Looking for virtual assistant help - bookkeeping and PM review

[Bob Smith]

Own about 30 doors with a few different property managers. I work full time and don't have time to really review the property managers. Was thinking about hiring a VA who can review the PM expense reports and also compile all of them into one QuickBooks account for the tax guy. I think I am looking for a bookkeeper with real estate experience to keep an eye on things. That is, not just a "bookkeeper." Anybody had any luck hiring someone like this through elance or other online place? Anybody have any leads? Any idea what I should expect to pay for someone like this?

[Anthony Emtman]

@Bob Smith - If you are to bring on help for this, you are correct in that you need more than just a "bookkeeper". Most bookkeeping services you'll find online or through a VA will trend toward data entry as the primary value provided and most run between $20/hr to $50/hr. Bookkeeping itself not a highly technical nor specialized function, it is more akin to data entry. As such, you should not pay equivalent rates like you would to a CPA, attorney, or another professional with deep technical experience, but there is still significant stratification across bookkeepers as to their plug and chug skills vs actual financial competency. Bench is an online service I would recommend checking out as a point of reference. They'll be more advanced than a non-specialized bookkeeper but will not specialize in real estate or provide any advisory along those lines. 

That said, a great bookkeeper/controller/tax accountant who manages your ledger and advises on strategy is worth every penny. A good controller/accountant will pay for themselves multiple times over each year through tax savings opportunities and helping plan for the future. 

There's too much at risk to cheap out on this front. "It's not what you earn, it's what you keep that matters."