Time for An Assistant? Steps 3 & 4

So you're in the middle of the spring market, getting up early, working very late, and weekends are all about showing appointments.  Yep, you need an assistant.  We've discussed two key preliminary steps, lets jump into what's next.  You've got lots of calls waiting for returns, right? 



Step 3: Talk to Your Accountant

This one may not have occurred to you, but talk to your accountant.  (Don' have one? Get one.)  Your assistant will be an employee - especially from the the perspective of the three most dreaded letters of the alphabet - IRS.  Yes, you will pay your assistant, but guess what? You will have some expenses that may not be familiar to you if you are new to employing others.  Withholding taxes, W2 documents, and mileage reimbursement costs are all good points of discussion for your accountant.  The key point is to be informed and understand that your cost will be more than just an hourly rate. 

Step 4: What Type of Assistant Do You Need? 

Aren't we ready to hire the person yet?!  Nope.  Great assistants usually follow careful planning.  So let's continue with the set up.  What type of service do you want from your assistant ? Consider these choices:

• Admin: If your primary need is processing paperwork, banking, email, and postal correspondence, focus your attention and job description here. Also, consider if the person has to work in the same location as you. Could he or she work from home or remote location? There are individuals and firms that specialize in supporting real estate agents while working virtually and digitally to support you.
• Marketing: you want help with those post cards don't you? Can't tell HTML from a PDF? Organizing your next open house just makes you want to say, "Ain't got time for that!" - if this is you, focus your effort on finding an assistant who loves to market, publicize, and write copy.
• Agent: So tired of first time buyers? Can't return all your lead calls? Don't want to travel that far for new business? Your assistant should be licensed to sell and thrill. Get dialed in on finding an assistant who carries an officially endorsed real estate license.
• Note limitations for non-licensees: It's important to note what non-licensed assistants can and can not do. Here's a link from our friends at the North Carolina Real Estate Commission to remind you what's what on the matter: NCREC Commission Bulletin (see page 4)

Stay tuned, we have a few more steps to take and you'll have a great candidate working for you!