Anyone Ever Had A Virtual Assistant ??

[Mile High Trout]

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.

We only want the best of the best of the best, and only the best will do.

My virtual assistant would ideally have an after hours setting, if you know what I mean.....

And in case you're wondering, that means they would do my laundry, clean my bathroom, and babysit children while I fit in some much needed first person shooter time on the 360.

Otherwise, you're better off with a legitimate appraiser trainee. Roll them on the 3 to 4 year apprenticeship program and if business picks up for longer periods and the money keeps flowing, everyone can take a 10% cut to afford the helpful office assistant whom is not an appraiser, but would presumably help everyone recover the cost of his/her employment by increasing operational efficiency.

It's all been bought and sold you know. Virtual assistants, data typing, runners, automation, shared data, etc, etc. I'd still prefer an actual person though. Because in this industry, the very second you're not in control, is the same second that you increase your exposure risk on a multitude of new levels. Keep it simple, and keep it safe.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PmSwey6fQyw/S_rPrI_5KlI/AAAAAAAABp0/MbmAXNQQygM/s1600/012944681.jpg

 

[bnmappraisal]

My virtual assistant would ideally have an after hours setting, if you know what I mean.....

And in case you're wondering, that means they would do my laundry, clean my bathroom, and babysit children while I fit in some much needed first person shooter time on the 360.

I literally had that for just over 2 yrs, although it was PS3 and not 360... All for $2 more an hr vs just "babysitting"

 

[susan weis]

I've had a friend using a laptop with my software installed, adobe, and MLS access. I pay $30 per report for her to create my workfile (I send her my list of comps) and to do the basic data entry. I am going to also add having her come in once a week to do my accounts payable. it has been working out great! My mind was starting to turn to mush after doing all of the mundane work (I've been doing about 30 reports a month) and I was WAY behind on my deadlines. I am about a month in with her and am just now getting caught up and am back to enjoying what I do!

 

[ncguy27403]

My office had some similar issues. We had an office manager but they left to sell real estate and we are a small shop now (two appraisers, down from three). We didn't want to hire another person full-time b/c of costs and just the ups and downs of the business. We actually started using a service called The Appraisal Office (www.the-appraisal-office.com) that serves as our virtual office management service. They set our appointments, pull work files, update clients, do data entry, etc. It's all paid per report and pretty reasonable on the price (cheaper than hiring someone full-time and giving them benefits, etc.) Oddly enough we just found them on the internet but so far it's worked really well. It's been about 6 months and there have been very few issues. Most have just been getting a system down that works for our office. The best part is they're American (nothing against our friends in India, they got to eat too) and seem to know appraising pretty well.

 

[SeattleNewComer]

That's really interesting @ncguy27403 , I've never heard of that before. Will they answer the phones for you too? That's one of our office's biggest issues without a admin person. We miss orders due to us being out in the field and not answering the phone 100% of the time.

 

[nachocheesefries]

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.

Quit being a tight wad and hire a secretary. I started mine @ $10 an hour for 20 hours per week and within a month my output skyrocketed as did my pocket book. She has been with be for 5 years now and I pay her almost $20 per hour..I have a big fancy house so she has room to work. Just take the plunge and hire a pro...they will make you a ton of money.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

I have a big fancy house so she has room to work.

We don't have room here, so would need to rent an office.
That's a deal breaker cost wise.