Launching Your Career as a

Property Management
Virtual Assistant
www.vpmsolutions.com
 Rental properties can't be virtual, but your career can be!

The virtual assistant industry has become a significant way for skilled workers to find
employment anywhere the work is—while working from home. VAs are not limited to
local resources or commutes that can get you to the office and back within a typical
workday. Working as a virtual assistant provides access to more job opportunities and
variety than you might find in your local area!

Can the property management industry translate into success for you as a
virtual property management professional? Yes!

As a virtual property management professional, you can serve rental property owners
and property management companies in any market—without relocating to accept a
new job. With the right tools and platform, any competitive rental market becomes a
"local" place to build your career and serve more clients.

How can you get started as a property management virtual assistant? Follow
the tips in this guide from Virtual PM Solutions!

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 Why Property Management?

While real estate markets fluctuate from time to time, the rental property industry isn't
going anywhere. People will always need places to live, and real estate investors will
always need professionals to manage homes and renters.

The property management industry provides a vital service to investors who realize the
benefits of outsourcing critical tasks to generate more income. It's an industry with
growth (and projected continued growth) that you don't want to miss.

You Are In Demand

When you're on the cutting edge of this industry as a property management virtual assis-
tant, you will always be in demand! Setting yourself up for success with the best tools and
training through a platform like Virtual PM Solutions helps ensure that you maintain a
consistent client workload to stay active in your career.

Whether you work full-time hours for one client or mix things up with multiple clients to
build a full-time workload, you have the flexibility to shape your work week and client base
to meet your needs. If helping people (from your home base) is something you love, a
career as a property management virtual assistant is an excellent fit for you!

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 Remote Work Is the Future

Many industries (including property management) have seen the need to allow employ-
ees to work remotely. What once seemed impossible and impractical has become
standard operating procedures for many businesses today—and that trend isn't ending
any time soon.
Remote work is a full-time, year-round, and stable career format for many workers in
various industries. Many property management tasks lend themselves to outsourced,
remote workers, and that's excellent news for your career!

"Virtual" Means "Availability"

As with any industry, property management experiences fluctuations depending on

market conditions. If you work for a local property management company that suddenly
loses clients, you might lose your job, too. However, as a property management virtual
assistant, work is always available. When you're connected through a platform like Virtu-
al PM Solutions, you can always find more work if one client can no longer deliver the
hours you need.
Remote work gives you flexibility and opportunities that property management profes-
sionals can't often find when tied to one location and an in-person working environment.
With so many opportunities to serve clients in any location, it's critical to be available
and ready to work with the right set-up and technologies that make your remote work
environment adaptable for any client, anywhere.

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 Launch a Successful Career

So, you're excited about becoming a property management virtual assistant—and we

are, too! How can you set yourself up for success? You need the right tools, technology,
and work routine to serve clients well and build your career.

Your Office Set-up

Investing in some critical office equipment helps you hit the ground running with your
first property management clients. If you're dealing with an outdated computer and an
unreliable internet connection, it's time to upgrade your systems to maximize efficiency
and deliver quality work as a virtual property management professional.

Your remote office set-up should include:

A strong internet connection

A quality, reliable laptop
Video and streaming capabilities
A printer
Thorough knowledge of standard remote-work software solutions and apps,
including Slack, Zoom, Google Docs and Sheets, and Appfolio
Online security

With these tools, your clients will also give you secure access to their systems as required
for your role. Make sure your systems provide enough security to protect client
information and sensitive data.

If clients can't reach you or your internet is down more often than it works, clients can't
count on your to deliver the work they need. As a virtual assistant, property managers
rely on you to support their business operations. However, they don't provide the office
equipment you need to fit their work style and needs.

Investing in the right equipment and knowledge to seamlessly integrate into your
property management clients' workflows will help you launch a successful property
management virtual assistant career!

Bonus tip: as business expenses, these tools are tax deductions to apply when managing
your business taxes.

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Train to Stay Competitive
Staying up-to-date with the latest property management best practices and
technologies helps set you apart from other virtual assistants. When looking for new
clients in competitive markets, having the right tools, associations, and training will help
business owners recognize you as a "real" asset through your role as a property
management virtual assistant.

Make yourself more valuable by:

Pursuing ongoing education and industry training

Partnering with an industry mentor
Getting involved with professional property management associations and networks
Learning about new technologies
Becoming proficient in property management tasks that are ideal for virtual workers
(scheduling, processing leases, responding to inquiries and renters, coordinating
maintenance, creating and posting listings, screenings, and more)

Depending on where your property management clients are, staying current on local
landlord-tenant laws also sets you apart from other property management VAs.
Learning and developing your skills keeps you relevant and in-demand as you build your
career.

Keep Clients Longer for a Lasting Career

Property managers make more money when they build long-term relationships with
valuable clients. Property managers also know that real estate investors make more
money when they keep quality renters for more than one lease term.

Applying those fundamentals of property management can translate into building a

long-lasting career as a property management virtual assistant! When you deliver
excellent work and build quality relationships with your clients, you maintain a stable
career with growth potential.

Serving clients well requires discipline and a customer-focused approach! Here's what to
consider as you launch your career as a virtual property management professional.

Keep Routine "Office Hours"

When your clients work, you work! Your office hours should reflect the availability needs
of your property management clients and their renters. Adjust your workday to match
the time zone and office hours of your clients.

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Maintain Professionalism
It's easy to become too casual when your home is also your office. Professionalism in
your home office requires discipline and a distinct "work mode" to separate your
personal time and space from the time you owe clients as their property management
virtual assistant.

Dedicate space in your home as your office, dress and appear professionally for video
calls, and respond to emails and phone calls promptly and with the right tone for clients
or renters.

Stay Focused
Working from home also comes with plenty of distractions to get you off track and waste
time. Clients depend on you to produce quality work without spending too many billable
hours completing tasks. As a remote worker, it's critical to stay focused and avoid
distractions during your office hours.

Working with kids or others at home presents plenty of challenges. Set boundaries,
arrange schedules, and deliver quality work (on time) for your clients.

Beware of Conflicts of Interest

As a virtual property management professional, you get to choose your clients! However,
beware of conflicts of interest that can jeopardize your relationships with property man-
agement business owners. Working for competing property managers in the same
market is a bad idea for your career and can harm business for both clients.

Keep Excellent Records

There are many benefits to working for yourself as a property management virtual assis-
tant. However, you must also take on some tasks that you wouldn't normally do if working
for a company with human resources and accounting departments.

Keep excellent records for invoices, payments, business expenses, and tax documents.
You'll need this information whether you handle self-employment taxes on your own or
work with an accountant.

Set the Right Rate

Much like setting the right monthly rent price for a rental property, a competitive rate for
your services isn't too high or too low. It's just right!

Your rate should reflect the quality of your work and experience without overcharging for
your services. If property management business owners feel that your rate is too high,
they won't hire you. However, if your rate is too low, you won't make enough money to
support your career in this industry.

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 What Else Do You Need for Success?

It's not all about property management! Building a sustainable and fulfilling career as a
property management virtual assistant can be challenging. Working alone in a remote
environment can become lonely without the right approach. As an independent con-
tractor, VAs in the property management industry must also work without company
support for health insurance, savings plans, and other benefits.

Stay Healthy
While your remote working lifestyle gives you the flexibility to determine how many hours
you work and when you take time off, it's up to you to work enough to satisfy client needs
while balancing the income you need for expenses (and fun)! Staying healthy is a critical
part of showing up to work (virtually) and building your career as a virtual property man-
agement professional.

If your virtual employment opportunities don't provide health insurance, don't risk working
without it. Taking care of your health keeps you competitive and in-demand. Make sure
you know how to find a health insurance policy that fits your needs and helps you stay
healthy.

Manage Your Finances

As a virtual assistant, you run your own business! If you aren't sure how to manage your
finances to support a savings plan, pay self-employment taxes, and cover your bills, find a
financial planner to help you with these essential details.

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Stay Connected
Beyond your reliable internet connection, be proactive about staying connected to your
"home" property management team. Whether you serve one client with full-time hours or
more than one company, participate in Slack conversations, use video options during
virtual meetings, and be responsive.

Becoming more integrated and staying connected helps your property management
clients see you as a valuable part of the team!

Do Excellent Work
In your role as a property management virtual assistant, you not only represent your
clients in their markets; you represent yourself as well. Your quality of work serves two
purposes:

1. To advance your clients' business

2. To keep you in-demand

Remote employees can quickly become expendable if they don't prove their value every
day with every task. If your work doesn't represent the quality of their services—or worse,
hurts their business—they won't keep you around.

To keep your clients, work as though you are an extension of a company's values,
excellence, and vision in their marketplace. Meet deadlines, never sacrifice quality, be
available, and show your clients that virtual assistants are worth it!

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 You're Set Up. Now What?

You need a job! Finding work as a property management virtual assistant is different
than finding a local in-person job with a property manager close to home. You won't
send out resumes or wait for a job opening that fits your skills and salary requirements.

The best way to find plenty of work as a virtual property management professional is to
become part of the right job search platform that connects property management
business with skilled virtual assistants. Virtual PM Solutions helps you set up a free profile
in a community of property managers looking for the right talent to fill roles around the
country!

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Connect With Property Managers
Who Need You!
Virtual PM Solutions is the first and only staffing firm to support the property
management industry. With access to your profile, property managers in the community
can request your services. As part of the community, you can browse job availability and
find opportunities to grow your career as a property management virtual assistant!

When the right roles come your way, you can set up virtual interviews and connect
directly with property managers interested in your services. Our platform also makes
sure you get paid for completed assignments and tasks from your clients.

Virtual employment has changed the game for property management professionals. If
you're ready for your career as a property management virtual assistant to take off,
Virtual PM Solutions is here to help set you up for success!

www.vpmsolutions.com