Need some help?

If you're stressed, fatigued, or simply overwhelmed, perhaps it's time to hire an assistant.

by Helena Biasatti Hill   An agent screams.

"I can't do this anymore! The phone rings every 20 seconds. I have three listings to prepare and a closing in 30 minutes and I've got to show houses tonight. I haven't eaten all day, and I have a headache. Help!"

What this agent could use is someone to work through the volumes of paperwork and handle the waves of calls and check on all those administrative details that make a difference.

When this scenario plays out in real estate offices across Texas, many agents turn to assistants for...well, assistance.

The agent's point of view

Carol Smith, Dallas
A few months ago, Carol Smith, a top-producing Century 21 Judge Fite agent, was in dire need of relief from sales overload. As a solution, the fourteen-year veteran hired an assistant. "Finally," she says, "I can tend to business."

The assistant became her salvation, not only minimizing the workload, but also enabling Smith to increase her sales. The assistant freed Smith up from spending untold hours shuffling paper and allowed her more time to list and sell houses.

"I've had an assistant since '93, but she retired four years later," Smith says. "If you've had an assistant, and then you're without, you quickly realize you can't handle everything. An assistant takes away the stress."

Judy Dalrymple, San Antonio
As the leading agent for Bradfield Properties in San Antonio, Judy Dalrymple delegates an enormous amount of work between the five members of her team, so she can concentrate on showing, writing contracts, and listing. "You can't do this amount of volume without help," she says. "If you try, you'll lose your effectiveness."

Dalrymple, who handled almost $12 million in sales last year, says the phone rings constantly in her office. "Everyone takes phone calls," she says. Although hers is an "office within an office," it operates separately from the agency. Three of her assistants are physically located inside her office; another sits outside.

This top agent says her involvement with assistants just evolved. "Six years ago, my partner and I decided we'd divide the work differently. She became a listing coordinator. She was licensed, but didn't like to show. The arrangement has worked perfectly."

When Dalrymple comes back to the office, she hands the listing to Cheryl Roper, who in turn, works the listing by writing remarks, entering the data into the computer, taking the picture, making the brochure, preparing the flyers, and handling other details. She does a weekly report of all the listings and writes the ads. "I never tell her anything, unless we need to advertise again," explains Dalrymple. "She makes almost all the decisions handling the listings.

"Cheryl brings a lot of business to the table, but it goes under my name. We are all part of a team, and we all work together," she adds.

Dalrymple's team also includes an unlicensed person who helps Roper with computer work, a high school student who puts out signs and runs errands, and another licensed agent who acts as the transaction coordinator, handling each contract until the time of closing. She also acts as a buyer's agent and helps show property. "Many times we are boogying at the same time," says Dalrymple. "It's commonplace to have two people buying at the same time. There's only one of me, and Suzanne takes up the slack."

J. Carter Breed, Houston
J. Carter Breed, who works for Re/Max Town & Country in Houston, also found he needed an assistant. After learning the real estate ropes from his mother, Maxine, Breed broke into the business in 1993. Last year, he did about $11 million in sales, and he projects to add another $7 million to that figure next year. Breed does not take sole credit for his success, though. "Absolutely, unequivocally, my increase is due to help from my assistants," he says.

Breed's licensed listing coordinator is Carlos Ibarra. "He is extremely loyal and committed, and loyalty is important to me," Breed says. Ibarra's responsibilities include paperwork and working with customers. Breed's sister, who is unlicensed, also works for Breed, but on a seasonal basis. She is not a full-time assistant, but helps during busy times. He pays both assistants an hourly salary with perks and bonuses. "The bonuses are at my discretion," he explains. Breed also pays Re/Max a fee for having a licensed assistant, but says, "I couldn't do the work without him."

Connie Minyard, DeSoto
Nineteen year-veteran Connie Minyard of Coldwell Banker Paula Stringer, Realtors® in DeSoto frequently advertises in the newspaper for licensed assistants. She is one of the state's top sales associates for listings sold.

"One of the reasons I hired my first assistant was to keep my sanity," she remembers. "I sat back and said, 'I can't do this anymore.'" Minyard uses assistants wisely. "I don't hire just anybody to do paperwork. I want someone who is dependable, and a person who has high standards and work ethics."

Minyard started with an hourly part-time assistant, who she shared with another agent. She made sure, however, that paying an assistant was within her budget. "I hired her to do mail-outs and answer the phone."

When Minyard learned to give up control and trust her assistant, she began to assign duties. "I al-ways felt like I was the only one who could do the job, but you can't feel that way when you have an assistant."

According to Minyard, it is important to be organized and plan a work schedule for your assistants. "You are paying for them to be there, so you need to plan in advance what they will be doing."

Minyard presently has three licensed assistants, each with specific duties. One is paid hourly, with set hours, and the others are salaried, with bonuses and flexible hours.

There are so many laws governing real estate that Minyard advises looking for licensed assistants. "If you hired someone off the street who did not have knowledge of real estate, that person could get you in trouble. I like to look for licensees who don't like to list property. My assistants like real estate, but they didn't like some of the other things connected to the business."

Minyard's team includes a listing coordinator, who completes the listings and keeps the customers happy; a contract coordinator, who handles the entire file once there is a contract; and a showing coordinator, who does prospecting and showing. "My showing coordinator is my right arm, and she has been with me the longest," Minyard says.

Minyard has her own office and her own equipment. "We work within our own space," she says. "My assistants have definitely increased my productivity, and I handle my office like a business."

Cindy Cunningham, Amarillo
Cindy Cunningham has spent 12 years in the real estate business in Amarillo. For the past eight years, she has been the top sales agent for the Amarillo Association of REALTORS®. She presently works for Prudential Ada, REALTORS®.

Cunningham, whose sales top $12 million, has had an assistant for about six years. "I've had both unlicensed and licensed assistants," she says. "Due to the liabilities and the work I want an assistant to do, I've chosen to hire licensed help. "My assistant also hangs her license with Prudential Ada, REALTORS®. However, I am responsible for all of her work, since my name is on the contracts."

The assistant and the agent usually have an agreement-verbally or with a contract. "I pay my assistant an hourly fee, and then I pay her an additional set transaction fee," says Cunningham. "She also gets payment for holding an open house, and if she sells it, she gets a bonus. If my assistant brings someone to the table, I'll pay her a percentage of that transaction. An assistant who really hustles can make some extra money if she works for a percentage."

Cunningham says having an assistant has given her a life. "I don't worry about things at the office," she says. "Having an assistant is well worth it."

The broker's view

Broker Greg Glenn has overseen Prudential Ada, Realtors® in Amarillo for the past 16 years. "We have been encouraging our sales people to get assistants," he says. "Agents usually have wonderful people skills but often find little time to get the paperwork completed. We've seen the marrying of an assistant with an agent as beneficial to both parties. It also adds to better customer service."

According to Glenn, the proof is in the production. "We have eight agents with assistants-that is roughly a third of our licensees-and those agents are our top producers. There seems to be a correlation between having an assistant and having higher production."

In this office, there are licensed and unlicensed assistants. Many agents want licensed help, since it gives them more flexibility with tasks like showing houses and meeting inspectors at properties.

One potential pitfall for an agent with assistants is a lack of management skills on the agent's part. "Sometimes there is a conflict between the agent and the assistant due to a miscommunication of job duties," say Glenn. "Most Realtors® have rockem-sockem personalities, and they don't give their employees proper job descriptions, but they do expect them to do everything right. Agents need to take the time to train their assistants."

The sales assistants at Prudential Ada are welcome to all training events. However, each agent decides what sessions his or her assistant can attend.

Prudential Ada uses a contract when hiring assistants. The assistants are on the payroll, and the firm handles tax forms. Although the agent selects the assistant, the agency is, in effect, leasing that employee to the agent. The agent pays the office a certain percentage above the gross salary for that assistant. "It is not a profit-center for the office, but it is a pass-through," says Glenn. "The broker takes on some of the responsibility, but it's a pro in that it helps the agent get an assistant."

Once an assistant is hired, it's the agent's place to manage the assistant. The agent makes personnel decisions, and the office stays uninvolved.

Glenn points out that the office will not allow one assistant to work for another agent, unless all parties agree. "This helps stop bidding wars and jealousy issues," says Glenn. "Our administrative staff is also exempt from being hired as an assistant, unless agreed upon."

One of the toughest problems with assistants is space. "We have a policy that if there is unused space, the agents can ask for it. It is on a first-come, first-served basis. We allow the sales associate to take on that space with the caveat that we might take it back. The space is not permanent. We also have some assistants who vary their hours, so they can work at the agent's desk when the agent is doing out-of-office prospecting. For the most part, we believe in common areas. Our assistants can move to available computers if necessary."

Linda Overman has been the broker/owner of Re/Max Preston Road North in Dallas for 15 years. At Re/Max, there is an agreement where agents pay a small fee for licensed assistants. The agency does not charge a fee for clerical help, so long as that person works within the agent's office.

"Hiring assistants is a popular trend, and it's the wave of the future," says Overman. "As a broker, I like to meet the licensed assistants because they are representing the office. An assistant can generally take a top agent to the next level," says Overman.

The assistant's point of view

Twenty-five-year-old Carlos Ibarra moved to Houston from McAllen a year ago. "I was new to Houston, and I wanted to get acquainted with the city and the real estate practice," he says.

Ibarra is a licensed agent, who is bilingual. However, he realized that in order to become established as an agent, he needed more experience and skills. Hence, an assistant job fit the bill. "It wasn't difficult finding a job because I had a license and I had been working in the real world," he says. "But my age makes it more difficult to get listings, so I decided to work as an assistant for a while.

"The assistant job makes me feel like I'm my own boss. It's not regimented. It allows me freedom that I wouldn't have in another job," he explains. "The disadvantage is that if you are career oriented, you feel limited."

But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and working as an assistant is a positive step toward understanding real estate. "I would advise anyone going into real estate to work in an area where the market is good. Surround yourself with successful people who are going to help and teach you, rather than compete with you," says Ibarra. "Make yourself accessible to the agent for whom you are working, and learn as much as possible."

Helena Biasatti Hill is a freelance writer in Duncanville.

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