There are certain considerations to make when hiring the right handyman. Sooner or later, different parts of your house will wear out due to weather damages, lack of maintenance, and due to age. With these issues, it is time to call a handyman.
However, today, handyman services are in great demand, and this can make it difficult to hire the right handyman. The person should be highly skilled in performing different chores at the house, and they should be experienced. If you have decided, to hire a handyman, read the below guidelines, and you will make the right choice.
Research
The first thing is to research for the best handyman. The best way to do your research is through the different websites that list the best and most qualified handyman. From these websites, you will be able to see the reviews, rating, and testimonials of each handyman. From there, you can get the contacts of the handyman that suits your requirements and hire them. The top websites to research for a handyman include;
• Angie’s List which is one of the most popular websites where the reviews come from real customers. The members are graded in a scale from the best rated to the least rated.
https://www.angieslist.com/
• HomeAdvisor is known for professionals and highly skilled handymen. Millions of people around the country use this website for their home improvement needs.
https://www.homeadvisor.com/
• Houzz is a good place to get a handyman. It provides star ratings, reviews, and contact information. You will also find photos of the projects that the handyman has handled before.
https://www.houzz.com/
• Nextdoor.com is a good website that allows one to find a local handyman through referrals and recommendations. It is designed for specific neighborhoods, and you will need to sign up before joining.
https://nextdoor.com/
• Thumbtack is an easy way of finding a handyman near your area. On this website, you will get quotes, personal information, business profile, and reviews.
https://www.thumbtack.com/
• Yelp is easy to use. On the website, you should enter your location and the qualities you are looking for.
https://www.yelp.com/
• HandymanConnection.com is a website where you will get results of all the handymen located in your area and their star ratings.
https://www.handymanconnection.com/
• MrHandyman.com provides a list of all the highly qualified handymen in your location.
https://www.mrhandyman.com/
Conduct interviews
After you have done your research, you should make a list of the top handyman for interviews. Make sure that you contact each one of them and schedule for interviews. During the interviews, you should ask the handyman questions about their credentials and experience. The best place to hold the interviews is in their offices as this will help you know if they are well established or start-up business.
During the interview, you should check the communication and listening skills of the handyman. They should pay attention to you and answer all your questions. If they are hesitant to give some information, then you should not hire them.
Do not hire the cheapest handyman
Hiring the cheapest handyman is not always the best thing to do. Most people think that you should avoid the most expensive and go for the cheapest handymen, which is not advisable. You should research the average rate of hiring a handyman in your area. Then get quotes from different professionals and compare. The quotes should be detailed in terms of services provided, the cost of materials, and the period it will take to finish the project.
Get the proper paperwork
When hiring a handyman, make sure you get proposals/quotes from different companies and compare them. Make sure you get a proposal/quote and not an invoice. You should note that an invoice will bind you to the handyman services if a invoice is sent to you. When you get a proposal/Quote, make sure you read everything and understand before signing it. Remember, Do not sign the proposal or quote unless you know you are going to be using the contractor. If you sign the proposal or quote from a handyman/contractor it could bid you to an agreement. You should be sure that you want to work with that particular handyman and that they meet all your requirements before sign anything.
Later on, you can now get the invoice. You should get the invoice yourself to ensure it has the correct name, address, and amount so that you do not have problems during the payment Payment process.
What If I Want To Hire A General Contractor?
Nowadays, general contractors will have a list of people that they work with, including handyman. Therefore, when finding a handyman, you should have a written agreement. However, you should ensure that you get an agreement stating the names of the sub contractors who will come to your home and the services offered.
If you get a general contractor, make sure the agreement states how the sub-contractors will be paid. Some contractors may fail to pay the subcontractors, which can result in misunderstandings between you and the contractor/handymen. You can also inform the sub-contractors before the work starts, that the General Contractor is responsible for their payments. Make sure this is in writing. If its not in writing it will not hold up in court.
Decide on the best payment methods
If you have a big project, it is crucial to know the right payment methods for the contractor. You need to ensure that you get value for your money and at the same time, pay the contractors on time. You can decide to pay the contractors in drawers or pay half upfront or half when their done. You need to understand that if you are paying in drawers, you will need certain work to be completed by the end of the agreed upon time frame. If paying before work is started and at the end of the project, the work should be completed at the end of the specified time. Failure to complete the project at that time, you should not pay for the extra days.
Get warranties
When you are dealing with handymen there are some who do warrant their work. Make sure you ask them about their warranties and understand the conditions. You should go for warranties that say that the handyman will come back if for some reason the repair work is not done correctly. They should come back and offer their services at no cost. However, you should be very careful because some of them will not come back. Therefore, you will need a written agreement that shows the warranty details that you can use in the future.
Hiring a handyman is not a simple task. Ensure that you follow the above guidelines, and you will find the one that meets your needs. Also, you should have a list of the handyman services that you want so that you can find one with the skills required.