Most homeowners can see the value in hiring a handyman to help them with projects around the house but at the same time they can also see the large number ofplaints filed by unhappy homeowners all over the Internet. The fact of the matter is that hiring a good handyman will free up a lot of your time and help reduce your stress if you donât particularly enjoy chores around your home. Read on to discover five steps to help you find and hire a good handyman that you are guaranteed to be happy with:
Create a List of All the Work You Want Done
One of the first things you want to do when looking for a good handyman is create a list of all the projects around the house you need help with. Itâs a good idea toe up with this list so you can determine what kind of help youâll need. Unfortunately, a handyman may not be able to help you out with all of the projects around the house. For instance, if you need help with roof repair or plumbing repair projects, it may be in your best interest to have a licensed professional take a look at it first and Iâll explain why in a bit.
Create a List of Handyman Prospects
What you want to do here is create a list of about three to five handymen depending on the size of your projects. This list is basically a starting point and from this list you will begin to screen the handymen. Youll want to eliminate the bad handymen from the list and keep the good ones on there so you can have them give you a quote on your projects.
To create the list, you can turn to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and pretty much anyone in your area that might be able to help you out with a personal handyman referral. You can also turn to your favorite home improvement store as well as local real estate agents, as they often work with handymen to get their homes ready for sale.
Look For Feedback and Reviews Online
One of the first things we rmend you do is a Google search for the handyman or his business name. Either way, you want to look for and focus on reviews and feedback left by past customers of the handyman. These reviews should give you a decent idea of what type of work the handyman is capable of. For more reviews and feedback, make sure to add words like âplaintâ and âreviewâ to your searches in Google and use other search engines as well. Along the same lines, youâll also want to look forplaints; the Better Business Bureau is a good place to do that.
Find a Handyman with the Skills and Experience You Need
One of the most important keys to hiring a good handyman that youâll be happy with is finding one that has the experience and skills required for your projects. Of course there are handymen that have roofing experience and there are handymen that are retired plumbers, but to expect to find a handyman that is an expert at both trades isnt realistic. And thatâs precisely where a lot of homeowners go wrong when hiring a handyman.
A lot of homeowners, thinking theyâre doing their due diligence, will hire a handyman based on a rmendation from a friend or relative. And while thatâs a great place to start you still need to make sure that the handyman has experience in the work that you need him to do. In other words, just because a handyman did a great job for someone you know doesnât mean that heâs going to do a good job for you. Make sure you ask the handymen what their specialty is or what they enjoy doing the most, as this should tell you what area they are mostpetent in. Contrary to what most folks believe, not all handymen are âjacks of all tradesâ and that can makes things a bit difficult when looking for the right handyman.
Ask for and Contact References
Another thing youâll want to do before settling on a handyman is asking him for references. Any good handyman should have several references to share with you. Good home improvement professionals often donât advertise much because they stay busy with referrals and thatâs exactly the type of handyman youâre looking for. Make sure to ask for and contact the references you get from your handyman prospects. And make sure to look for a handyman that has a lot of good references.
The bottom line when hiring handyman services is you should always look for a handyman that has experience in the area you need help with. A good handyman will typically tell you when he is not the right guy for the job, but unfortunately this is not always the case. As a homeowner, itâs up to you to decide what a handyman is capable of and what he is not capable of. Follow the tips above and youâll be sure to find a good handyman that youâll be happy with.
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