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WORK FROM HOME...ARE YOU SURE?

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Fey & Associates

WORK FROM HOME...ARE YOU SURE?

I have the best job in the world (virtual real estate assistance) AND I do in from the comforts of my own home.  Great concept, but is it really for you?  With the price of gas these days, and long commute times, more and more people are begging their employers to work from their home offices. But, is working from home a good fit with your personality and work ethics?

 A typical day for me is to get up at 6:00 A. M. (by choice!), read the daily paper, eat breakfast, take a leisurely walk outside, then, by 8:00 A.M. - 8:30A.M. mosey into my home office to start my work day.  Depending on the day of the week, certain tasks are accomplished first thing, then, it's on to new/old business or completing or researching projects.  A couple times a week I listen to webinars or read up on the latest and greatest software or program that can enhance my business and help my clients. The downside is I rarely have time to meet with friends for lunch or shop till I drop! I belong to a number of VA groups, both professional and social that are a wealth of information.  By 8:30 P. M. - 9:00P.M. my business day has ended.  Very long days, and for the most part, the only social interaction during my business hours is when I am briefly speaking with clients by phone, although most communication is done through emails.  Hard to get used to, especially when you are used to and enjoy face to face contact.  But strange as it may seem, there is a great independence with the solitude because I have always been an independent worker who can easily tune out distractions so I can focus on the task at hand.  I also owe it to my clients to get the job done as skillfully and quickly as I can.

For those of you who are lucky enough to have a home office, the benefits are countless.  As I grow my business, I am trying to make a concerted effort not to forget family and friends, who by the way, give me the encouragement and stamina to work from home.

Kathy Fey

Fey & Associates

Virtual Real Estate Assistance

Do yourself a fey-vor...call Kathy Fey!

www.feyandassociates.com

kathy@feyandassociates.com

 

 

Renée Donohue~Home Photography
Savvy Home Pix - Allegan, MI
Western Michigan Real Estate Photographer

I work better independently myself!  The office-office is too distracting for me but my home-office is perfect.

Sep 07, 2008 04:35 AM
Lidia Griffin
Suwanee, GA
Real Estate Virtual Assistant

"The downside is I rarely have time to meet with friends for lunch or shop till I drop!

Kathy - I think that the perception often is that if you work from home you do less work. In fact, I have foun it to be the exact opposite. When I worked in corporate, I took 1 hour lunches and (I am not ashamed to admit) was able to check email, mke personal phone calls, etc. Now (as a businessowner) I spend any of my free time networking, learning new systems and tryin to gain new business.

Lidia

Sep 08, 2008 03:40 AM
Debbi Mortus
VA 2 The Rescue - Thornton, CO
Debbi Mortus - Virtual Assistant

Kathy,

Like every job there are down sides to working from home, but no matter what is happening you can't beat the dress code of working at home!!!  I find time to volunteer, pick up my kids, do the laundry and even plan dinner (some times) while still putting in a full week of work and yes, some days it is a long 10+ hour day and some days it is on a weekend, but the bottom line is those are my choices!  And did I mention I love the dress code?!  

And I will take the worst day at home (alone) over the days of a controlling boss standing over my shoulder and questioning every little thing I do and the way I do it and how long it takes me to do it, any day of the week!   

Everytime I knock off early or take a long lunch or stop to visit with a neighbor or friend, I remind myself THAT is why I work from home for myself!  

It's not for everyone, but for me it is GREAT!  

Debbi

Sep 08, 2008 07:06 AM
Not a real person
San Diego, CA

I have a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual list of things to do. My weekly list includes contact one friend to just say hello.

Sep 09, 2008 07:59 PM
Tracie Mason
Agent Assistant Network - Seattle, WA
Holton, Coach & Virtual Assistant

This is such a nice post, thank you for finding the time to write it.  Over the past two years I've had to train both friends and family that just because I work from home, it doesn't mean I'm not working.  I'm on the phone, I schedule appointments, I have deadlines, and I have to prospect for new business.

I have a good friend who lives one block away, last summer she started stopping by every afternoon around 2:oo pm.  After day 3, we had a talk.  She now calls and asks before she stops by.  My husband and I both love that I can work from, but even he has to have a reminder from time to time that I'm still working.

I also agree with the Debbi, I wouldn't trade any of it and to go back to the corporate world!

Sep 11, 2008 08:34 AM
Kathy Fey
Fey & Associates - Dacula, GA

Renee, I agree with your comment.  We are good at what we do because we do work well indepdently.

Lidia , Isn't that the truth!  Thank you for the comments.

Debbi, Our at home businesses do allow freedoms we would not have in a tradition office situation.  and yes, I love the dress code!

Russell, I love your list idea!  Thanks for sharing!

Tracie, Great points!  The perception that just because we work at home does not mean we are not working! 

Thank all of you for your comments!

 

Sep 12, 2008 03:22 AM
Not a real person
San Diego, CA

I do my lists in Word because it automatically numbers things for me. Here's my Word file for those who are interested:

http://www.russel-ray.com/stuff/accomplish-this.doc

When you finish an item, put your cursor at the beginning of the line and hit CTRL + D. Your unshaded box will change into a shaded box. Cut and paste until your heart's content. Realtors like to say, "Location! Location! Location!" I like to say, "List! List! List!"

Sep 12, 2008 11:13 PM
Anonymous
Anonymous

Russell,

I love your list!  Thanks for sharing.  Question for you - I noticed you use Constant Contact.  have you ever looked into i-Contact?  Similar but less expensive.

Kathy

Sep 15, 2008 06:20 AM
#8
Elena Malfi
Behind Every Agent - Burlington Township, NJ

I love lists too, but I like to have some things on paper right in front of me...I have copies of a "things to do list" with numbers and boxes to check off.  I'm going to revise it, though, because I love the idea of a monthly, weekly, and daily to do list...

Sep 23, 2008 01:00 AM
Michele Reneau
Certified Staging Professional (CSP) Elite Instructor - Summerville, SC
Realtor, GRI ~ Charleston, SC Relocation Experts Team

I work better at home also. I can concentrate better and don't get sucked into office chat.  However, I have to admit that it's hard to leave the work at the office when it's in my house! :)  There was a time that my home copier was down and I was waiting for the new one to get delievered.  I actually went into my other office at 9am and left at 5pm.  I think I acommplished more and actually left the office each day without bringing it home.  But I'm a workaholic so for now...I'll keep at it in the home office.

Oct 06, 2008 05:11 AM
Elena Malfi
Behind Every Agent - Burlington Township, NJ

I think VAs have the same problem that a lot of Real Estate Agents have...family thinks you are always available because you set your own hours...one of the Agents I work for mixes personal and professional tasks throughout the day, and members of her family are always calling on her cell to ask things that really could wait or that she should not feel obligated to have to help them out with (can you pick up this or that...)  I tell her let them leave messages and tell them later you were with a client, or answer and just give them a minute to ask whatever, then tell them "I'm working right now, can't help you out today..."  Now if I could only take my own advice!

Oct 07, 2008 12:39 AM
Cari Haus
Log Cabin Rustics - Burneyville, OK

I worked from home for a lot of years, and right now I work from an office. While I long for the work-at-home life once again, there are some advantages to work from an office setting.

An office helps me to keep a better separation between work and family life. Also, sometimes when I worked at home, friends and family didn't seem to understand that I really did need to work. There were a lot of interruptions, which became difficult to manage at times.

Working in an office also adds a little more structure to the day, and there is somewhat of a comraderie there. With all that said, the freedom of working from home really was a wonderful thing.

Oct 08, 2008 03:10 PM
1~Judi Barrett
Integrity Real Estate Services 116 SE AVE N, Idabel, OK 74745 - Idabel, OK
BS Ed, Integrity Real Estate Services -IDABEL OK

Kathy, Working from home has both its blessings and its problems, doesn't it? But I love it. Thanks for commenting on my post on faxes the other day.

Nov 05, 2008 12:46 AM