Published May 12, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Offshore dedicated real estate VAs typically cost $3-8/hr -- a fraction of in-house staff.
- MLS updates, lead follow-up, and drip campaigns are the highest-ROI tasks to delegate first.
- NAR data shows agents spend 15+ hours per week on admin -- time that a VA can reclaim.
- Stealth Agents VAs start at $0-5/hr with a dedicated full-time model, not shared or part-time.
- Pricing varies by task complexity, hours per week, and whether you need a specialist or generalist.
Real estate agents are not short on work -- they are short on time to do the work that actually closes deals. The National Association of Realtors reports that agents spend more than 15 hours per week on administrative tasks: updating listings, chasing leads, scheduling showings, and managing drip campaigns. That is nearly two full workdays every week that never touch a client conversation or a contract.
A real estate virtual assistant can absorb those hours. The question most agents ask next is: what does it cost?
The answer depends on where the VA is based, whether they are dedicated to you full-time, and what specific tasks you need covered. This guide breaks it all down.
What Real Estate VAs Actually Do
Before discussing price, it helps to be specific about scope. Real estate virtual assistants handle a wide range of tasks -- not just data entry.
MLS listing management is the most common starting point. That means creating and updating listings, uploading photos, writing property descriptions, and ensuring all fields are accurate across platforms like Zillow, Realtor.com, and your brokerage portal.
Lead follow-up is where the ROI becomes obvious. Speed-to-lead matters enormously in real estate. A VA can respond to new web inquiries within minutes, qualify the lead using your scripts, and book a callback -- all without you stopping what you are doing.
Scheduling and calendar management covers showing appointments, open house logistics, client check-ins, and inspector/contractor coordination. For busy agents, this alone can take 5-7 hours per week.
Drip campaign execution keeps past clients and cold leads warm. Your VA loads contacts into your CRM, sequences emails, monitors opens and replies, and flags anyone who re-engages so you can step in at the right moment.
Other common tasks include transaction coordination support, comparative market analysis (CMA) formatting, social media content scheduling, and handling inbound calls during business hours.
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Pricing by Model
Pricing varies significantly based on how and where you hire.
U.S.-based freelancers on platforms like Upwork typically charge $20-45/hr for real estate-specific VA work. You get someone in your time zone, but the cost adds up fast -- and most are not exclusive to you.
Domestic VA agencies charge $15-30/hr and may offer more consistency than individual freelancers, but you are still paying a premium and often sharing the VA across multiple clients.
Offshore dedicated VAs represent the best cost-to-output ratio for most real estate teams. Philippines-based VAs with real estate experience typically run $3-8/hr depending on skill level and specialization. At 40 hours per week, that is $480-$1,280/month for a full-time team member.
Stealth Agents VAs start at $0-5/hr and are dedicated full-time -- meaning your VA works exclusively for you, not split across five other clients. That exclusivity matters when you need someone who knows your listings, your CRM, and your voice.
Why "Dedicated Full-Time" Changes the Math
Many pricing comparisons focus only on the hourly rate. But there is a meaningful difference between a VA who works 10 hours for you and 30 for someone else versus one who is fully embedded in your business.
A dedicated full-time VA learns your workflows, your client communication style, and your priorities without constant re-training. Over time, they operate as a true extension of your team -- not a task processor you brief from scratch every week.
For a real estate agent closing 3-5 deals per month, the compounding effect of a dedicated VA who knows the business is worth far more than the hourly rate difference.
What Drives Cost Up or Down
Several factors shift where you land in the $3-8/hr range:
Specialization. A VA with experience in your specific CRM (Follow Up Boss, kvCORE, BoomTown) or transaction management platform (Dotloop, SkySlope) will cost more than a generalist. That premium is usually worth it in reduced ramp-up time.
Hours per week. Full-time arrangements (40 hrs/week) generally come with lower effective hourly rates than part-time engagements. If your workload justifies it, going full-time is usually more cost-efficient.
Task complexity. Handling outbound cold calls or managing paid ad accounts requires more skill than uploading listing photos. Higher-complexity scopes push toward the higher end of the range.
Support structure. Working with an agency like Stealth Agents includes account management -- someone to handle performance issues, replacements, and onboarding -- which has real value even if it is not line-itemed on your invoice.
How to Calculate Your ROI
Here is a simple way to think about the return.
If you are spending 15 hours per week on admin tasks and your average GCI per transaction is $6,000, ask yourself: how many additional transactions per year would you close if you had 15 hours back every week?
Even one additional transaction per quarter at $6,000 GCI = $24,000 in added annual income. A dedicated full-time VA at $8/hr costs roughly $1,280/month -- or $15,360/year. The math is straightforward.
Most agents who hire a dedicated real estate VA see the break-even point within 60-90 days.
FAQ
Q: What is the typical hourly rate for a real estate virtual assistant?
A: Rates vary by location and model. U.S.-based VAs run $20-45/hr; offshore dedicated VAs (Philippines-based) typically cost $3-8/hr. Stealth Agents VAs start at $0-5/hr with full-time dedicated placement.
Q: Can a real estate VA update MLS listings directly?
A: Yes. With the right MLS access credentials and training on your market's MLS platform, a dedicated real estate VA can create, update, and manage listings -- including photo uploads and description edits -- without you touching it.
Q: How long does it take to onboard a real estate VA?
A: Most dedicated VAs are functional within 1-2 weeks for standard tasks like MLS updates and scheduling. More complex workflows like drip campaigns and CRM management may take 3-4 weeks to run smoothly.
Q: Is a part-time VA enough for a solo agent?
A: It depends on your volume. Agents closing 1-2 deals per month can often start with 20 hours/week. Agents doing 3+ deals per month almost always benefit from a full-time dedicated VA -- the task load simply requires consistent daily coverage.
Q: Do I need real estate experience in a VA, or can any VA learn the tasks?
A: Some tasks (MLS entry, scheduling) can be learned by any sharp VA in 1-2 weeks. Others (lead qualification scripts, CRM-specific workflows) benefit from prior real estate VA experience. Stealth Agents can match you with VAs who have specific real estate backgrounds.