If you are a real estate agent, real estate or construction enthusiast with a little extra time on your hands, you might want to consider doing construction progress gigs for Leeway Inspections.<\/p>\n
What is Leeway Inspections?<\/p>\n
Leeway works with lenders to provide progress reports on homes and offices that are being financed with construction loans. The company\u2019s inspections help lenders determine whether progress is being made in accordance with schedule and the architectural plans. And that determines when the lenders distribute their next payments.<\/p>\n
How it works for freelance inspectors<\/p>\n
Leeway has few requirements for freelance inspectors. You just need a car, access to a smartphone and an internet connection. You also need to be willing to drive 20 to 30 miles to take pictures of the assigned property within two days of the request.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need special training or certifications. The site often enlists real estate agents and amateur photographers to handle their inspections, says Cora Auckland, Leeway\u2019s hiring manager.<\/p>\n
The best way to apply is to go to the site\u2019s careers page<\/a> and see if any of the listed job opportunities are near you. If they\u2019re not, Auckland suggests you just check back rather than filling out a generic application. (More on this under \u201cirregular work.\u201d) That\u2019s simply because it could be a while before they have work in your area.<\/p>\n Leeway Inspections review<\/p>\n The inspections that Leeway assigns to freelancers are pretty simple. Indeed, the bulk of the time you spend doing them is likely to be spent in the car getting to and from the construction site. After that, you\u2019ll simply need to snap somewhere between 20 and 40 photos and send them to Leeway.<\/p>\n A Leeway staffer will write up the inspection report and send it to the lender.<\/p>\n Freelancers who work with this site say the staff is friendly, accessible and delightful to work with. Leeway currently enlists about 900 freelance inspectors. But the site is growing geographically and is constantly on the hunt for inspectors in new areas.<\/p>\n As of September, the site was seeking new inspectors in several cities in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Nevada, Georgia and Illinois.<\/p>\n Flip side<\/p>\n On the other hand, you don\u2019t make a lot of money doing inspections.<\/p>\n The typical gig is assigned on a flat fee basis, with fees of $45 to $60. There\u2019s no pay for mileage, so not all of that is profit.<\/p>\n Indeed, even if the inspection takes just 20 minutes, you\u2019ll probably earn around $15 to $20 an hour, after accounting for your driving time and expenses.<\/p>\n Irregular work<\/p>\n Then, too, construction loan inspections are intermittent. While Leeway works with more than 80 lenders nationwide, they might only need a few dozen inspections at any given time. Auckland says that in busy areas, inspectors might get a few jobs a week. In less busy areas, you might not get an assignment for months.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a side hustle,\u201d Auckland says. \u201cIt\u2019s not close to a full-time job.\u201d<\/p>\n For this reason, she suggests that freelancers only sign up when they see a job listing in their area. Otherwise, it could take months before the site has jobs in your area. And, by then, you might have found another side hustle and be less interested in Leeway.<\/p>\n Pay<\/p>\n Independent contractors are paid by direct deposit once a week.<\/p>\n Environment<\/p>\n That said, the people who freelance with Leeway are highly complimentary of the company and the staff. And unlike many side gig providers, you can reach Leeway executives on the phone.<\/p>\n Recommendations<\/p>\n There\u2019s not enough money in construction loan inspections here to make this a viable source of regular income. However, if you\u2019re a real estate agent who wants to keep up to date on inventory \u2014 or a photographer who is regularly trolling for good stock photo opportunities, Leeway gigs are easy and could pay for your gas. You can sign up with Leeway here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other sites that pay you to take photographs include Ivueit<\/a>, ProxyPics<\/a> and WeGoLook<\/a>.<\/p>\n