No matter how good you get at your job of being a real estate agent - things don’t necessarily get faster per say. In fact, if anything, the more business you get, the less time you have. It’s an endless cycle that can sometimes only be put to rest by getting help in the form of an assistant. But, getting an assistant is a big decision. How do you know if you’re ready? We’ve put together a list of factors to think about when it comes to whether or not you are ready to take that assistant leap. Remember - these are just things to think about - not rules! In the end, you know yourself and your business the best. 

Your number of closings and income.

A good rule of thumb in order to judge your level of business and if you have enough of it to sustain an assistant is to have at least 2 to 4 closings a month consistently. One expert also said that $60,000 is an income that makes sense to hire a part time assistant for $20k, and use that half of your time you’re getting back to earn another 30k in income. 

You have consistent lead generation in place.

With an assistant to help you, especially with the admin of new business, you want to make sure you have a consistent stream of leads to keep up both your amount of work and income.

You know how much you are able and willing to pay an assistant.

There are many factors that go into how much you will pay an assistant, but it is important to have at least a few months pay set aside for an assistant in case business dips a little. Another factor to think about is if you want someone full time, part time, or shared. A shared assistant with other agents could allow a smaller number of hours dedicated to your business, than even part time and therefore less of a commitment.

Promptness is becoming difficult.

If it feels like you can’t quite keep up with the level of responsiveness you want to be for your clients - and it’s because of the workload, and not because of bad habits, organization, etc. - hiring someone to help get your turnaround time faster could be incredibly beneficial. You don’t want to get in the habit of unhappy clients and your reputation not being where you want it. Happy clients equals more leads and business! 

Things consistently slip through the cracks.

It’s impossible to never ever forget a single thing, but if you find yourself constantly unable to remember what you need to do, or are trying hard to stay organized but still manage to let things slip through the cracks - some extra help could be hugely beneficial. Having an assistant could take care of those small details that are no longer able to be a priority for you. As mentioned before, more flawless client experiences means more clients in the end from referrals and reputation! 

You have a different work schedule than everyone else.

Whether you are so busy with showings and networking during the during the day that you can’t get to your emails, or you’re on kid-duty more days than not, not being at your email during typical working hours is hard. This could also lead to missed opportunities with prospective clients. if this is the case for you and you aren’t able to do the admin work when everyone else in the industry has their office hours - you may hugely benefit from someone being able to help you out with admin during traditional office hours.

You need your life back.

While the business specifics are important, if you feel like you haven’t been able to spend time with your family, have two seconds to yourself or even have a moment to think - you need to re-evaluate your work-life balance. No amount of work is going to be good enough if you are burned out! Sometimes simply wanting your life back is worth the commitment of hiring an assistant.

You have the time and organization to onboard.

Being busy isn’t the only necessity for having an assistant - there is a delicate balance, or at least extra commitment on your end, as well that needs to be done. You need to make sure you are able to commit at least an hour every day (at least at first) to train your assistant. On top of that, you need to be comfortable giving away control of some of your daily tasks. You should also feel like you are in an organized enough place with your business that there are methods that can be utilized. (Kind of feels like cleaning before a maid comes, right?)

Still Not Sure?

If things still feel hazy when it comes to if you need, could commit or even benefit from an assistant - try keeping track of exactly where all your time is going. If much of the time is going to things that could easily be delegated and free up time to do bigger business needs, you may have just found your answer! (And if not, at least you now know where all your time is going!)