50 Tips While Working With Mobile Home Handymen And Contractors

Welcome back,

Over the past week there were so many mistakes made in my business during the hiring and firing of a deadbeat handyman. Luckily these mistakes only cost me a small bit of time and money.

These mistakes revolved around hiring a high-risk handymen who should have never been on the job to begin with. This handyman lasted only four long days before we had to let him go due to poor work performance and a bad attitude.

Preface

A handymen was being hired to repair and maintain mobile homes at a 110-unit mobile home park acquisition new to my portfolio. Prospective handymen were responding from online, off-line, and newspaper advertisements.

That said hindsight is 20/20. So now let me give you a recap of all my mistakes so you can avoid them in your own real estate investing business. Below is a list of some of the major mistakes made.

8 Mistakes I Made That Led to the Hiring (& Firing) of a Deadbeat Handyman

1. I did not test his performance prior to giving him work.

Moving forward, all prospective handymen will bid and perform multiple jobs ranging in skilled abilities before a full-time position will be offered. By not testing your handymen’s capabilities, you can only trust them on their words.

2. Bad attitude was overlooked in our first few interactions.

Looking back, it is hard to see how I missed this while dealing with this handyman for multiple days. A bad attitude can be like a blanket in that it covers a person’s attitude, expressions and work performance. This poor choice for a handyman was quickly souring relations between the park manager, myself and residents.

3. I listened to his excuses more than once.

Excuses stink! Excuses are the result of poor planning, a lack of communication, and throwing in the towel. Looking back, I think how stupid I just was at allowing this handyman to procrastinate and make excuses, instead of improvements.

4. I did not interview with more than 3 people before hiring him.

I was pushing myself to stay ahead of my own deadline with regard to making repairs and selling mobile homes in my newly acquired mobile home community. Due to this rush, I hired the second handyman who applied and sweet talked his way into a job. Admittedly, I fell for this handyman’s story; he talked the talk, but couldn’t walk the walk.

All handymen moving forward will be interviewed at length, and a minimum of 10 handymen will be screened and given test jobs before one is hired.

5. I did not have an adequate system in place to keep him on-track.

Before the handyman ever started, there should have been in on-boarding process to welcome and transition this handyman on to the team. Since letting this handyman go, we have started using and implementing Basecamp.com to track our job progress, changes, deadlines, responsibilities and the duties of each person on the team.

6. I did not interview in front of the park manager.

There was always an error in the chain of command. While walking this handyman around the park and interviewing him prior to hiring, we never stopped to talk to or meet with the long time park manager. Once this handyman was hired, he gave little respect to the park manager or her wishes.

7. I did not set firm enough boundaries.

Working one-on-one with handymen, residents, and employees can make for tricky business. Great leaders are not born, they are made. Over the coming months and years, this balance between boss, coworker, and friend will have to be adjusted and tested time and time again. With every mistake, I make my personal boundaries of what I will allow and not allow become stronger and clearer. The clearer these boundaries are to me, the clearer I can make them to others.

8. I did not adequately set expectations and a vision for the park.

If you don’t believe in your vision, who will? This mobile home park is a fixer upper, with a lot of potential in a great up-and-coming little city. As community owner and leader, it is my job to sell this vision in the minds and hearts of the residents, employees, and local community.

Example: “Our vision and goal is to provide a safe, friendly, and comfortable group of neighbors living together in a great mobile home community.”

In conclusion, I totally blame myself for the poor choices and quick decision to hire this handyman. I am not a born manager, leader, or mobile home park owner. However, for all the experience and knowledge I lack, I am determined to push forward and learn from every win and mistake made. This entire article may have been avoided had I researched more and asked my mentors for their personal advice dealing with and hiring handymen and handywomen.

50 Mobile Home Handyman Tips

1. Do not include material costs in your handymen’s bids. You will provide and pay for these materials as needed. Contractors up charging you for materials is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
2. Give your potential handyman a small task, such as; fixing a soft spot in the floor, correcting a small plumbing problem, removing and replacing a tiny bit water stains on the roof, patching a mobile home metal roof with a 5 gallon bucket of roof cement/tar, or building new steps up to the home’s entrance. This small test will help give you hints as to the handyman’s proficiency, speed, quality and problem-solving abilities.
3. Ask for referrals and check references.
4. Understand the difference between the price of something in the cost of something. Prices the amount of money you pay upfront for an item or service, however the cost is the amount of money will pay over the life time of the product or service.
5. Make sure your handymen and contractors have at least 3 years of mobile home rehab experience. A handyman or contractor that is experienced with mobile homes will save you 30%-70% time and money with their knowledge of quick and accurate fixes needed for each job. We never want to just “Band-Aid” a problem, we want to make sure to correct the issue now and moving forward. A mobile home experienced handyman will save you time and money and get the job done right.
6. Don’t listen to a contractor or handyman tells you mobile homes and single-family homes are basically the same construction.
7. Talk is cheap. Action speaks so much louder than words.
8. While you’re walking through your investment mobile home with your handyman, ask them, “How would you fix this?” The handyman or contractor should have a quick and accurate answer for you. They should keep in mind your limited budget for each mobile home.
9. Show up to hardware stores at 6 AM and befriend local contractors and handymen getting started for work.
10. It is not your job to train your handyman or contractor.
11. Remember you’re the boss!
12. Let contractors and handymen bid a price per home based on all the jobs added together. If you have any questions about how long or costly a mobile home rehab or repair might be please email me at support@mobilehomeinvesting.net. If a handyman ever asks you, “How much are you looking to spend to fix this home?” Your answer should always be, “As little as possible. Please bid the job as competitively as you can.”
13. Make sure to sign a contract stating the amount of compensation, time expected, and specific repairs for each investment home. The more specific you can be the better.
14. Keep track of repairs being made with constant updates from your handyman daily and/or by using a program such as Basecamp.com to track repairs as they are being made.
15. If you own an entire mobile home park make sure to interview all handymen and contractors in front of the park manager. Handymen with bad attitudes may sometimes forget the park manager is the boss while you are not there.
16. Never tolerate a bad attitude or excuses from a handyman. How someone does one thing is how they do everything.
17. Interview at least 10 handymen or contractors before settling with one. Some handyman or contractor’s won’t even show up to your appointments. And the ones that do may not even get a bid back to you ever.
18. Place an ad at the “Gigs” and “General Labor” section of Craigslist.com. Be very thorough in your wants, the repairs needed, and the compensation you will be paying. Definitely include very detailed pictures of the repairs needed.
19. Always take bids by the job and not by the hour. Again never agree to pay a handyman or contractor per hour.
20. While interacting with your handymen always be: #1 business and professional, #2 respectful, and in a very distant #3 social. You are not friends, you are client and worker. It is so much easier to be taken advantage of if you are more friends than you are business associates.
21. Your handyman or contractor should not be begging you for work. They should also be not so swamped that they can’t fit you in until next month.
22. Pay your handyman a 1099 and not a W-2. You do not want an employee, you want a subcontractor.
23. Google search for reviews on every potential contractor or handyman you consider.
24. Will your handyman or contractor be using subcontractors on this project?
25. Will your handyman or contractor be personally overseeing the work?
26. How long have they been running their own crew? How many guys do they currently have on their crew?
27. How do they clean up their job site when they’re done?
28. Think of hiring a contractor or handyman as a triangle. In one corner you have the Quality of the handyman’s work. In another corner you have the Price the handyman will charge per hour and/or for the total job. And in the last corner you have the Service, or the speed and promptness at which these repairs get done. You will find many handymen that fill only one of these corners , few that fill two of these corners  and only through searching high and low will you find a handymen that fits all three corners.
29. Know your numbers before you ever get started. Before you make any seller your purchase offers, make sure to calculate the repairs needed.
30. Concerning mobile homes, account for an extra 20% in miscellaneous and unexpected repairs.
31. Each mistake makes you stronger. Learn from your mistakes. None of us are perfect or born leaders. Make sure to review every deal and look for the mistakes to correct and never duplicate.
32. Ask for handymen referrals at your local Real Estate Investors Association or club meeting. If you’re not sure where your local real estate investors club meeting is being held click here to find locations in your state.
33. If you sense something is not working-out, bring it up immediately. Never hesitate to dismiss a handymen from a job.
34. Ask your handymen and contractors if they are licensed and insured. You want them to be.
35. A handyman or contractor should make your life easier. If they are not, dump them.
36. Handymen and contractors that understand plumbing is a bonus.
37. It is a big red flag if the handyman is bad-mouthing or trash-talking their last employer.
38. Again, you absolutely want a handyman or contractor with many years mobile home repair experience.
39. Handywomen are just as awesome as handymen. Many times even more competent and reliable.
40. Let your handyman or contractor know that you want to build a long-term relationship with them. This is not just one single job, you will have more work for them in the near future on your next investment property.
41. Has your handyman or contractor ever had a disciplinary action filed against them?
42. Does your handyman or contractor ever give written warranties?
43. Although a handymen may be very talented at making repairs, they may be an awful business operator/manager for themselves.
44. Ask local park managers for mobile home handymen referrals and contractor referrals. Sometimes residents of their parks will be great handymen with years of experience that are looking for work.
45. Be proactive and begin looking for handymen and referrals right now and before you actually need the work done.
46. Do not pay a contractor or handyman upfront.
47. If you have tenant-buyers that you are selling a home to then consider asking them at closing, “Are you handy? If so what can you do and do you want any extra work?” Some of my best handymen are our current residents; they do great work, are sober and reliable, they often times will accept payment in discounted future monthly rent, and you know where they live.
48. Did I mention ask for referrals and references, and actually call all of them to get their honest and heartfelt feedback.
49. Where is your handyman or contractor’s office?
50. Knowledge is power. So if you have any questions or concerns about how much repairs should cost and how long this should take please don’t hesitate to email me personally at support@mobilehomeinvesting.net.

Do you have a handyman or contractor hiring tip? Please leave your opinion in the comments section below for us all to learn from.

Love what you do daily,
John Fedro