Mastering Real Estate Operations: Hiring, Firing, and Building Your Dream Team

Image of Adrienne Green asking a question, with a house being held in a hand and text that reads, "Overwhelmed by Your REI Portfolio?"
Overwhelmed by Your REI Portfolio? Learn how to organize your investments with Adrienne Green’s guidance.

Running a successful real estate investing business can feel overwhelming—especially when it comes to hiring, managing, and sometimes firing team members like virtual assistants (VAs). But don’t worry, I’ve been in your shoes and I’m here to share the wisdom and tools that will help you handle these tasks smoothly.

If you’re a real estate investor looking to o1ptimize your operations, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive in!


Why Having the Right Team Matters

As an established real estate investor, you’re likely investing time, energy, and money into growing your portfolio. Maybe you’ve hit a point where things aren’t as easy as you expected, or you’re not making the money you thought you would. This is where leveraging the right team and systems comes in. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone, and with the right tools, you can achieve your goals faster and easier.

I’ve been where you are—disorganized, flying solo, and solving problems as they arose. But now, I have a clear vision, financial tracking in place, and solid systems that leverage technology and VAs to save time and energy. I want to help you get there too.


Mindset: The Foundation of a Thriving Real Estate Business

First things first: mindset. If you want to build a successful business, you need to start with the right mindset. It’s not just about making money—it’s about setting a vision and having a plan to get there.

Vision is Key
One part of mindset that’s crucial for real estate investors is having a vision. This can be as simple as imagining where you want your business to be in one, three, or five years. When my husband and I first started, we created a vision board that included the dream of owning a beach house—and guess what? That vision became a reality! Setting a vision for your future investments helps you focus on long-term success.

Set Specific Goals
Once you have a vision, break it down into specific, measurable goals. These goals will help you move closer to your vision each quarter. To make this even more effective, track your weekly activities and stay accountable.


Financial Mastery: Know Your Numbers

Financial mastery is essential for any real estate investor. Too often, I see investors who don’t have a clear grasp on their numbers, whether it’s income, expenses, or profits. If this sounds like you, don’t worry—it’s fixable!

Track Your Key Metrics
Start with the basics: income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow. Set up these financial statements and conduct quarterly reviews. Knowing your financial metrics allows you to make informed decisions—whether it’s keeping a property or reinvesting elsewhere.

By tracking these numbers, I’ve been able to see where my properties were excelling or underperforming. With this knowledge, I could decide to sell or refinance properties that were no longer giving me the returns I wanted, and then reinvest in higher-performing assets.


Efficient Operations: Systems and People

Finally, let’s talk about operations—the backbone of your real estate business. Efficient operations save you time, minimize issues, and keep things running smoothly. Here’s how you can build operational success.

Leverage Technology
The right tech tools can make a huge difference. Whether it’s property management software or tools that streamline your rental listings, technology saves you time and reduces manual work. For example, vacation rental software helped me manage multiple listings across platforms, reducing workload while increasing profits.

Use Virtual Assistants (VAs)
Virtual assistants can be a game-changer for real estate investors. They can handle a variety of tasks, from bookkeeping to tenant communications. But I get it—it can feel overwhelming figuring out who to hire, how to train them, and when it’s time to let someone go. That’s why mastering these systems is key to scaling your business efficiently.


Take Action Now: Get Your Freedom Blueprint

Want to take your real estate investing business to the next level? I’ve put together a Freedom Blueprint that outlines the 10 essential systems every investor needs to run an organized and profitable portfolio.

You can download it to see what systems you’re missing and start building the business—and life—you want. Click here to get your Freedom Blueprint today and start streamlining your real estate business for more success in less time.


Final Thoughts

Building a successful real estate investing business doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right mindset, financial mastery, and efficient operations, you can reach your goals faster than you think. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more tips and insights, and let’s work together to turn your portfolio into a thriving, scalable business!

Thoughts from Keller Williams Mega Agent Camp 2023

Last week I went to Keller Williams Mega Agent Camp, a conference with roughly 7,000 top-producing agents who came to learn and grow their businesses. The biggest takeaways for me were:

1- Be kind. Recognize everyone we’re dealing with is a human being, doing the best they can. In this industry, like many, people can be harsh. Agents, investors, clients, everyone! If we can treat others with some kindness, whether they meet us with that or not, we’re doing our part to make it a better world.

2- Go deep! Choose one strategy and commit to doing it at a high level. Realize you will likely fail the first few (or several!) times. Commit to mastering it, and the rewards will come. While this was presented in the context of a real estate agent business, I believe it applies to all ventures! In real estate investing, I see this issue all of the time. People don’t commit to one strategy until it’s mastered. Instead, they bounce around, never mastering anything!

3- It’s always a good time to buy the right piece of real estate. This one wasn’t new, and yet somehow some people still think it’s better to wait to buy real estate?! 🤣 So it bears repeating.

4- Gary Keller believes we’re likely at the bottom of the real estate market, so there’s nowhere to go but up! While I’m hesitant to buy into any market predictions, Gary’s been around for quite a while, lived through many market cycles, and surrounds himself with experts on the topic.

What do you think of these takeaways? Do they apply to your business?

Click the link to see more details: https://adriennegreen.com/latest-news/

New Consideration for Virginia Landlords with 5 or More Rental Properties

The Virginia legislature made some changes to Virginia fair housing law in this 2020 term, effective July 1 2020, and source of funds is now a protected class. This is important to understand for everyone who owns or manages rental properties in Virginia!

What does this mean? “It is now illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of a residential property based on a person’s source of funds” according to this article from the Virginia Association of Realtors.

What does “source of funds” mean? It’s a rental assistance, benefit, or subsidy program. These programs are what we think of with terms such as “Section 8” or “Housing Choice Voucher”.

So if a rental applicant is using a rental assistance program, as a landlord you cannot factor that in to your decision whether or not to accept that applicant.

There are two exceptions to this law:
(1) if the landlord owns four or less rental properties in Virginia. Ownership includes having more than a 10% interest in a business entity that owns rental property.
(2) “If the source of income is not approved by the administering program within 15 days, the owner is able to deny the tenant’s application.” (source)

Questions about screening applicants, or owning investment property in Virginia? Reach out, I’m happy to help!

Also, check out my YouTube Real Estate Investing playlist for helpful videos on being a landlord!

July Newsletter: Latest Market Activity & Spotlight on Loudoun Cares

This month’s newsletter is ready for you. View it below or click here to download. The newsletter’s helpful articles include:

  • Handling Pressure
  • Virtual House Hunting
  • Hygge Decor Tips to Bring Calm To Your Home
  • Latest Northern Virginia Real Estate Market Statistics

In this month’s local profile Valerie Pisierra, Executive Director of the nonprofit Loudoun Cares, shares about the organization and how it helps people in Loudoun County. Loudoun Cares is a “matchmaker” of sorts, connecting volunteers with organizations seeking help, and those in need with those able to help. Watch the video to learn more!