How many mothers out there would kill for an extra set of hands to help handle their youngsters?

All right, all the mothers out there, if that sounds good to you, let's see a show of hands.

All fun aside, H.A.N.D.S. Owner Lisa Lorenzo and Assistant Manager Sara Checa have quickly shown themselves to be dependable sources for household help in the seven months since they started Housekeeper and Nanny Domestic Services, Inc., or H.A.N.D.S. for short.

Lorenzo's company is a placement and referrals agency for housekeepers and nannies--any and all types of domestic work.

Starting H.A.N.D.S. just made sense, said Lorenzo, because, at least in part, "in the new millennium more women are going back to work after they have children than ever before."

H.A.N.D.S. charges a flat $300 fee for starting the search for domestic help, and charge an additional $60 once they're placed. After that, whatever agreement you come to with the housekeeper or nanny is up to you, although you do get 30 days to try out the one you select.

Lorenzo explained, "We send applicants out to you until you find one that you like, and even if you get one that you thought would be fine but then doesn't work out in after a month or less, we'll find you another free of charge."

Although that is by no means typical of the industry, what truly separates H.A.N.D.S. is how carefully they screen all of their applicants before sending them to interview for a job.
"What it comes down to is that as mothers ourselves we wouldn't send out anybody that we wouldn't want in our own homes," she explained.

They have an elaborate screening process, and there are several steps to the evaluation procedure. First they will interview the potential employee, choosing those that exhibit common sense, good judgement, patience, and warmth.

Then, if they pass H.A.N.D.S. exacting standards, they are given a full background check, including a careful examination of their references, both professional and personal, and then a full statewide criminal background check.

Only then might an applicant be sent out to interview with the potential client family.

That is in stark contrast to most of their competitors, who often send out hired help for jobs with only the most cursory of background checks.

"We'll find out over the phone from a potential client what their criteria are, and then we'll fax a sheet of them to get the specifics of their request," Lorenzo explained. "It is only when we have a complete picture of what the parents are looking for that we'll actively try and match them with someone. What we'll do is set up all the interviews for one block of time on one given day, so as to inconvenience the parents as little as possible, sending out between three and five applicants usually, depending on their needs."

But despite Lorenzo's desire for the process to be as convenient as possible, by no means does she expect nor want the parents to be passive parts of the search.

"Parents," Lorenzo said, "are encouraged to be active participants in the search--we suggest that they double check all the references we have, even if it's just for their peace of mind."

Lorenzo stressed that what further separates her company from the competition is in the type of people she and Checa are, which happens to be the same thing she looks for in the candidates she recommends.

"I am very devout in my beliefs, very religious. I try to have the highest moral character I can; I have a very strong set of Christian values, as does Sara," she said. "In fact, that's how Sara and I met, through church, two years ago. We've been close friends ever since--attached at the hip."

Both women are married, Lorenzo to Jorge and Sara to Frank, and they each have two children who attend Florida Christian School (Lisa--Michele and Jorgie; Sara--Michele and Melissa.).

Lorenzo is a Doral resident--she moved into Costa Verde eight-and-a-half years ago and loves it.