I'm considering doing an apartment shop. Just wondering how reports, etc are. The pay on this one is $25 not bad if everything visit and report are an hour total but if it's 3 hours so not worth it.

Pros or Cons

Is $25 an ok rate?

I have done several for one company and probably wouldn't do it for $25.00. The reports tend to be arduous. You have to include a fair amount of detail including the eye color of the salesperson. For me the visit and the report would be around 2 hours or more.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2014 03:13AM by jpgilham.

Having a target can take more time, in phone calls trying to reach the target. The onsite portion should be completed in less than 20-30 minutes. I cannot do EPMS reports in less than an hour, though the $25 you mention probably exludes EPMS. I have done $45 apartments, and $25 apartments, both of which I believe to be fair fees.

arduous is such a good word.

It depends on the MSC. Some are a reasonable deal at $25; others are not until they hit about $50.

Thanks. I think I may and trip to fit it into my schedule.

I did one of these recently (my first) and, as it turned out, $25 was a fair payment. (It actually sounds like the "eye color" one, mentioned above.)

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I did a phone/apartment one…NEVER AGAIN!

Was it targeted or non-targeted?

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It was targeted.

It works out to be $12 per hour between the prep., the phone call (s), the visit and the data input on a perfect day.

One MSP doesn't pay for at least four months. Not worth the tracking and other horsepucky. Some apartment shops are decent - others aren't worth spit.

I'm going to start an MSC and call it Arduous Mystery Shopping and then take all these clients with ridiculous reporting requirements. At least you'll know what you're in for when you sign up for me!

Depending on the MS, $25 is not worth it. The "tour" and exchange with the leasing agent can take up to an hour; figure 45 minutes as norm. That was the easy part. For the report you will find it takes upwards of 2 to 3 hours if you answer thoroughly and not just the minimum 3 to 5 sentences. What is interesting is I do apartment shops in Florida for $30 and sometimes a $5 a bonus. I traveled to AZ during December and picked up a couple while in the Phoenix area for $45 ($30 + $15 bonus). The two shops paid for a couple tanks of gas. Also I never do "targeted" apartment shops as it is impossible to plan your day around if and when you will reach your "target".

I jumped on the bandwagon. Got the shop bonused Target answered the call on the first ring. Have an appointment set. Hope the rest is this easy. I have looked at the report so hope it will go well.

Apartments with an appointment should only average 25 to 30 minutes. That is how long it will take to tour the average property and see one or two apartments. Decide on an available floor plan as soon as possible and fall in love it with it during the tour. Out of hundreds of apartment shops I have probably only looked at a second apartment two or three times and I have only had one or two take 40 minutes or more.

Have done about 25 apartment shops. They are my favorite because I like to look at the properties. But, when I break it down, the hourly rate is not great, especially if it's targeted. The tour averages 45 minutes. The reports much longer -- up to 3 hours depending on the company and survey.

When you can't reach a target within the given time frame, and the MSC gives you permission to ask for them by name, that's a dead give away that you're a shopper and get treated as such. Then you get the royal treatment. Plus a really nervous tour guide which makes me feel sorry for them.

I did a $25 one for the heck of it even though it was 90 minutes from home. The survey was shorter/easier than most apartment shops. I called ahead of time as required and was told by the target that she had no vacancies to show. The guidelines said to go anyway -- ask to see the community. Do anything to get invited to visit which is what I did. I included the truth in the report which was that the target had advised me that she would have a vacancy to show me several days away, long after the due date. After doing the report, the MSC didn't want to pay me because they said I should have waited until she had a vacancy even though the guidelines said to go even if they did not.

When I do target shops and I can't get the target (especially when they say "do not ask for the target", I have someone else call. My experience has been the phone hogs who run to answer the phone at every chance. I think they get a percentage for each new lease. I have my brother or BFF call and ask for the target to see if they are working that day. If the company has told me the target is working I will have my person call and keep the phone hog on the phone while I call and get the target. That usually works for me and cuts out a lot of guessing on my end.

I do hate when the schedulers/editors act as if they haven't shopped before by nagging asking have you reached the target, especially when there is a recorded call.

I Love, Love, Love the apartment shop where you can shop anyone. I don't feel that I'm quite ready to take on the frustrations of trying to get a specific person.
Given that I've live in apartments the last 10 years or so, it is always fun to check out a new one and to act really interested in them.

$25 is not an OK rate if its a targeted shop.

It might be considered OK if the guidelines say you can shop whoever answers the phone.

If its a targeted shop, and you can ask for the target, that helps. If you are lucky and the target answers on your first call attempt, but if not you could spend three or four days trying to reach target.

The reports are long, with many narratives, you must be detailed with your answers, or the editor will come back at you. They are time consuming and if broken down you will probably be making $5.00 or less per hour.

Asking for the target is not a dead give away that you are a Mystery Shopper. You can always say a friend was in an picked up one of your cards and recommended you, they might ask the friend name, you can always make up a name.

If someone other than the target answers they sometimes do not want to give out information on when the target will be available, or they will say they can help you.

Be prepared, say you would prefer speaking with them (target) and ask when would be the best time to reach them (target). If the call is recorded, do not give them your correct name and phone number because then the target will then call you. Thank them, get off the phone and try again the next day or whenever they said the target will be there. ALL this for $25.00..

I won't do them for less than $30 which is the going rate around here. I don't mind targeted shops and if I can't get the target easily, I just update the scheduler so they don't get antsy. That being said, I have done so many that I'm not eligible for many around here right now because of the long rotation. And EPMS seems to have a new method of assigning shops through emails from the schedulers. They don't give the name of the community in the email and, since they are mass emails, they don't eliminate the ones you have done. Consequently, I haven't done an apartment shop in several months. I won't do them for the MSC that has the PITA shop either--I did several for them years ago and didn't get paid for 4 or 5 months.

$25, forget it. Even worst if targeted.

I only work on non targeted with pays above $50. I'm usually happy with the EPMS apartment shops.

Let us know how it went.