Articles
Setting Goals & Modeling Others
Feb 2nd
We had a great workshop this month where we discussed setting goals, time management, and business planning. We wanted to share the powerpoint so that those who attended can review anything they might have missed (and so those who weren’t able to make it can get a small glimpse of what you missed).
Part 1 includes Setting Goals & Modeling
What are your thoughts about 2012?
Jan 9th
We’re interested in your thoughts about 2012. Take our quick survey and we’ll post the results at the end of the week!
Part 3 of 3: Utilizing Virtual Teams to Grow Your Real Estate Business
Dec 28th
Now that we’ve covered the benefits of utilizing virtual teams and how to find team members, let’s discuss how to maximize your time training your new team and how to minimize potential issues.
Good Instructions Help Everyone!
Effective training not only speeds up the work process but it also helps eliminate many of the challenges of working with people remotely. One way to train virtual team members is to develop instruction sets for the various tasks you will be assigning to them. This method has proven extremely effective in teaching our virtual team members how to complete various assignments.
I have created many instruction sets throughout the years and have found that there ways to create instructions that are much more effective than others. Instructions need to be clear, concise, and easy to follow. One way that I’ve found to help make my instruction sets extremely easy to follow is by utilizing a program called SnagIt.
SnagIt takes screen shots and then allows you to draw and edit directly on the picture. This allows you to take pictures as you walk through a task and then you can draw arrows and diagrams, highlight portions of the picture, do special effects, etc. very easily. What can be difficult to explain in words can easily be explained in pictures. SnagIt is an all-around helpful product. I highly recommend it. Not only do we use it for instructions, but for make only tasks as well; for example, capturing errors on my computer so I can send to the IT person and helping develop our Scope of Work. I’ve found it well worth the $49; it’s saved us thousands of dollars in the long run.
Another helpful tool is Jing. Jing allows you to record your screen and creating “screencasts” or movies that you can either upload to YouTube, viewed privately on its own network, or access with a link. Jing also allows you to record narrations through movies you create. These videos are great for creating how-to instructions, showing your VA exactly how to do something.
Click HEREÂ for an Instruction Writing How-To.
Click HERE for an Instruction Sheet made with SnagIt.
A key challenge to utilizing VA’s is the Using a VA means you have need to spend more effort on collaboration. You will need to be extremely proficient at setting forth the project guidelines; clearly and concisely explaining the work that needs to be done, as well as how and when you expect it completed, so that the product output matches your desired results.
One way to effectively accomplish this is to set up a computer and monitor next to your desk and have your virtual team member utilize it. I have a second computer set up next to my desk and monitor. My assistant in the Philippines uses LogMeIn to sign in and access it. We have a line set up through Ring Central we use so that she has a local phone number I can call her on. I call and speak with her directly and instruct her on how I want things done. I can use the mouse on the computer she is using to show her how I would like the work done, while talking to her on the phone. It is also nice having the computer next to the desk so that if I see her doing something that may not be going in the right direction, I can catch it right away.
By taking the time to train your Virtual Team member, you can fully utilize all the benefits and minimize many of the challenges or working remotely. I hope this series has been helpful to you. Stay tuned for our upcoming Podcast that will delve deeper into Utilizing Virtual Team Members!
You can read the rest of this series by visiting PART 1 and PART 2.
Happy Flippin’ Holiday’s from Gabhart Investments
Dec 24th
 Here is a little number from all of us at Gabhart Investments.
(if the movie doesn’t open click here)
We hope everyone is having a great holidays and feel great about the upcoming year. Our 4th real estate opportunity fund got an early present and sold our (click on link to go to property website)  San Clemente flip in 33 days from purchase.
Although some of the real estate gurus who try to sell people the dream that all deals turn out like this it is not true. BUT we will take them when they come!
HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!
Closed on Spanish-style duplex in Mission Hills!!!
Dec 1st
It’s finally official, we closed escrow on Linwood! This two-story duplex, located in Mission Hills, is part of a group of Spanish-style houses that were once an artist colony. As one of our value-add projects, we’ll be naming the community to reflect it’s heritage (and make it easier to find)! Now’s your chance to give us your opinion on what you think a good name would be. Once we get a short list of creative names, we’ll give the other community residents a chance to help with the final decision. Check out the survey below!
As always, you can visit our property pages for more info on our current projects. Visit the Linwood page HERE!
LINWOOD SURVEY:
Finding Deals!
Nov 18th
We’ve been busy acquiring new properties the past few weeks! Today we close Escrow on the 4th property in our 4th Fund and Tuesday we’ll close on the 2nd property in our 5th Fund! We bought the first property in our 5th Fund only 2 short weeks ago and it’s just about ready to put on the market! You can take a look at our newest properties by visiting Linwood, Cassowary, and Via Divertirse.We’re looking forward to sharing how we found these deals, and many more just like them, at tomorrow’s workshop. We’ll also be sharing how to build relationships with agents and investors and various techniques for finding your own deals! It should be a good time of sharing techniques and networking. We’re hosting this workshop at Cassowary, so you’ll get to see our newest (almost) completed project! Hope to see you all there!
|
Part 2 of 3: Utilizing Virtual Teams to Grow Your Real Estate Business
Nov 9th
In part 1 of this series I explained the many benefits of hiring virtual teams. In part 2, I will discuss where to find the right people for your virtual teams.
There are several quality online vendor marketplaces that can help you find the right person, not only for your assistant needs, but for any work you need that doesn’t need to be done in person. A few of these include ODESK.com, Guru.com, and ELance.com. ODESK has some key features that I feel help it stand out from the others. The vendor signs in when beginning work for you, ODESK then takes screen shots every 30 seconds. You are then able to check and see what work they were doing and how long it took to get each project done. This provides accountability for the work they’re doing and allows you to confirm you’re getting what you pay for.
You can go to these sites yourself and search for a vendor to get the work done or post a job and have vendors post bids for the work. You also have the option of going through a hiring company. When going through a company you send them an application for your company. They will find applicants, narrow down 2-3 for you to interview, and then hire them for you. Some of these companies also have offices where the VA’s works from, allowing them to assist you in managing your virtual team. You can learn more about this option by checking out supportsave.com or myoutdesk.com. Myoutdesk.com specializes in virtual real estate assistants.
It is often assumed that virtual team members are always working from out of country. However, this isn’t always the case. You have the ability to hire someone from your local community, within the state, out of state, or out of country. When determining whether to hire locally or abroad, there are a few things to consider. When hiring locally, you have the ability to meet with your virtual team member face to face and you are able to have them come to the office if needed. Depending on the kind of work needed, this can be a strong incentive to work with someone locally. A potential downside to hiring locally is that the cost may be higher than hiring someone out of area.
A benefit of hiring out of country can be the cost savings, since foreign labor is generally less expensive. However there are some challenges that need to be considered. Firstly, there can sometimes be language barriers to contend with. While the majority of out of country virtual assistants are English proficient, there can still be language issues that can come into play. Another challenge can be the time zone differences. You may be just getting into the office while your VA is getting ready to be done with their day. Although, this has the potential to be a benefit if you have 24 hour staffing needs.
Once you have narrowed down you search, there several tests you can use to help narrow your search ever further. Typing, Word, and Excel tests can be extremely helpful in determining the skill level of your potential virtual employees. You can click here to access links to several different tests I use when hiring my VA.
After you have found the right VA members, providing them with the right training and resources can help eliminate many of the challenges of working with people remotely. In Part 3 will we cover the many tools available to help you effectively equip your virtual team and streamline the work process.
You can read the rest of this series by visiting PART 1 and PART 3.
