I've got a great gal also that does the data entry for my orders. I pull the comps, send her the address & let her know what site the order is on. She is great & I get to spend more time in the evenings with my family. We agreed on $12 per hour & it usually takes her under 30 minutes to enter an order so maybe $6 per order worse case, unless it is a PITA site.

She is also looking for more work so if anyone is interested, she comes highly recommended!!

I just hired an assistant and it has been wonderful. I can see my children. I read to them for 30 minutes before bed and I haven't done that in who knows when. It has been a wonderful experience. The assistant even puts information into QuickBooks for me. I add the comments, adjustments, and valuation once their finished. With the companies that have more difficult forms I no longer wrestle with those the assistant takes care of it. I LOVE MY ASSISTANT!

Do you guys who have assistants have them work out of an office or from their home? Do you double check their work before submitted?

I only go in once to upload my own photos & then I ad the comments that only I would know about the market/area, and what I feel the property is worth. When I do that I glance at the work to make sure that there aren't any typos that jump out at me. My assistant is awesome & there aren't any errors ever, but it is my job look over anything that an assistant does and there are some things that she can't do (like determine the value of the subject property), plus my name on the report so I always check things over so I know what is being done.

I probably could email her the photos and have her upload them, but I figure that is my one actual touch of the order at the site & might as well check things then.

My assistant is actually in another state than I am, with what she does & the fact that I supply her with all the info to enter there is no need for her to be local.

KLM you just gave me some good ideas on how I can put my 20 year old unemployed son to work. Thanks for sharing!

G-man: Way to go! My son does my BPO input. It work great for both of us.

G-Man, my 28 year old son does work for me when I need him. He's a great pinch hitter! And cheap labor LOL

I was talking to my gal today & she is looking for more people to do Data Entry for if anyone is intersted. I know a few people from here have been using her & have been VERY happy! PM me if you would like her information!!!

I would be interested in those that say you have helpers doing the data entry part. Could you break it down for me and show me how it could save you time? Let's say you are using the MLS to gather your comps and you are doing an exterior drive by with 3 photo of subject, street scene and address verification. Also 3 sold and 3 listed. How would you gather all this info and send it to your helper? Would this really cut down on your time? I am interested to read your replies.

[quote=hazelangel]The only reason I have an assistant right now is my mom lost her job after 20 years and my dad is on disability and they need her income. She is having a hard time finding a job so I "hired" her to do data entry for me. I find the comps and email them to her, she inputs the info while I am out taking pictures. It has made it a lot easier, we were able to knock out 11 bpo's the other day. It was weirdly non stressful if that is a word. She is only doing this until she finds a job, it is my way of helping my parents out without them feeling like a charity case. [/quote]

C'est la vie. That's a good thing you're doing.


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It saves me a TON of time!!

Here is how I handle things when I get an order:

First key is knowing your area well that way you can pull comps before you go out to the property. If the condition of the property is really bad I then loose some time by having to pull different comps but since I know my area like the back of my hand that doesn't happen often at all. I pull comps and assessors records, print them out in Adobe & email them to my assistant. She has all the information there along with any Assessors office websites if she needs more infomation on the subject property. After I have taken my photos I touch the order once. By this time all my info is already entered into the system & I just enter things that she, as a unlicensed assistant, can't like how I would rate the home, the neighborhood and such. I then enter my values & the photos & it's done. I could save alittle more time by sending her my comp pics & the subject pics but I have to go into the order to check it anyway so why not do those things while I am there?

I follow DeannaW's method as well. It has been a life saver. I don't have to stay up late inputting data. I can spend time pulling more comps for future orders, applying to more companies, reading, and/or sleeping.

I feel more productive. And I don't angonize over difficult online forms any longer. I may , in the future, have my assistant upload photos. My assistant will also take photos. A local assistant is better for subject photos.

"THIS IS A MARKET ANALYSIS, NOT AN APPRAISAL AND WAS PREPARED BY A LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKER OR ASSOCIATE BROKER, NOT A LICENSED APPRAISER."

This is what I have to put on all BPO orders. What are some thoughts on this? LSI has some orders that says the agent submitting the report has to take the photos.

If my assistant has eyes, he has been a realtor in the past, and I also review the photos before I upload them, I think that would cover any concern.

It's still my behind on the line if something is wrong with the report.

Why wouldn't LSI know they are assigning the order to an licensed broker/realtor and not an appraiser? I will add that I know my area well and just by the street address I know the condition of most properties. Market knowledge must count for something.

The information was prepared by a Licensed Real Estate Broker - ME. My assistant is not pulling comps nor is she taking photos. I take the pictures so I am doing the inspection of the property. On a very rare occasion have I had my DH take a photo for me, but he has been on almost all inspections with me anyway so he knows what I am looking for.