If you ask a man what pushes him into business, then most likely his answer will be something like - you need to earn money in order to start living well, to acquire everything you dreamed of... Well, if you ask the same question to a woman, then the first thing she will say - this is to give all the best to children, to make sure that they do not need anything.
This is what happened in the life story of the heroine of this story - Elena Kopylova, who lives in the small village of Uva, Udmurt Republic and who was able to open her own appraisal company (firm). After graduating from the pedagogical institute, she came to work at school. The daily whirlwind, children's eyes, the desire to be needed and useful to their students at first turned a blind eye to the fact that the salary was small and was only enough for the most essential and necessary. The beloved husband only sees the tired eyes of his wife, and the children receive attention on a residual basis.
Almost ten years passed like this. And at some stage the realization came that if you don’t change anything, then it will be like this for the rest of your life and the only thing that will change is the amount of health, which then cannot be returned for any amount of money, and so...
No, let's better ask her herself what happened that made our heroine change her life so dramatically.
How to open an appraisal company from scratch and where to start - Elena Kopylova’s business
- Lena, tell me, what prompted you to take the step of leaving school?
- You know, one summer my son came up to me and asked me to send him along with the class to relax in summer camp on the sea. And the trip cost nothing at all, but our family didn’t have the money for it. And the worst thing is, it wasn’t even expected from which article family budget highlight them. I went to RUNO (District Administration public education) and asked for financial assistance. They looked at me like I was crazy and refused.
They refused a teacher who brought the award “Teacher of the Year of Udmurtia” for the region, raised a bunch of medalists and winners of school competitions and a bunch of other students who, thanks to my work with them, became students at many universities in Russia. And somehow, in an instant, it dawned on me and I made the decision - “I need to leave.” I immediately wrote a letter of resignation and walked out of RUNO unemployed!
- Elena, tell me, why did you choose to start your own business and not look for a new job?
- While still at school, I read Robert Kiyosaki’s books “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and “Cash Flow Quadrant” and these books and my decision forced me to choose only in favor of opening my own business. DO NOT work for your uncle, have a salary cap, and no matter how well you work, you still will not become a rich and wealthy person, because in no job does it belong to you, and you will not pass it on to your children.
- Lena, tell me, why exactly did you open an appraisal company and where did you start?
- You know, starting your own business today is very easy. And you don’t need exorbitant starting capital for this; today it is very important to understand what your competitive advantage, where on what path can you become the best? You see, today is a time of general abundance, people do not experience a shortage of anything, neither goods nor services, and they are ready to give their earned money only for professional services or the best product for them.
Look at two stores, the same things are displayed in the same way - in one the customers leave with their purchases, and in the second they look in and leave - what's the secret? Only in the professionalism of the seller! Such professionals are very expensive. I looked at myself and realized that the only thing I know is to communicate well with people and find a common language with them. And on the same day, the neighbor had an accident and his insurance company essentially cheated him out of half the insurance cost of the insurance. And then I realized - this is it - helping people competently and professionally evaluate vehicles when selling, in an accident, or simply when buying. So the decision was made to start independent activities and I decided to open an appraisal business.
- You opened an individual entrepreneur, a current account, and then?
And then I studied, invested almost all the money I had saved for an internship and then collected necessary documents. This turned out to be a real headache, because it is not enough to collect the necessary documents; it is much more important to register them with the relevant organizations, because this market segment is very densely occupied. But, I am a woman and the eyes of my son stood in front of me, asking for a ticket to a camp at sea, and I overcame everything, and officially opened on November 1, 2011.
At first there wasn’t even an office and I drove an old Matis to every call, then there was a small corner in mall, then bought a one-room apartment for YOUR office!
Then there was constant professional growth and accumulation of the necessary knowledge in order to become the best!!!
- What was the most difficult thing at the beginning?
- The most difficult thing is the lack of understanding of people close to me. A husband who, afraid of the responsibility to live up to his wife, left at the most difficult moment. Lack of money - we bought chicken and divided it into five parts, and cooked soup from bags for 15 rubles. Then the lack of clients, tears into the pillow and the desire to return to school, where everything is simple and clear. The salary may be small, but it is there. BUT I overcame everything and only thanks again to my children, who persevered, did not whine, did not bother me, but silently supported me...
- What has changed now?
- Today I have three appraisal companies in different regional centers in the neighborhood, today the turnover of money is such that I am calm about the future of my children. By the way, after graduation, the senior will open a branch on my behalf appraisal firm in the capital of Udmurtia, the youngest is studying at school and this year went to a camp for in-depth study in English for the whole summer to Malta. Just think, could an ordinary teacher give her daughter such an opportunity? I'm practically everything free time I spend it with my family. We travel a lot, travel, relax and always do it all together.
Today I realized that I am very promising information business provision of training services. I signed a contract with one of the business training companies to give a series of lectures on a successful start in business and the first steps in it. In a word, I will again do what I do best - teach. Only at school I taught physics to students, and now I teach success to adults!
- Elena, what would you like to wish to those who are just starting their first steps or even just deciding to start a business?
- Two things are very important in this matter - do not stop at the very beginning, act, act and never give up. And the second is to remain a woman - tender, sensual and reverent - remember that the main mission of a woman is to love and be loved!!!
Initial investment:
Lower level - $3000
Upper level - $10,000 (including office, car, advertising costs).
The period for reimbursement of initial expenses is from two to 5 months.
The job of a real estate appraiser is to determine the value of the property presented to him. In this business sector, the range of clients includes:
GOVERNMENT: Whenever local governments dispose of real estate or revise tax policies, they need to determine the value of certain real estate.
- LAWYERS: when they handle property division cases or represent clients in the dissolution of business partnerships or married couples when property division is necessary.
- BUYERS and SELLERS: Before selling or buying a home, people should know the exact value of their property.
- INSURANCE companies and agents: before establishing the amount of damage in case of property damage, insurance agents need information about the current price of the insured property.
- BANKS: before lending a person or organization the required amount, it is necessary to determine the value of the collateral presented.
A property appraiser may either specialize in one of the above tasks or deal with a specific type of property, but many of the larger companies include services in all of the above areas.
A real estate appraiser does more than just inspect a property and make an instant prediction about condition and value. Appraisers typically use 3 approaches to solving the problem:
1. Approach from the COST point of view. First you look at all the individual parts of the property - what amount was paid initially - and the structure of the property. You are not required to look for construction defects, so you do not have to be a qualified engineer, but you do need to have basic knowledge of construction. Then it is necessary to establish how much the construction would cost if it took place today. You then subtract the amount of wear and tear on the existing property from the time of purchase and construction. The end result is the value of the property.
2. MARKET DATA approach. Compares the sales value of properties in the same area that are comparable to the property you are appraising. You do a comparative analysis, subtract wear and tear, and account for differences such as size, repair costs, and so on.
3. Approach from the point of view of INCOME ASSESSMENT. This method assumes that the owner may wish to retain the property and receive income from renting it out. You will have to compare the cost of rent for a similar commercial or residential real estate in the same area, and calculate how much your client can earn as net income.
The valuation procedure is not simply a matter of contacting local financial authorities and determining how much the property was sold for. Lately similar properties. A good appraiser should always determine the reason for the sale of a given property and the purpose of the sale. Show your talent as a researcher, talk with the seller and buyer, with lawyers, intermediaries, and others, in general, with everyone involved in the transaction. The appraiser's compensation largely depends on his insight, ability to conduct accurate research on the transaction, and come to the right conclusion about the price.
You can significantly increase your income if you work with several orders at the same time. Many private owners require market price comparisons at least once every six months, while commercial real estate requires revaluation much less frequently.
Typically, commercial property appraisals take significantly longer than private property appraisals.
Appraisal companies are divided into two categories: private entrepreneurs operating with almost no own expenses, and large firms with 20 to 30 employees.
Working as a private owner does not require large start-up costs. He does not need to rent an office (you can work from home), buy equipment (you can get by with home computers, a digital camera) except for measuring instruments. The only costs are advertising. Inexpensive and effective method searching for clients - place an ad in the yellow pages directory.
As your business grows, you will have to expand. At some point you will need an office and additional staff. You will devote more and more attention and resources to promoting the company. Some appraisal companies cooperate with real estate agencies, which provide them with a database of potential clients. Others join real estate associations.
INVESTMENTS
Investing in real estate - simple and profitable business. An investor buys several hectares of land at a very low price in an area that he estimates is promising, and then a few years later resells it for more at a profit for himself. Such investments can be made in any part of the country for any period of time and are almost always successful.
Investments in real estate are considered the most profitable compared to other types of investments, but despite their huge income potential they remain risky.
One of the problems with real estate is that it is low-liquid, unlike, for example, shares. The investment period is several years, which is why it is not recommended to invest all funds in investments of this kind.
There are also speculators in this market who buy land for the purpose of quick profitable resale. Do not engage in speculation at the initial stage. This requires a lot of experience and knowledge.
Start your training by assessing your own home. Analyze in what area it is located, its location in relation to bus stops, shops, etc., what condition the house is in, whether it needs repairs and how much money it will cost, whether there is landscaping on the site. All of these factors significantly affect the value of a home.
High returns can often be achieved by purchasing a worn-out home and restoring it for immediate sale.
It is very profitable to purchase land for commercial use. The land adjacent to the highway is considered the most attractive, since it can accommodate a store, a gas station, and so on.
By the way, it is better to search for land on your own, without resorting to the help of real estate agencies, since they themselves look for their own profit when selling.
Learn to buy land before there is demand for it. In today's financial situation, buying land in advance is the only way save. Hold the land until you can resell it for a big profit. Don't rush to sell the most better land, study the dynamics of price growth.
Generally, purchasing plots of land within 50 km of a rapidly growing city is the best investment method. Before acting, read the literature, study the information, and gain experience as an appraiser. Don’t rush to buy right away, look for shortcomings, and find out the price specifics of the local market. Always look for attractive offers. You can find objects through line advertisements from private citizens and in conversations with local residents.
Before attempting to sell a property, first assess the potential of the site. Is it possible to organize a business on this piece of land in the future? Can a bank, private hotel, restaurant and other profitable companies be located on this piece of land?
Learn to analyze the pros and cons. The specifics of such activities will force you to study the lowest and highest sectors of the market or the current economic situation. Your goal is to find a property that will gain greater value as a result of the new use you propose.
REAL ESTATE AGENT
Initial investment:
Lower level $1000 (license and necessary equipment),
The upper level is $20,000 (opening an intermediary company, rent, etc.).
Before you start, you need to first learn. You can do this by joining a large company. There you will learn all aspects and nuances of this business. You must have a good understanding of the types of real estate, be able to evaluate the market, negotiate, and know sales technologies. The training period lasts on average about 2 years.
Next, if you want to start your own company, you can do it in the following ways: work independently as an independent agent, set up an office and hire employees, or buy a franchise of a well-known company.
One of the most important parts of your job is to help your client find the right financing option that will allow them to purchase property even when the market is not in favor of it and when money is hard to come by. To do this, you must know and understand all available ways financing offered by local banks and professional associations.
The agent is simply obliged to provide best conditions for your client and help them make a purchase that will get them what they want.
This business requires a lot of energy and time. You will be constantly looking for clients. Business can go down if you sit and wait for sellers and buyers to show up. There are many search options. Try different ones. Watch your competitors and what they are doing. Apply this approach for yourself.
The real estate market is influenced by various factors: the general economic situation in the country, banking products, rates, taxes, etc. But this market has existed for a long time, which guarantees some stability on it.
RENTAL AGENCY
A rental business does not require large investments or special education. But its growth potential is enormous. The technology is simple - representing the interests of property owners, you place advertising, display goods, manage rent, and manage property, receiving a percentage of income (about 10%).
After renting out the premises, the agent only needs to collect money once a month and transfer it to the owner. A successful client can rent the premises for several years and provide the agent with stable royalties.
The services of agents are used by owners who live in another city, or outside the city, and are not able to manage their property. These obligations are assumed by the agent.
Typically, a letting agent works through a real estate agency or broker. In some cases, property management fees provide additional income for the real estate agent or broker, but sometimes the broker works with an independent rental agency.
Before you start working as an agent, you need to determine how in demand agents are in your area. Check the newspapers to see who is advertising what. If the rental agent job market isn't saturated, talk to a couple of real estate agents (who don't work with rentals) about the possibility of cooperating. They will refer you clients for rent, and you will recommend them if potential sellers or buyers of real estate contact you.
Try to return the favor when a real estate agent sends you a client. Give a gift or invite them to lunch. Make it profitable for them to work with you.
Don't forget to draw up agreements with property owners and tenants. You can reflect your working conditions in the documents.
In the agreement with the owner, you must specify the minimum rent, and all the conditions that the owner insists on regarding animals, children, etc. The more such conditions are specified in the contract, the better, because it is impossible to foresee all contingencies.
The agreement must also reflect your right to receive rent and a deposit, order and pay for business work from the funds received, advertise and show real estate, and take any actions in court. Your payment should also be stated in it.
Subsequently, you will develop your optimal contract form, which provides for all contingencies. The main thing when working with owners is to constantly inform them. The owner should be informed about the condition of their property - which may affect their actual or potential income. As a trustee, you must personally inspect the property, for example, once a month, and notify the owners of the possible problems.
The second important contract is your contract with your tenants - the lease agreement. The standard contract form can be modified and corrected taking into account accumulated experience and circumstances.
In this business, you must advertise constantly - in all popular newspapers. Advertising attracts not only potential tenants, but also property owners, presenting you as a reliable agent.
In addition, actively look for customers yourself, regularly look through newspapers and call rental advertisements, especially if a long-distance telephone number is indicated.
Print yourself Business Cards and distribute them to everyone you know.
The only problem realtors face in this business is an unscrupulous tenant. You can avoid this by asking potential clients for recommendations.
The appraiser profession is quite new; it appeared in our country in the 90s, when market relations began to develop. Currently, appraisal companies are actively gaining momentum and are quite a profitable line of business.
In order to open an appraisal company, you must first become a specialist in this matter. Among professional requirements the appraiser notes the presence higher education, better than economic. In addition, you need to get additional professional education in the direction of "Business Valuation". In the future, to work as an appraiser you will have to improve your qualifications every three years. There are also requirements for the appraiser's biography. This is the absence of an unexpunged or outstanding conviction for an economic crime, as well as for any crime of moderate gravity or especially serious crime.
Please note that assessment may currently be carried out by individual, working in an appraisal company under a contract or as a individual entrepreneur. Currently, there is no need to obtain a license to engage in valuation activities. However, responsibility for the quality of assessment has become stricter. If previously an appraisal company was deprived of its license for one year for a poor-quality appraisal, now an appraiser who performed work with violations will not be able to work in this area.
But remember that all appraisers must be members of one of the self-regulatory organizations (SROs). To join it, you must meet legal requirements. In addition to having an education, the activities of each appraiser must be insured for at least 300 thousand rubles. The higher the amount of insurance coverage, the better. When joining an SRO, you must pay an entrance fee and a contribution to the compensation fund (minimum 30 thousand rubles). It is created in order to compensate the consumer for damage caused by poor quality assessment.
When opening an appraisal company, please note that it must have at least two appraisers on its staff. Currently, it is the customers who set the requirements for appraisal companies. For example, banks only work with appraisers accredited by them, which means you will have to adapt to them. IN big cities The appraisal company must have a staff of at least five people, these are the requirements of the customers. Please note that preference is given to those appraisal companies that, in addition to the liability of their employees, have also insured their own liability legal entity, which according to the law you can not do.
Evaluation is a broad concept. You can evaluate real estate, business, collections, etc. This means that almost everyone needs the services of appraisers from time to time. Thus, by creating an appraisal company, you have a chance to pay for yourself quite quickly if your company’s staff consists of competent professionals, and the company itself receives good promotion.
Decide what kind of appraisal company you want to open. It can be a generalist firm that has valuation specialists different types property, and a highly specialized company. It all depends on what will be more necessary and profitable in your city.
Assemble a team of professionals. For an appraisal firm, staffing is of particular importance, since there are few good appraisers, and only certain universities produce them. In addition, if you are opening a general-profile appraisal firm, then you will need specialists in appraising very different types of property, who will be difficult to find. Be prepared for the fact that especially rare specialists will have to be lured away from existing companies.
Rent an office in the city center where you could receive clients. It should be convenient to get to the office, take care of parking spaces. Office furniture can be rented to save money.
Register your company. It is most profitable to create a limited liability company - LLC. For this you can hire law firm, engaged in registration, whose services are currently inexpensive (7-15 thousand rubles). You can register an LLC yourself if you develop constituent documents, correctly fill out the registration form, pay the state fee (4 thousand rubles) and submit a package of documents to the tax office.
The profitability of your business depends on its promotion. Try to find clients before opening an appraisal firm. As a rule, if you or the firm's employees have been involved in valuation activities before, this is not so difficult, since old connections remain. Clients can also be found through professional communities of those who need the services of appraisers (realtors, collectors, etc.). For private clients, it is important that you have a website, since this is the method they most often use to find appraisers.
Video on the topic
Valuation activities- a specific type of business, here the goods are the skills and abilities of the appraiser, and he sells them. Therefore, large start-up investments are not required here, as in production, and the appraisal company itself can sometimes consist of one person. However, you need to plan your actions to develop your business. In what form? There are different opinions on this matter.
You can take a traditional business model and see what problems people want solved when they contact an appraisal company (hereinafter OK - ed.). Determine your target audience, what needs they have, and answer the question: how is your OC different from others? What is your competitive advantage? Why will clients come to you?
Let us remind you that among the typical mistakes of novice entrepreneurs there is one main one, if you make it, you risk not building your business. Experts formulate it this way: if you do not understand who your target audience is (what their needs are), then you will not be able to offer the services that they really need. And then all your further actions make no sense at all.
Do you need a business plan?
Tatyana Agapova, managing partner of the Business Expertise Agency:
Alexander Simonov, appraiser, IP Simonov (Kemerovo):
I did not draw up a business plan, because, in my opinion, this is not necessary for the service industry. A business plan is usually used to attract investment. And the appraiser’s investment is a previously received good education and invaluable experience gained in similar organizations.
Evgeny Tyulkin, director of KIT-Otsenka LLC (St. Petersburg):
I didn't write a business plan. The entire algorithm of work was in my head. This was facilitated by extensive work experience and knowledge of the market. Plus it had its own client base.
Lukyanova-Khafizova, certified appraiser with 12 years of experience:
I had an experience when 4 people from a large company (including me) left and created their own. We found an investor. The head was small business plan to understand what funds need to be invested, what the return will be, how long it will take to reach the break-even point. Calculations were also necessary for the investor, so that he understood how much to invest and when (approximately) the money would be returned.
Find an advantage
It is much more important, according to our experts, to understand what niche in the market you will occupy. What is your competitive advantage?
Irina Mamina, General Director" Auditing and consulting Mamina’s partnership” (Ekaterinburg):
In our intellectual business, the personality of the performer is very important. When I started my business, I had assumptions that one of my former clients (with whom I communicated as a hired auditor) would come to me because they valued my professional qualities. These assumptions were correct in 50% of cases.
Guzeliya Lukyanova-Khafizova:
It's very difficult to take a piece of someone else's pie. As a rule, a business is organized when you understand that you will definitely have a flow of orders if you see a niche in the market that has not yet been occupied by anyone, where demand exceeds supply. It is very difficult to fight competitors if they already have an established reputation. I know from experience that rarely does anyone change the appraisal company they have been working with for a long time.
Alexander Simonov:
Having studied the competitors' market, I made prices lower than everyone else's. This, of course, is dumping, but it is an effective method for attracting customers, especially in our economically difficult times. Since I focus on individuals (assessing damage in case of leaks, accidents, etc.), then low prices services are compensated by a large flow of clients.
Evgeny Tyulkin:
To stay afloat even during an economic downturn, you need to be ahead of everyone in something, have your own know-how, scientific developments. Of course, a business process risk assessment is needed. Otherwise, you invested in R&D, exposed your financial backside, and if something happened... how to cover it up?
Our know-how is the www. dtpmaster.ru. It allows the user to create an accident notification online and send it by mail to insurance company. This reduces the time spent on filing an application with the insurance company (standing in line, etc.) by 60(!) times. About 1,500 people use this service every day, there is a link to our main website, and people ask not only for an assessment of damage in an accident. but also for automotive technical expertise. We create work accounts on our website for emergency commissioners, we work with insurance companies who, with the help of our interactive map areas where traffic accidents are concentrated then win lawsuits against road services.
Investments for an appraisal company
They are usually not needed. Costs can be easily calculated - appraiser liability insurance, membership fees to SRO, costs for electronic equipment (software, good computers, calculation service - automated systems for generating appraisal reports). This also includes office rent and staff salaries (if any).
It’s good if there is at least some kind of financial cushion. It will protect you from possible risks. It is also a good idea to conduct a risk assessment during business planning. And if there are no savings, then you need to start with yourself.
Tatyana Agapova:
If I start a business, it means that I am the main carrier of competencies. Therefore, I hire an assistant to whom I delegate some of the routine work and thereby free up 30-40% of my time, which I can spend on attracting new clients. Now I have 3-5 months to train this employee and then transfer the solution to more complex problems. On the other hand, by this moment I should already have a flow of clients. Yes, it's difficult, but it can be done.
Guzeliya Lukyanova-Khafizova:
We had investments, since a stable flow of orders was established only after 9 months. For the first six months, we received a salary 3 times less than before, being hired workers, then the amount increased. But for the first months it was still necessary to pay rent, wages, even minimal ones, and all other expenses.
You need to understand that everything will not go smoothly right away - you need a risk assessment during business planning. Any development requires 2-3 years. In addition to the initial investment, funds are also needed for development. Let’s say you started a business, the return is still small, and the initial investment is already over, at this point it would be nice to add a little more, because you won’t get far on enthusiasm alone.
And here we come to the most important question.
How to create a flow of clients
After all, if there are no customers, there will be no profit, which means the business store will have to be closed.
Tatyana Agapova:
Today, everyone who starts such an intellectual business - valuation, consulting, auditing - starts with themselves. They create their own brand, promote it and then recruit assistants for it. You promote yourself as a professional and thereby attract clients. It is no coincidence that many large consulting companies have training centers and courses where the manager shares his experience, participates in significant professional events and thereby attracts clients.
Today, taking into account technology, you can promote yourself in 9 months, clients will come. What's next? There should be positive projects next,
04/10/14
Not long ago, enterprise valuation became one of the possible ways earnings. It means establishing the real and actual value of an enterprise based on a comprehensive organization audits. In this case, an enterprise is a certain object or subject of pledge agreements or purchase and sale transactions. Thus, professional business valuation services are necessary when obtaining a loan for business development. When carrying out such transactions, the conclusions of professional appraisers are necessary both for making the final decision and for further attracting investments to maintain your own business.
Now business valuation can be considered a good service, in terms of profit. Because today there is a stable demand for it. This is largely because this area of the service market has not yet been fully occupied. The reason for this high demand may also be the recent economic crisis. So, when many entrepreneurs were on the verge of collapse, they began to sell their business.
You need to understand that the assessment of an enterprise will be in demand and profitable only if it is completely objective. The demand for it from companies will depend on the objectivity and quality of the service. It also affects two important indicators for companies. This is the denomination and, of course, the number of securities. For companies, objective expert assessment plays a significant role, primarily because they are interested in selling their shares on stock exchanges.
In order to engage in valuation activities and make money from it, you need to take just a few steps. The first is to find potential clients. Secondly, register your company that will provide this service. Such companies can be registered either as individual enterprises or as a certain specialized company. And thirdly, it is necessary to obtain a license, without which official and legal activities are impossible.
If, nevertheless, this service becomes a source of profit, then you need to know that this process is quite complex. It requires the expert to have certain skills and knowledge. The responsibilities of a professional appraiser include not only checking a company’s tax identification number and studying its financial documentation, its accounting and tax records. He must also have calculation skills and an analytical mind in order to competently make economic calculations, know and predict future market development trends. Professional appraisers become financiers and economists who have basic economic knowledge. However, there are also special courses for advanced training.
To open a business valuation company, you do not need to have a special room or office. In the first stages it will be enough remote work and communication with clients. But if the company is successful, it is possible to expand and move to a higher professional and organizational level. As a rule, the income from business valuation is quite high. Since the clients of appraisers are wealthy private entrepreneurs or large firms and companies, and the average payment for an appraisal service is about 1-2% of the total appraisal amount.
Despite all the difficulties and specifics of the appraisal service, people who provide it must remember that objectivity remains the main requirement. This is an expert opinion and its veracity depends on the future of the company and, of course, the reputation of the expert himself and his personal income.