How to Find and Hire an Expert Handyman

When you’re hiring a handyman to work around your home, you’ll want to get a trusted person with skills to deliver quality work. That’s more so if the tasks you require demand a specific skill or know-how. You don’t want to put your house at risk, after all. 

The question is: how do you go about finding trustworthy handymen? That’s what we’re here to help you with. Keep reading to find out how to find and hire an expert handyman!

How Do I Find a Good Handyman?

There are many ways to find a good handyman to get your home projects done. The key is never to attempt to cut corners because countless handymen aren’t really up to the job. Here’s a list of some of the best ways to find someone for your repair job:

Referrals

Word of mouth goes a long way! One of the best ways to choose your handyman is by asking your friends, neighbours, family members, or homeowners around you for referrals. 

More often than not, people have an ongoing relationship with a handyman company or just an independent handyman for their services, and they’ll be able to recommend someone or give you their business cards. 

Online Search

With a quick search, you’ll find lists of handymen online. The best part about these directories, like Yelp, as a source, is that you can read reviews by customers assessing contractors, their skills, service professionals, and the handyman service itself. Like referrals, testimonials are mostly genuine!

Local Chamber of Commerce

Your Local Chamber of Commerce or any similar entities, like the Board of Trade or Business Association, are an excellent way of choosing your handyman. Such trusted entities won’t recommend handymen that aren’t reputable, so you’re in good hands.

What Questions Should I Ask a Handyman?

At this point, you should have a shortlist of handymen you think may be fit for the job. The next step would be to interview them. You need to make sure that they can handle the handyman services you need and agree on a budget. Whether it’s face to face or by phone, here’s what to look for:

Experience

Ask your local handyman about what types of work and home repair projects they’ve worked on previously. Hear them before you start outlining your home project’s scope to get an idea about whether they’ve done this kind of work before or not. 

License

Not all states or regions require a contractor to be licensed, but if you live in one where it’s a must, ask the contractor for their license number and verify it.

Quotes

When you start outlining your jobs or projects, your contractor will give you an estimated quote. Be very clear that you’re not making any commitments. Take note of the quotes and compare them with the market average to make sure you’re making the right decision.

Ask for References

Handyman service pros will be willing to provide you with a list of homeowners they’ve worked with to get in touch with for feedback. They’ll also have before and after pictures for previous jobs, tell you how much they cost, and detail how they plan on getting your project done. 

I just want to stress that you shouldn’t shy away from calling any homeowner the contractor referenced. You are trusting them with your home, so it’s best to hear about the quality of work, any deteriorations that may have happened, any delays, and more. 

What Should I Look for When Hiring a Handyman?

Once you’ve almost settled your mind on a particular local handyman, but you’re still confused between a couple of them, you’ll want to filter them out. Since we’ve been there before, here are some tips to help you narrow down your options even more.

Don’t Go for the Cheapest Bid 

It may be tempting to choose the home handyman with the lowest bid, but believe me, you get what you pay for. Especially with home improvement projects, you don’t want to risk getting subpar service that you’ll need to redo every couple of months. Chances are, the material going into your renovations will be of cheap quality that will deteriorate in no time!

Don’t Believe Overpromises 

Some handymen are good with words. They know how desperately you need your home improvements, and they’ll play on that. Be attentive to promises that just aren’t realistic, like that a job will only take a couple of days when it only makes sense for it to take at least a couple of weeks. 

Or when you’re 100% sure that your ideas and project are rather complex, and the contractor makes it seem like a piece of cake. I’m not saying that this is a general rule, but you need to be careful. 

Agree on a Detailed Action Plan

Regardless of how minor or major your project is, you should always ask your contractor for a plan on how they plan to achieve the task at hand. It’s best if it’s detailed as could be and always have it in writing. Include details of materials, equipment, cost, and duration. 

Check for Insurance

Finally, even if your state doesn’t require handymen to be licensed, they certainly should have insurance to cover any possible issues that may arise. Your homeowner, real estate agent, or renter’s insurance doesn’t cover contractors of your hiring, so in case any damage is caused, you want your contractor to offer you insurance.

Stay Involved!

To wrap up, once you’ve chosen a contractor for your handyman services and home repair, here are my two final tips: never pay upfront and stay involved. Always be actively involved in your handyman services, and don’t just trust them blindly. 

Hopefully, my tips on how to choose a good handyman come in handy, regardless of which categories of work you’re going for or your location! With some research and the right interview questions, you’ll find the right ones. To a happy home!