A Property Manager’s Guide to Building a Professional Contractor List
Managing your rental property can be rewarding, even fun, but have you ever felt that overwhelming sense of dread when your phone rings? Have you ever looked at your ringing phone and thought, “What if it’s a tenant? And what if that tenant is reporting an issue that I won’t have someone to fix?”
One of the key factors to stress-free property management is building a reliable list of contractors who will answer your calls and do the work you need to have done in a reasonable timeframe and at a reasonable price.
Seems simple enough, right? Not really, we live in a time where quality contractors can be almost impossible to find.
From plumbers to electricians, to painters, to carpenters, having a deep pool of professionals you can call will save you time, money, and stress when maintenance issues arise.
In Part I of this quick guide, I'll walk you through the list of resources I have used to look for quality contractors to work on the properties I manage.
Hello, World!
Word of Mouth
If you ask my children, I, on occasion, come across as a little bit nosey -they were not impressed when I asked the stranger in line at the grocery store who built the porch I had just overheard her raving about. But the best contractors I work with have been referred to me by someone who has used their services so I am always asking for referrals.
Who are the best people to ask for referrals? My list is below:
Friends and family: If I hear a neighbor talking about the great plumber who just fixed their leaky faucet I get the plumber’s contact information, if I’m in line at the grocery store and hear someone talking about the new porch they had built, I get the contact information for the company who built it, If I’m at a party and hear someone talking about the new light fixtures they just had installed I ask for the electrician’s contact information.
Professional Contacts: Every time I connect with others who work in the rental housing industry I ask who they use for the various types of jobs I have going on at the time we’re talking. My professional contacts understand how difficult it is to find quality contractors and they understand the type of jobs we need help with so I always take their referrals seriously.
Local Retail Outlets: I shop in the local paint store, hardware store, and general supply store. Every time I go into the store I ask the people who work there who they would recommend I call for the various jobs I have going on. The owners and employees of these stores know and work with many of the local contractors and they regularly have pointed me in the direction of quality contractors.
2. Websites
As with everything else in life, your search for contractors would be incomplete if you ignore the many available online resources. Different communities tend to make better use of different resources so you’ll have to take a bit of time to determine what’s popular in your community.
Social Media Sites allow you to ask your networks for recommendations. Of course, ask your immediate connections directly for recommendations, but also be sure to consider asking for referrals within any groups you’re a member of, there are a lot of local groups where people share positive experiences they’ve had with various businesses. As you’re certainly aware, there are lots of social media sites, but the top 3 I would use for this purpose are as follows:
Home Services Website: There are a handful of sites that are easy to use, allow you to walk through a simple set of steps defining your project or needs, and then result in possible interested contractors contacting you to find out more about the job.
Honestly, I have used these sites with limited success. If you choose to give any of them a try please keep in mind that the sites are designed primarily to provide contractors with business leads. Be prepared to have your phone ring immediately in some cases and in some cases to field phone calls from contractors who are nowhere near what you’re looking for. I would recommend giving these types of sites a try if you have a non-urgent project that you’re looking to have done or if you’re looking to add a specific type of contractor to your list and just want to start your search. All 3 of the sites I’ve listed below are slightly different from one another and provide connections with slightly different types of contractors in slightly different ways. Give them all a look and see if one might work for you:
Online Marketplace: Several websites allow you to search for, rate, and hire various service providers: Although these sites are free to you, contractors pay for leads they receive so sites aren’t always well-used by the best contractors who probably don’t need leads. If service providers use sites such as this in your area they can be very useful so it’s always worth looking into them. One of the benefits to these sites vs. the benefit to Home Services sites is that contractors can be reviewed so you aren’t going into the connection blindly.
Business Review Website: And don’t forget yelp ! It’s easy to use, just enter the type of service you’re looking for, and see a list of local businesses that provide that service. Yelp is great because all the businesses are reviewed by customers and you choose who to call -you, the customer are left entirely in control.
3. Professional Organizations
If you’re trying to manage your rental property on your own and you aren’t a part of any professional organizations then you need to join at least one ASAP! There are many benefits to joining professional organizations, but for this conversation, I’ll just tell you that these organizations can serve you with valuable networking opportunities that will leave you with many new leads on quality contractors. For this discussion, I’ll also add that what you’re looking for here is a local organization since you’re ultimately looking for contractors who work locally. Organizations to consider joining are as follows:
Chamber of Commerce
Local Board of Realtors
The Rotary Club
I hope this information has been helpful, in the next blog post I’ll provide ideas on how to vet and ultimately build your contractor list. What types of contractors will you need to be able to contact as a property manager? What qualifications should you be looking for when working with a contractor? What paperwork do you have to have done before working with a contractor? I’ll answer all of those questions and more!
What have you done to find quality contractors?
Do you have certain types of contractors that are easier to find than others?