What Unlicensed Real Estate Virtual Assistants Can Do in Alaska
The state of Alaska has clear regulations regarding unlicensed assistants that work in real estate. There are several tasks that a licensee should never have an assistant perform; otherwise they may lose the license. The activities that require a license and cannot be carried out by an assistant include:
- Host open houses, kiosks or home show booths;
- Show properties;
- Clarify contracts of purchase and sale;
- Explain listing or property management contracts.
Under any circumstances should a person without a license perform any of the tasks mentioned above. Personal assistants that work for real estate agents may be employed to take care of tasks related to administration and maintenance, and carry out office duties. Their responsibilities may encompass any of the following:
- Answering the phone and taking messages, forwarding calls to a licensee;
- Setting up appointments for the licensee, excluding making business solicitations on their behalf;
- Gathering public information from courthouses, municipality or other public sources;
- Placing and removing signs;
- Introducing listings and changes to an MLS;
- Having keys made for the properties listed by the licensee;
- Locking and unlocking properties before and after the showing by the licensee;
- Drafting promotional materials, correspondence and ads to be approved by the licensee;
- Placing advertisements;
- Filling in contract forms as instructed by the licensee;
- Assembling file documents;
- Recording and depositing trust funds;
- Computing commission checks;
- Monitoring personnel files and licenses;
- Carrying out office filling;
- Ordering whatever is necessary for routine repairs;
- Making the necessary arrangements that service providers have access to a property, after the contract has been signed.
Any real estate agent that hires personal assistant services should be careful not to authorize any unlicensed person to carry out tasks that require a license.
