Two Thursdays ago, I asked Handyman Alfonso to come by and give an estimate for renovating the Nepali apartment of Property 1. He came over, did the assessment, and then gave me a price. The price? $1,500. And it wasn’t a joke. He believed I was gonna give him $1,500 just for the labor to paint the rooms and apply polyurethane. Where the fuck did he get the nerve to even think I would take that seriously? I thought about it for a while afterwards, and I figured out where he got the nerve. He got it from me.
When Alfonso finished the Property 4 renovations and Latisha accepted the place, I asked her to do a walk through and list all the improvements she would like. If the repairs were reasonable and would go towards the overall rentability of the place, I’d do it. All she wanted was to paint over the wallpaper in one of the closets, get closet bars for the closets, paint the porch floor and walls, and install a wireless doorbell. I decided to add changing locks and installing smoke detectors on that list. I asked Alfonso how much it would cost in labor and he said $300. I agreed. Before that, I asked him how much it would cost to install a bathroom sink at Property 1. He said $200 and I agreed. I agreed to these ridiculously high prices, so how can I blame him for thinking it was possible to get $1,500 from me? But wait, there’s more.
In the five years that Alfonso has gotten to know me, I’ve told him much more than I should. I’ve told him about me not knowing much about doing repair work. He knows that I’m really bad at going to the hardware store and knowing the exact names of the material I need to buy. He knows that he’s my go-to guy for all property repairs. He knows that I’m already looking to buy another property, and even that I plan to buy a much bigger property next year. So allow me to paint the picture: I’ve portrayed myself as a guy who makes money but doesn’t know too much about repairs, and is willing to pay ridiculous prices to get a job done. He just made $4,100 from the renovations, and then another $300 from the same property for what amounts to a day’s work. Picture clearer now? From his perspective, is it so crazy to believe that I would pay $1,500 to do a simple paint/poly job?
I talked to Sam about this, and he gave me some very helpful pointers. I combined them with my own to form rules and regulations for hiring and managing handymen:
Sam said that I had already poisoned the well with Handyman Alfonso and he’s right. After years of overcharging me for repairs, Alfonso is used to getting that extra money from me. There’s no way he’ll just accept making less money for my jobs without throwing a fit. So I’ve decided to stop using him for a while. I told him that I can’t afford that price so I’ll just do the job myself. He still manages Property X, so I should stay on good terms with him for now. I’ve also notices that, after a big job, handymen get a bit full of themselves and start raising their prices. Pelcom Nick did the same shit after the basement apartment project, remember? Maybe I need to leave him alone for a while and get him used to regular prices before I have him do jobs for me again.
This is my fault. While I’ve excelled in tenant management, I definitely have issues managing handymen (never forget Pelcom Nick). I dreaded having to post ads on Craigslist because I was tired of the same scumbags coming in and disappointing me time and time again. Part of the reason why I held onto Alfonso and accepted his higher prices was that I could always count on him to actually do the job. In my mind, it was a fair trade-off. But I can’t accept that reality anymore. Alfonso’s ridiculous price forced me back into doing handyman tryouts, as much as I hate them.
But maybe with the tips I’ve learned from Sam, I can finally get a good handyman… and manage him well this time.
When Alfonso finished the Property 4 renovations and Latisha accepted the place, I asked her to do a walk through and list all the improvements she would like. If the repairs were reasonable and would go towards the overall rentability of the place, I’d do it. All she wanted was to paint over the wallpaper in one of the closets, get closet bars for the closets, paint the porch floor and walls, and install a wireless doorbell. I decided to add changing locks and installing smoke detectors on that list. I asked Alfonso how much it would cost in labor and he said $300. I agreed. Before that, I asked him how much it would cost to install a bathroom sink at Property 1. He said $200 and I agreed. I agreed to these ridiculously high prices, so how can I blame him for thinking it was possible to get $1,500 from me? But wait, there’s more.
In the five years that Alfonso has gotten to know me, I’ve told him much more than I should. I’ve told him about me not knowing much about doing repair work. He knows that I’m really bad at going to the hardware store and knowing the exact names of the material I need to buy. He knows that he’s my go-to guy for all property repairs. He knows that I’m already looking to buy another property, and even that I plan to buy a much bigger property next year. So allow me to paint the picture: I’ve portrayed myself as a guy who makes money but doesn’t know too much about repairs, and is willing to pay ridiculous prices to get a job done. He just made $4,100 from the renovations, and then another $300 from the same property for what amounts to a day’s work. Picture clearer now? From his perspective, is it so crazy to believe that I would pay $1,500 to do a simple paint/poly job?
I talked to Sam about this, and he gave me some very helpful pointers. I combined them with my own to form rules and regulations for hiring and managing handymen:
- Pay Per Hour (Sam). Sam says he prefers to pay per hour. His rule of thumb when it comes to paying handymen is to think about the job, and then average how many hours it would take for him to finish it. He then adds a few more hours just for the hell of it. He pays between $10 and $15 an hour. Add that all together, and THAT’S the amount of money that should be paid for labor for that particular job. So, for example, let’s say I wanted to have a bedroom painted. When factoring in hole mudding, cutting corners, and painting, I would figure it would take me 2 hours. I add another hour just for kicks, and I have a pay range of $30 - $45 for that room.
- Craigslist Ads (Sam). Sam gave me tips on what to say in my ad. I should mention that the job requires someone with painting and general handyman experience. The ad should demand that any response must be in the form of a resume. And finally, the pay should be between $10 and $15 an hour, depending on experience (DOE). If anyone responds without a resume, ignore them. Also, look for military experience as it could be a sign of discipline.
- Know Your Shit (Me). One of my biggest issues with Alfonso is that he knows I have no experience repairing stuff, and I’m pretty bad when it comes to buying the right materials for the job. Part of the reason why Sam’s handymen respect him is that he knows his shit. He knows how to do just about anything when it comes to repairs, so he can tell if someone’s bullshitting him or not. I don’t have those skills, but I’m a very good pretender. Before I call for help, I first have to look up the repair on the internet. YouTube videos are a huge asset in this regard. Pay special attention to the terms used and how long it takes to do the job on an average. Any questions I have must be answered BEFORE I contact the handyman to do the job. Once I have enough information, I call the handyman and explain what he’s gonna do. I’ll have the knowledge to know if he’s bullshitting me or taking longer than he should.
Sam said that I had already poisoned the well with Handyman Alfonso and he’s right. After years of overcharging me for repairs, Alfonso is used to getting that extra money from me. There’s no way he’ll just accept making less money for my jobs without throwing a fit. So I’ve decided to stop using him for a while. I told him that I can’t afford that price so I’ll just do the job myself. He still manages Property X, so I should stay on good terms with him for now. I’ve also notices that, after a big job, handymen get a bit full of themselves and start raising their prices. Pelcom Nick did the same shit after the basement apartment project, remember? Maybe I need to leave him alone for a while and get him used to regular prices before I have him do jobs for me again.
This is my fault. While I’ve excelled in tenant management, I definitely have issues managing handymen (never forget Pelcom Nick). I dreaded having to post ads on Craigslist because I was tired of the same scumbags coming in and disappointing me time and time again. Part of the reason why I held onto Alfonso and accepted his higher prices was that I could always count on him to actually do the job. In my mind, it was a fair trade-off. But I can’t accept that reality anymore. Alfonso’s ridiculous price forced me back into doing handyman tryouts, as much as I hate them.
But maybe with the tips I’ve learned from Sam, I can finally get a good handyman… and manage him well this time.
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