Finding Contractors to Rehab Your Properties


by Mandy Sheckles - Date: 2007-01-08 - Word Count: 477 Share This!

Contractors are your right-hand men in this business. Without them, you'll never be able to grow your rehabbing business. They are the ones that will be rehabbing your properties and ultimately, making much of what you do as a rehabber possible. Dealing with contractors is my favorite part of the rehabbing business, and that's primarily because they can be such a great source of entertainment. (Because of them, I now have plenty of funny stories to tell.) Working with contractors requires a fair warning about what you'll encounter with them, so prepare yourself. Never be surprised by anything that a contractor does. Never assume that they'll do exactly as you hope. Keep this in mind whether they have worked for you one time or thirty times. And most importantly, remember that you are the one in control - always!

I have not always turned out a finished property that I was proud of. In the beginning, I hired backyard handymen, rather than true contractors, because they were less expensive. I was not savvy enough to know that their work was crappy. They were small-time players who half-fixed everything and relied on super glue and duct tape to get them through their day. They did meet nor even know housing codes. They cut corners whenever they could. I believed them when they told me they had the expertise to fix anything that needed done: plumbing, electrical, furnace, etc. Boy, was I gullible!

These contractors would lie, cheat, and steal in order to make me believe that they were competent. In the beginning I was not experienced enough to know what quality work looked like, I did not realize that I was not selling a quality product. I soon had an epiphany: I was paying these small-time contractors $5 less and getting $1 results! I quit using backyard handymen. I began researching to find people who knew what they were doing and I was willing to pay to have these quality people. It was one of the most important lessons that I have learned. Professionals do a quality job within a reasonable time frame. They are priceless. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good, professional contractor.

You really need to be certain that home repair work is being done right. I am not suggesting that you learn how to do the work yourself (which may not be the best use of your time) but do become aware of what a job well done looks like. I use inspectors to survey a property before the work is done and after. I also have very specific contractor guidelines to insure the quality of my properties. If the contractor hasn't followed the guidelines, they haven't finished their job! You want to be able to turn over the best product available to your customers and you need to hold your contractors responsible for their work.


Related Tags: contractors, real estate, estate, real, millionaire, properties, cash, labor, rehab, workers

Mandy Sheckles is the founder and President of The Wealth Corp. Through her courage, opportunism, and perseverance, she did what so many of us wish we could do - she renovated her success and now is a self-made real estate millionaire living the American Dream!

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: