The property technology sector raised over $18 billion in global investment in 2024, according to data from the Center for Real Estate Technology and Innovation (CRETI). Yet as funding rounds get tighter and investors push for leaner operations, proptech founders are increasingly turning to virtual assistants to keep overhead low while maintaining growth momentum.
The Operational Squeeze Facing Proptech Teams
Early-stage proptech companies face a familiar tension: they need to move fast on product development while simultaneously managing a growing volume of administrative tasks — investor updates, customer onboarding emails, CRM data hygiene, and market research. Hiring full-time staff for each of these functions can drain runway quickly.
A 2024 survey by Deloitte found that real estate technology companies spend an average of 27% of operating costs on administrative and support functions. For startups burning through seed or Series A capital, that figure represents a significant drag on their core mission.
"We were spending half our team's time on tasks that weren't building the product," said one operations lead at a Series B proptech firm specializing in rental market analytics. "Virtual assistants let us redirect that time toward things that actually move the needle."
Where VAs Are Making the Biggest Impact
Proptech startups are deploying virtual assistants across several high-frequency operational areas:
CRM and Lead Management: VAs maintain contact databases, update deal stages, and follow up with prospective clients on behalf of sales teams. This keeps pipelines active without requiring a dedicated sales operations hire.
Investor Relations Support: Drafting quarterly updates, compiling portfolio performance summaries, and scheduling LP calls are time-consuming tasks that VAs handle efficiently, freeing founders for higher-level strategy.
Market Data Collection: Many proptech platforms rely on fresh market data — rental comps, listing volume, cap rate trends. VAs can scrape, compile, and format this data on a recurring schedule, feeding it directly into analyst workflows.
Customer Onboarding and Support: First-response customer queries, account setup guidance, and troubleshooting ticket routing are well within a skilled VA's capabilities, reducing the need for a full support team in the early stages.
Cost Economics That Work for Startups
The financial case is straightforward. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fully loaded cost of a mid-level operations associate in a major U.S. metro runs between $65,000 and $85,000 annually when benefits, payroll taxes, and equipment are included. A trained virtual assistant providing comparable support can be engaged for a fraction of that cost.
Research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) also notes that replacing a salaried employee costs an average of six to nine months' salary in recruiting and onboarding expenses. Virtual assistants operating on flexible contracts eliminate that risk during the volatile early stages of a startup.
Scaling the Model as the Company Grows
The VA model isn't just a stopgap for early-stage companies. Several mid-market proptech firms have built structured VA programs that scale alongside headcount, using virtual assistants to absorb operational volume as the core team focuses on product, sales, and fundraising.
One property data platform operating in 12 U.S. markets reported reducing its internal operations headcount by 30% over 18 months by routing recurring tasks — report generation, data QA, and client communications — through a dedicated VA team. The company reinvested those savings directly into engineering.
Finding the Right VA Partner
Not all virtual assistant providers are equipped to support the specific demands of proptech operations. Startups should look for providers with demonstrated experience in real estate workflows, CRM platforms commonly used in the sector (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive), and data handling protocols that meet privacy standards.
For proptech companies looking to build a reliable VA function, Stealth Agents offers trained virtual assistants with backgrounds in real estate operations, investor relations support, and market research — a strong match for the unique demands of the proptech space.
The Broader Trend
The shift toward distributed, flexible staffing models isn't unique to proptech — but the sector's reliance on data, investor communication, and rapid iteration makes it particularly well-suited to the VA model. As proptech companies face increasing pressure to demonstrate capital efficiency, virtual assistants represent one of the cleaner paths to doing more with less.
Sources
- Center for Real Estate Technology and Innovation (CRETI), Global Proptech Investment Report, 2024
- Deloitte, Real Estate Technology Benchmarking Survey, 2024
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Employee Replacement Cost Benchmarks, 2023