A buyers agent virtual assistant for research, inspections and client updates

Every buyer brief brings a stream of listings, comparisons and follow-ups. The research is essential, but it keeps you at a desk when you should be inspecting and negotiating, and it caps how many briefs you can run at once. A dedicated support person can organise the evidence and keep each purchase moving between your client conversations. Set your research criteria and report templates first, so the assistant knows what a good shortlist looks like in your agency.

A buyer brief, from search to settlement

Search. A real estate assistant screens new and off-market listings against the buyer brief, collates options for your agent to assess, and pulls comparable sales, suburb data and property details from CoreLogic, Pricefinder or PropTrack into a consistent report.

Inspection. They arrange appointments with selling agents, confirm access, keep inspection calendars and notes in order, and request contracts and section 32 or vendor disclosure documents where your state requires them.

Due diligence. They book building and pest inspections, order strata reports and set up conveyancer appointments from your approved checklist.

Client updates. A virtual assistant prepares search summaries, inspection notes and weekly progress updates in your tone for your approval, and keeps briefs, agent contacts and transaction milestones current in your CRM.

After the purchase. Settlement reminders, handover packs, review requests and staying in touch with past clients who may buy again.

What stays with your licensed agents

Anything that needs a licence stays onshore with your licensed team. That includes the buyer agency agreement, price opinions, negotiation, auction bidding and advice on whether to buy. The assistant researches, organises and drafts. They don’t give buyers opinions on value or speak for you in a negotiation. Put these limits in the role brief. Tarino doesn’t give legal or compliance advice.

How we screen offshore staff for buyers agents

Research roles fail on accuracy, so the practical assessment is where we look hardest. For this role it could include building a property shortlist and a short comparable-sales summary from a sample buyer brief, so you can judge accuracy and presentation before you interview. That stage comes after CV screening and a video screen have taken a pool of 1,000+ candidates down to about 100. A structured interview and finalist review follow, and you meet the best 3–4, usually within about 2 weeks. The full screening process shows what each stage tests. Retention is the test that matters later: more than 95% of Tarino placements are still in the role at 6 months.

Your data subscriptions and your logins

Your assistant works in your CRM, data subscriptions and inbox under accounts you create. You choose what they can see, require multi-factor authentication and remove access when they leave. Check each data provider’s licence terms on extra users before sharing access. Buyer details stay in your systems, and you remain responsible for them under the Privacy Act. Before day one, work through the offshore staff security checklist.

Adding research capacity without a monthly fee

A managed agency bills every month the assistant works for you. Staff Domain’s published rate is A$1,099 per person per month, about A$13,188 a year, plus A$1,200 per hire (checked October 2026). For a small agency, that is a standing cost you carry through quiet months as well as busy ones. With Tarino you pay one recruitment fee per hire and nothing monthly, and your assistant keeps their full salary because you pay them directly. Compare the two in the offshore staff cost calculator, and read how to hire Filipino staff from Australia before you choose a hiring model.

Start with the research you repeat on every brief. Give it a report template before the search, and the practical task can be built around it.