Whether you’re getting your home ready to sell or just want to get a few things fixed around the house, it’s always good to know a great handyman, especially if you’re like me and not the wrencher type. Although I have a pretty extensive list of handymen and service providers, I sometimes reach out to new vendors to get quotes and keep my current providers honest. Especially when it comes to handymen, or handypersons I should say, this line of work is ever changing. Some of them are part-timers who make money on the side as they transition to another job, others do it full time. The good ones are booked out weeks and even months. This causes a lot of challenges when looking for a reliable, reasonably priced, vendor who is available when you need them, and puts out good quality work. Here’s two ways I find my handyman and other vendors.
#1 Ask Around
You are probably like DUH??? Of course, word of mouth is always the best. I agree that this is a great way to find vendors and I use this all the time. It’s always comforting to know that someone in your inner circle had a positive experience with this individual. For smaller jobs, maybe you wouldn’t need to do any more due diligence on the vendor, however if it’s a bigger or more specialized job, then I’d definitely recommend doing more research on them. My first online research tool is the Better Business Bureau. I look to make sure they have an A+ rating, and no complaints or issues. Even if they had issues, I’d read the details on how the issue was settled. This leads me to my second way to find a handyman.
#2 The Internet
Another way I search for good handymen or other vendors is looking for testimonials and reviews online. A lot of times I’ll look at Yelp, Google, and even Facebook. I look to make sure they have a reasonable number of reviews but I also read some of them to make sure they sound legitimate with the right amount of details and sincerity. I’m trying to make sure these are not fake or paid reviews. From this search, I’ll select 2 to 3 vendors and contact them via email or phone for a quote. YELP actually has a great function where you can send the quote request to multiple vendors for a response. My selection will now be based on the timeliness of the response as well as my follow-up discussions with them. I’ll find out they’re estimate on the job. If they need more details, pictures, specs, I’ll provide them that. Based on when they can do the job, their price point, and their transparency in communications skills with me, I’ll select the handyman for the job. The results of their work and pricing determines the rank they show up on my vendor referral list when I update it. As a general point of reference, I’m finding a lot of handymen are starting in the range of $80-100 an hour for labor. If you have a big project, say over about $1000, consider finding licensed and bonded providers. If the project includes plumbing or electrical work, then I’d say it is a must that they are licensed and bonded.
As mentioned before, if you’re looking for a good handyman or other service provider feel free to reach out and I can send a few your way.
In the words of Matt Lauer, “In my mind, I am extraordinarily handy. But what that means is when I attempt to fix something, there’s usually a five-minute period of experimentation, followed by a five-minute period of frustration, followed by a frantic phone call to a professional.”
