I did this as a hobby for my own family research for the last 15 years.  I have done genealogy type projects (age of house research, ownership, family lineage) sporadically for 20 years and have hired my own researchers in other counties from time-to-time.

I have always thought that this would be an excellent alternative career for title searchers, but I'm not sure if the market is out there.  Many people want to do this kind of research for their own families after retiring, but there is at least a small market out there for now.

My advice is to charge your $20-$30 per hour initially, but as you gain more experience, increase your hourly rate.  This type of work is a lot like title searching.  Experience is about the only teacher and each county has its own idiosynchracies.  It is easy to jump to the wrong conclusions when you first start out and quite often a project that takes you five hours today will take your 1 hour a year or two down the road.  Also avoid the temptation to say that you can definitely deliver something.  Just bill by the hour.  There are many dead ends out there for just about any question your clients may have.

Also, document everything you do and keep it organized.  Scan everything if you can.  Include copies of any relevant maps, photos, charts, etc., for your customers to liven up your reports.  As you learn more and get more experienced, try to also be an historian in your reports - interpret and speculate about what you have - make sure you have read up on the particular subject first before doing this though.

Also, try to get your money up front even if it is just a small amount.

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