Anyone Ever Had A Virtual Assistant ??

[campingtn]

I was thinking about hiring an assistant/secretary to help out with the scheduling, invoicing and data entry but I work out of my home office and don't really want anyone else working out of my personal residence. I know I should probably get an office space but that is $1,200-$3,000 per month rent in my market.

I was thinking about hiring someone local that I could train over time to:
1. Create initial file
2. Schedule inspections
3. Data entry
4. Invoice

I really need someone for 2-4 hours a day to complete the following work so it would be ideal for a stay at home mom with older kids or an empty nester that is familiar with the business.

I have been turning down work for the past six months and feel like if I had some extra help I could increase my income close to 60-75% and still pay someone $25-$40 per hour for their work. Yes I know that might seem high to some people but I have seen first hand with a company I used to work for that you get what you pay for. Terrible pay typically brings terrible work.

For this to work it will have to be someone within close proximity to my home office.

Has anyone had any experiences with a virtual assistant and is this a viable option?

Any help/suggestions is appreciated,

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

Someone familiar with this biz, someone close by, that wants a part time job.
Sounds like a haystack needle.
Maybe you could compromise on the first one, if you get someone bright and motivated.

But, where will they work? How can you securely transmit work back and forth over the net?
Can they effectively handle the annoying stips from another location?
Or would you continue that part yourself? How about calls?
I don't want to rent an office or have someone come here to work either.
I don't see it as viable, at this time, for me.

 

[campingtn]

Lee-
I am definitely willing to compromise for someone that has no experience in appraising or real estate and train this person on the process of performing the things I need done.
They would work from their home as well. I would provide a laptop, printer, appraisal software and MLS. I already have a desktop and separate laptop with appraisal software licenses installed.
Most of my information is already stored on an 128 bit encrypted cloud service where any data can be easily transferred/viewed in real time.
Annoying stips?
If you are referring to client requests. I would handle them. I dont do work for AMC's that stip you to death.
I feel like if I had an extra 12-16 hours during the week I could do 5-7 more inspections or finish 3-5 more reports per week.
Thanks

 

[bnmappraisal]

From what you describe, especially with the cloud base service, it seems possible and even potentially feasible. There have been a few other threads regarding this - people thinking of hiring someone to help out. Most end up saying pretty much what Lee said

I don't want to rent an office or have someone come here to work either.
I don't see it as viable, at this time, for me

It's a tough business decision for sure. Good luck

 

[ucbruin]

I've never like the thought of having someone else schedule my appointments.

When I was a staff appraiser the bank experimented with having someone other than the appraisers make our appointments (the appraiser was allowed to reschedule if necessary). This experiment lasted less than a couple of weeks. The appraisers didn't like it and the folks setting the appointments didn't like it (sometimes negotiating an agreeable date/time between appraiser/homeowner is an art in itself; plus it can be time consuming). And I'm sure the homeowners didn't like it if the appraiser rescheduled the original appointment date.

 

[campingtn]

Ucbruin,

Yes, I could see that becoming an issue pretty quickly and will keep on doing the scheduling myself.

Thanks

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

When I was a staff appraiser

In my case we got them trained to ask the questions we wanted asked,
and to give the contact person some idea of what we needed to do and what access we needed.
Then they would tell the contract what appointment times were available.
Would you like 9AM or 11AM on Tuesday? If you must have another time, I will have to check with the appraiser about it.
Usually they would accept 9 or 11.

Since they asked the questions I would, it was great. Saved me calls and phone time.
I've also dealt with a bad appt setter, and had no show appts, and poor info.

I make and take my own calls these days, not a big deal usually. It's not ringing off the hook.
It has no hook.

 

[DTB]

Along with the others here are my $.02.

The best setup for me was a 3 bedroom garden (below grade for those outside of Chicago) apartment, way cheaper than similar sized office space. Living room was for assistant. Each appraiser got a private bedroom/office. Private kitchen and bath, offstreet parking and the landlord loved that his unit wasn't getting beaten up.

Really nice setup for all, long hours were not an issue (sofa in LR) meals were not eaten at their desk, colleagues to vent with and wait for it.............








the ability to take time off and not be scared witless.

 

[Joe Flacco]

Another way to increase income is to raise your fees. It seems like many appraisers think the only way to increase income is to churn out more volume. If you are turning down that many orders it certainly sounds like you have the opportunity to raise your fees. I raised my base fee from $400 to $460 this spring and I am still very very busy. My average fee per assignment is much higher.

Less volume + better communicated reports + higher fees is a winning formula. There is a market for this type of appraiser out there and there is much less competition.

 

[LordofTexas]

Somebody has to say it. You do mean a remote or telecommuting Assistant? If I had a virtual assistant, that would be awesome. I program her what to do, what she looks like, what voice she has, what she wears. I can already see the virtual law firm contacting me about my virtual inappropriateness.