Finding/Hiring Handymen and People In Akron to Make Rentals Ready

[Joshua D.]

I'm reaching out to the bigger pockets community in hopes of meeting similar landlords/people who either have dealt with such issues while managing their own properties or perhaps someone with recommendations to help. I'm a new investor I have been purchasing rentals for the last year and a half. I have 18 units, across 16 properties now and in Akron/Cuyahoga falls.. I have a terribly hard time finding a well communicating / cost-effective handyman to do a lot of the minor cosmetic work to make my homes rent-ready when a tenant leaves. Often I find myself at the mercy of slow-moving contractor handymen that force me to leave homes sitting vacant. I currently have 3 homes vacant as we speak. (had 3 tenants leave at the same time)

Do you have recommended contractors in the area? 

Have you gotten to the point where maybe it's better to run a payroll along with subsided housing for someone that fits? It seems like trying to hire someone from Angi is impossible (because the handymen do a certain trade or task, or are unwilling to take on this job) and the costs are a little unreasonable.

I've considered trying to hire (with a payroll from Indeed) someone part-time,. I live in Los Angeles (though I have family there in Akron, but they're busy working full time as well).

Anyways, any professionals, and landlords over in Ohio that have any thoughts I would appreciate it. I'm learning as I go, and I appreciate meeting other people.

[Drew Sygit]

@Joshua D. you know you just admitted to being penny-wise, but dollar-foolish?

Trying to save money by self-managing, but not doing it well and losing more money than a PMC will cost you?

Know you don't want to hear that and like most DIY landlords, you think you can "reinvent a better wheel":(

FYI - been there, done that, learned my lesson!

You can go the payroll route, but that doesn't guarantee success. In fact, we'd argue it WILL NOT solve all your problems. 

If you stubbornly want to keep trying the DIY path, then your only solution is to find someone local you can trust, but also is okay with you verifying their activity, to maintain that trust. How you pay them is really irrelevant as even someone on payroll can screw you - and we've seen it happen:(

So, a better question to ask is, "how can you find better local assistance?" 

Suggestions:

1) Check internet and Facebook for local investor groups. Join, "earn your stripes" and then ask for handyman references.

2) Schedule a Friday-Saturday visit, camp out at local Home Depot at 6-8am both mornings to solicit hard working, 1-3 man contractors there at that time. Especially Saturday mornings!

3) While you are there, drive around the neighborhoods your properties are in and look for contractors working on houses. Ignore those with fancy vehicles as they will charge you to pay for those vehicles! Make nice with them to get their phone/email. Don't bother giving them your card, they're too busy to contact you. Most won't have their own cards. While talking nose around and ask questions about what kind of work they do, but more importantly ask what they DON'T do. 

4) Hire a "starving" agent to list your properties for rent and then ask them to find you handymen to screen to do the RentReady work. If they're motivated, they will ask their broker and fellow agents for referrals for you. 

5) You can also try to hire a low to middle demographic starving newer agent to be your rental agent AND handyman. Many of these type didn't go to college, but worked with their hands in previous occupations and know other people that work with their hands. With the sales market slowing, there will be a bunch of these. 

If you find you can't succeed or that it's not worth it to invest the time needed to succed, read below:

In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.

It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator.

So, the first question they usually ask a PMC is about fees - instead of asking about services and HOW those services are executed.

EXAMPLE: PMC states they will handle tenant screening – what does that specifically mean? What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.? You’d be shocked by how little actual screening many PMC’s do!

This also leads owners to ASSUME simpler is better when it comes to management contracts.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!

We have a 14-page management contract that we've added our real experiences to over the years, with the intent of protecting both us AND the landlord. Beyond the Monthly Management, Placement & Maintenance fees, all other fees in our contract are IF EVENT -> THEN fees.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processes

We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

P.S. If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general. Take ownership of your mistake and learn to do the proper due diligence recommended above😊