1. Objective
This SOP defines how a Virtual Assistant (VA) compiles, drafts, and delivers a weekly seller update — so the seller receives consistent, professional communication throughout the listing period without the agent having to manually write each report from scratch.
Sellers who feel informed stay confident. Sellers who feel ignored get anxious, call the agent repeatedly, and sometimes make reactive decisions. The weekly update is not a formality — it is the primary tool for maintaining seller trust during the time between listing and offer. A seller who understands the market activity around their home is far easier to have a strategic conversation with than one who has heard nothing for two weeks.
The VA's role is to compile the data and draft the report. The agent's role is to add the strategic context and send it. Neither of these happens without the other.
Where this SOP starts: The listing is active and the first full week has elapsed (or per the agent's reporting cadence).
Where this SOP ends: The drafted update is approved by the agent and delivered to the seller.Success looks like: The seller receives a professional, data-backed update every Monday before 10:00 AM — never a vague "things are going well" message and never a week of silence.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Pulling all activity data from the showing log, feedback log, and online portals (where accessible)
- Drafting the weekly seller update from the approved template
- Sending the draft to the agent for review and their personal note
- Delivering the approved update to the seller via the agent's preferred channel
2b. What requires agent approval before acting
- Every seller update before it is sent — the VA never sends directly to the seller without agent approval, regardless of how routine the week was
- The agent's "personal note" section of the update — this is the agent's voice and cannot be drafted by the VA unless the agent explicitly requests a draft to review
- Any update that includes strategic recommendations, price observations, or market context beyond factual data
- Any change to the update template or delivery cadence
2c. What you never do
- You never negotiate on the agent's behalf under any circumstances.
- You never provide pricing, legal, or strategic opinions to any party.
- You never sign or initial any document on behalf of the agent, client, or any party.
- You never communicate directly with the other party's client.
- You never send a seller update without the agent's explicit review and approval — not even a "routine" week.
- You never share specific buyer names, agent names, or identifiable buyer feedback with the seller — feedback is shared as themes and general impressions only.
- You never suggest, imply, or hint at a price reduction in any seller-facing communication — that is the agent's conversation and the agent's alone.
- You never skip a week's update because there is nothing to report — a low-activity week is still reported.
When in doubt: Draft the update conservatively, flag any sensitive data points to the agent before including them, and let the agent decide what the seller sees.
3. Schedule & Trigger
Trigger: The listing is active. Weekly updates run on a recurring schedule for the entire active listing period.
Default cadence: Every Monday, with the draft delivered to the agent by Sunday night or Monday by 8:00 AM so the agent can review and send before 10:00 AM. Confirm the preferred day and timing with the agent during onboarding — some agents prefer a different day.
Absence/emergency protocol: If the VA is unavailable on a scheduled update day, the VA should prepare the draft in advance or notify the agent that they will miss the cadence so the agent can send a brief update directly. Do not miss a seller update without notifying the agent in advance.
First update: Send after the first full week of listing activity — not on the day of launch. The Day 1 report in Listing Launch Day Checklist covers the launch day; the weekly update begins the following Monday.
Sequence context: This SOP runs alongside Showing Coordination and Showing Feedback Collection. It depends on the showing log and feedback log being current. Catch up both logs before drafting the weekly update.
4. Data to Gather Before Writing the Update
Pull all of the following before starting the draft. Do not begin writing until all accessible data is collected.
Showing activity (from the showing log — Showing Coordination & Scheduling)
- Total showings confirmed this week
- Total showings confirmed since listing went active (cumulative)
- Any showings declined or cancelled this week — note the count but do not include reasons in the seller update
Online performance (pull what's accessible)
- Zillow: views, saves, and "contacted agent" if visible in the agent's Zillow profile
- Realtor.com: if the agent has a Premier Agent account with analytics
- MLS: some platforms show listing view counts within the agent's account
Note: Not all agents have access to detailed portal analytics. If online performance data is not accessible, note "online views — data not available for this report" rather than omitting the section. Do not estimate or infer traffic numbers.
Feedback summary (from the feedback log — Showing Feedback Collection & Reporting)
- How many showing agents responded with feedback this week
- General themes: top positive comments, top concerns or objections
- Feedback that repeats across multiple responses is a signal — flag it in the agent section, not the seller section
Upcoming scheduled activity
- Any showings already confirmed for the coming week
- Any open house scheduled
- Any agent-to-agent events or broker opens
Market context (agent provides — VA can gather raw data)
If the agent wants to include a market update, pull the data and let the agent write the interpretation:
- Any new comparable listings that came on the market this week
- Any comparable sales that went pending or closed
5. Seller Update Template
Use this template. Fill in all bracketed fields. Do not add sections not in this template unless the agent requests them. Do not remove sections — if a section has no data, note it rather than deleting the section.
Subject: Weekly Update — [Address] — Week of [Date]
Hi [Seller Name],
Here is your weekly update for [Address].
---
SHOWING ACTIVITY
This week: [X showings confirmed]
Total to date: [X showings since listing went active on Date]
[If no showings this week: "No showings confirmed this week. [Upcoming confirmed showings: Date/Time — or "No upcoming showings scheduled at this time."]"]
---
ONLINE ACTIVITY
[Zillow: X views, X saves — or "Online view data not available for this report"]
[Realtor.com: X views — or same]
---
BUYER FEEDBACK SUMMARY
[X showing agents provided feedback this week.]
[General themes — 2–3 sentences maximum. Example:
"Most buyers commented positively on the kitchen and outdoor space. The most common feedback relates to [general theme — e.g., 'wanting more square footage' or 'price point relative to recent comps'] — this is consistent with what we're seeing in the broader market at this price range."]
[If no feedback received: "No feedback has been received from showings this week. This is not uncommon — we follow up with showing agents after each visit."]
---
UPCOMING ACTIVITY
[List confirmed showings, open houses, or other scheduled events — or "Nothing additional scheduled this week yet."]
---
[AGENT PERSONAL NOTE — AGENT COMPLETES THIS SECTION]
[Agent adds their strategic observations, any recommended next steps, or personal context. This section is not drafted by the VA.]
---
If you have any questions, please reach out to [Agent Name] directly at [agent contact].
[VA Name] on behalf of [Agent Name]
6. Draft Review & Approval Workflow
Step 1: VA prepares the draft
Complete the template with all available data. In the Agent Personal Note section, leave a clear placeholder: [Agent — please add your note here before sending. I've flagged any data points that may need your review below.]
Step 2: VA sends draft to agent
Send via the agent's preferred communication channel (email, Slack, or platform message — confirm at onboarding). Include a brief note:
Hi [Agent Name] — attached is the draft seller update for [Address] for the week of [date].
A few items for your attention before you approve:
- [Any flagged data points, patterns from feedback, or items that need your context — or "No flags — everything looks routine this week."]
Please add your personal note and let me know when you're ready to send. If I don't hear back by [time], I'll follow up.
[VA Name]
Step 3: Agent reviews and adds personal note
The agent reviews, edits if needed, and adds their strategic note. The agent either replies with the approved version or approves it for the VA to send.
Step 4: VA delivers to seller
Send via the agent's preferred seller communication channel (email is the default). Confirm whether the agent sends directly or the VA sends on their behalf — establish this at onboarding and do not change it mid-listing without re-confirming.
7. If There Is Nothing to Report
A week with no showings, no feedback, and no online data is still a week that gets a report.
Do not skip the update because the news is slow. A seller who receives consistent weekly communication — even when the update is brief — feels informed and managed. A seller who receives silence for two weeks is a seller who starts calling the agent with anxiety.
Use this approach for a low-activity week:
Hi [Seller Name],
Here is your update for [Address] for the week of [date].
This was a lighter week in terms of showing activity — [X showings confirmed / no new showings this week]. The cumulative total remains [X showings since go-live].
[Feedback: as above]
[Agent Personal Note — agent addresses the market context, what this means strategically, and what the plan is for the coming week]
...
The agent's personal note is especially important in a low-activity week — this is when the seller most needs to hear directly from their agent about what is happening in the market and what the strategy is.
8. Checklist
Pre-Draft Data Gathering
- ☐ Showing log reviewed — this week's and cumulative counts pulled
- ☐ Feedback log reviewed — this week's responses and themes compiled
- ☐ Online performance data pulled (or noted as not accessible)
- ☐ Upcoming confirmed showings or open houses noted
Draft
- ☐ Template completed with all data fields
- ☐ Agent Personal Note section left clearly marked for agent
- ☐ Any sensitive data points or patterns flagged for agent review
- ☐ Draft sent to agent with note and any flags
Approval & Delivery
- ☐ Agent approved the update (or sent it personally)
- ☐ Update delivered to seller by Monday before 10:00 AM (or per agreed cadence)
- ☐ Update saved to the transaction file (Google Drive → listing folder → 06 - Seller Updates)
9. Escalation Protocol
Escalate to the agent immediately in any of these situations:
- The weekly seller update has been drafted and sent to the agent for review, but the agent has not responded by Sunday night or Monday 8:00 AM — the seller delivery window is at risk
- Showing feedback contains a repeated, specific objection (e.g., price, condition issue) that appears 3 or more times in the same week — flag to agent before including in the update
- A showing that was confirmed in the log was cancelled after the fact and the seller may ask about it — route to agent before including or excluding
- Online portal data shows a significant drop in views or saves compared to prior weeks — flag the data to agent before sending; the agent's note will be critical this week
- The agent's personal note section has not been returned and the send time is within 1 hour
Hi [Agent Name] — the seller update for [Address] (week of [Date]) needs your attention before the 10:00 AM send.
Issue: [Description — review pending / feedback pattern / missing personal note]
Draft status: [Ready except for agent note / flag for your review / pending your approval]
Deadline: [Time by which you need a response to hit the 10:00 AM send]
[VA Name]
If the agent is unreachable: Do not send the update without agent approval. Notify the agent's backup contact if available. If the send window passes, log the delay and reason. The agent should send a brief direct update to the seller if available later that day.
10. Tools & Access
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Showing log | [Google Drive → listing folder → 05 - Showings — from Showing Coordination & Scheduling] |
| Feedback log | [Google Drive → listing folder → 05 - Showings — from Showing Feedback Collection & Reporting] |
| Online performance data | [Zillow Premier Agent / MLS analytics — confirm access during onboarding] |
| Email / communication platform | [Confirm platform and seller communication method during onboarding] |
| Agent review channel | [Confirm how agent prefers to receive drafts — email, Slack, other] |
| Delivery method | [Confirm whether VA sends or agent sends during onboarding] |