Job description

Title: Bilingual Home Renovation Advisor
Company: Acts Housing
Work Location: 2414 W. Vliet St, Milwaukee, WI 53205 (work will be at the office and in the field)

Would you like to work on a team transforming lives through homeownership while working at a fast-paced, exceptionally diverse, non-profit social enterprise? Acts Housing is a place where every individual’s contributions are honored and where there is significant opportunity for personal and professional growth as the organization rapidly expands to meet the needs of our communities.

Summary: The Bilingual Home Renovation Advisor will guide and support Spanish speaking Acts families through each stage of their home renovation process, from developing the scope of work on the property through project completion. The Bilingual Home Renovation Advisor will also assist with improving internal department processes and work collaboratively with other departments to deliver excellent family service. This position reports directly to the Lending Operations Director.

What you’ll do as a Bilingual Home Renovation Advisor:

• Provide direct support to Spanish speaking families throughout their home renovation, coaching them on how to find contractors, collect bids, review and approve contracts, and inspect progress.
• Create Scopes of Work for assigned properties and review scope in detail with family.
• Conduct pre-closing meetings with families to review Acts processes and procedures and begin planning home renovation first steps with families after home purchase.
• Track and manage families' home renovation budgets and timelines to ensure families complete their projects on time and on budget, or provide assistance when behind.
• Maintain CRM on a daily basis to track project updates, budget and timeline progress, family touch bases, and progress pictures.
• Conduct site inspections throughout home renovation process to ensure work is being completed in accordance with the scope and payment requests.
• Review submitted payment requests for home renovation work to ensure requests are within the scope and all required documents have been provided
• Identify and build relationships with contractors who can work with Acts families, and help train them on Acts procedures.
• Assist in efforts to identify areas of improvement in the home renovation department, and implement changes as needed.
• Work with volunteer coordinator to help identify potential volunteers needs and projects.
• Work with marketing department to identify families and projects that may make good marketing stories for Acts.
• Manage routine maintenance and repairs for Acts office building.
• Other duties as assigned by the Home Renovation Manager.

What we’re looking for in a Bilingual Home Renovation Advisor:

• High School Diploma or equivalent. Post-Secondary education (college) is preferred.
• 3+ years of experience/exposure to home renovation, remodeling, construction or rehab process.
• Valid Driver’s License and access to an insured vehicle to drive to site appointments.
• Fully COVID-19 vaccinated or willing to get fully vaccinated prior to start date.
• Knowledge of materials, methods and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures.
• Ability to provide high-quality customer and personal services and truly advise home owners of the process. This includes understanding customer needs, effective communication with customer and problem resolution skills.
• Strong communication and computer skills.

Skills and Experience:

• Ability to deliver high level of Family Service Excellence by focusing on customer service, including empathizing with customer needs, communicating effectively, and resolving disputes or complaints.
• Ability to write/speak fluently in Spanish.
• Experience with project management and effectively managing multiple projects and responsibilities at the same time.
• Knowledge of construction materials, methods and tools involved in home renovation/construction.
• Effective business skills, including time-management, resource allocation, team work, and analyzing problems and implementing solutions.

Requirements:

• Minimum three years of experience in home construction or home renovation fields
• Valid driver’s license, and using personal vehicle for work on a daily basis
• Ability to learn and proficiently use Acts’ CRM database and rehab scope software
• Proficiency with Microsoft office and using telephones and email in professional manner
• High School Graduate or equivalent; technical training preferred
• Occasional nights and weekend work, including representing Acts at occasional events

Physical Requirements:

• Physical ability to walk through and access all areas of vacant homes, including attics and basements
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds, or more with assistance
• Vision sufficient to visually observe detailed conditions of homes and structures

Benefits & Perks:

• Paid Time Off (15+ days based on tenure) plus 12 Paid Holidays and 4 Personal Half Days
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance (United Healthcare)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401(k) with 3% Company Match
• Welfare Benefits Plan - term life, personal accident, and disability insurance
• Voluntary Life and Personal Accident Insurance
• Adoption Assistance Program
• Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave
• Paid Bereavement Leave
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Payroll Direct Deposit and Debit Card Options
• Access to online library of 3,000 courses and 20,000 digital books
• Discounts to various goods and services via the Insperity MarketPlace

About Acts Housing: Over its 26-year history, Acts housing has helped more than 3,000 low-to-moderate income families achieve homeownership; 950 of those families reclaimed distressed properties with Acts' support. Acts' full suite of homeownership services makes it a nationally recognized leader in homeownership, with significant demand both from our neighbors and community stakeholders to do even more to support new and existing markets. In 2021 alone, Acts supported more than 270 families to transition from renters to owners (a 50% increase over our prior best year ever!).

Acts is a dynamic and growing organization that is adding new employees in 2022 to better meet the needs of families in the markets we currently serve (Milwaukee and Beloit) and future markets that are eager to benefit from our homeownership services.

Acts Housing Homeownership Acquisition Program:

Milwaukee is losing 1,000 homeowners of Color every year, a pace that has persisted over the past decade. This terrible trend for neighborhood stability has been driven by absentee investor owners who are buying up large swaths of single-family homes and turning them into permanent (and often poorly maintained) rentals. The Acts Housing Homeownership Acquisition program will disrupt the absentee investor owner business model by outcompeting them for the best homes, making these homes available to low-to-moderate income (LMI) families for owner occupancy.

Acts Housing was incorporated in 1995 to empower families of LMI through homeownership. For Acts' first 15 years, its services included homebuyer coaching, real estate brokerage services, and home rehab support. In the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis, when banks simply would not lend to families to help purchase and rehab distressed, foreclosed homes, Acts filled the void, forming Acts Lending, a nonprofit lending affiliate in 2013. Now, faced with the growing land grab by predatory investors, Acts is prepared to innovate yet again, forming this new social enterprise to further its mission.

Because of Acts' commitment to its mission, the organizational culture often feels more like a start-up than a nonprofit. The Real Estate Acquisition Program is a new service line led by Dorothy York (who served as Acts' COO for five years before accepting the position of VP Real Estate). This department will operate at a fast pace alongside complimentary programming including homebuyer coaching, Acts Lending, and home rehab coaching. With a goal of acquiring 100 properties per year by 2023, candidates that are brought onto the team can expect both challenges and the incredible reward of helping families access affordable, stable, sustainable housing.

Click on this link to watch a short 3-minute video about Acts Housing before applying.

Acts Housing embraces equity and inclusion. We seek a diverse pool of candidates for our open positions knowing that a team comprised of people with unique characteristics, experiences and identity allow us to better serve our communities.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekend availability

COVID-19 considerations:
All employees are required to be Covid-19 vaccinated.

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Milwaukee, WI 53205: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

Experience:

• Spanish: 1 year (Required)

Work Location: One location

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