Handyman/Contractor advice

[Adam Craig]

The house I am buying does not need any major rehab. Just things like paint/gutters rehung/ pluming leaks/handyman work.

I had a guy do some work on my house last year because he outbid 4 other guys. He did good work at a fair price so I planned on using him for this rehab. I am coming to find out he is not as cheap as I thought. He told me he is around $50/hour which seems high for the simple work I need done.

Is this a good wage to be paying? What is the best strategy for finding handymen - I used craiglist all the time but for handymen it scares me.

Thanks