I dug a little deeper as this person has a profile ActiveRain as an “award-winning” web designer/virtual assistant. This person even called me last week, impersonating a real estate agent in my local area, asking for sample VA agreement. SO, as my mad little fingers did some Internet searching..I came across some great information from Josh Dorkin of Biggerpockets.com at TimeforBlogging.com. I’m giving him full credit for this post, as I am following his suggestions..and getting my lawyer in on it.

Copyright infringement is against the law, (United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA), and goes against most Terms of Agreements for search engines, web hosts, and domain registration sites, like GoDaddy. As it turns out, Google, Yahoo etc, can be very helpful in dismantling a website that has violated this act.

1. Check Copyscape.com:

I found about this @%#! website as I regularly check Copyscape.com. I even have the warning labels on my pages of my website.

There is a FREE version which allows you to check up to 25 different pages of your website. YOU MUST CHECK ALL PAGES OF YOUR WEBSITE, not just your home page/domain name. For instance I have my homepage: www.creativeagentsolutions.com, and I have other pages like www.creativeagentsolutions.com/ListingCoordination.html . I never would have found all the pages that were copied without searching each of my pages.

2. Go to Whois:

Here, I found out who the owner of the domain is, contact information like email address, phone numbers etc. I found out where they bought their domain, and where the website is being hosted, as well as its servers. It will also give you the date the domain was bought, so you can prove your content was written first. Take down this information.

3. Take screen shots of the web pages that have been copied.

I have a couple snippets below of my particular offender’s pages. They speak for themselves. Save to send to your lawyer, the search engines, and all hosted providers. Heck even throw in the pictures to the lovely email you are going to send to the violator.

4. Email the Copyright Violator, Their Host, Their Registrar, and your lawyer

Josh has a great template for an email you can send, or you can have your lawyer send it for you. I will see if this letter does any good, if not, my lawyer will get on it.

5. Notify the Search Engines, like Google and Yahoo

Google’s Intellectual Property Policy
“It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. For directions and more information, please click here.”

Yahoo’s Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy

I am hoping the scumbag that copied my site will see the error of their ways…hey maybe they are still learning about web design, and think if I happen to stumble across the website I might just be flattered. I’m not. I’m pissed, and I will do something about it.

Until then, take some nice Copyscape protection banners and put them on your site. It may not stop the scumbags, but at least you’ve given them fair warning.