Do you feel like finding the Right Contractor Just Got Harder? You’re not alone.
There are plenty of good contractors out there. But the path to finding them has changed… and not in your favor. Just hop on any neighborhood social media group and try to find a painter, handyman or HVAC guy, sit back and watch. Dozens of responses appear within moments of your request – from Bots, girlfriends, contractors. An occasional legit recommendation might appear as well.
I spend a lot of time vetting vendors for Real Landlording. I use many vendors on my own projects, I participate in discussions about contracting, I investigate areas of expertise and am constantly learning. I love doing this, learning about the different approaches contractors take and weeding out the good from the bad. But what was until not long ago one of my preferred methods for finding out who best serves my neighbors, has become absolute marketing slop – a mix of AI generated logos, fake recommendations and self promotions.
So now, we run tools that surface review patterns across platforms, things that don’t show up on search – like the contractor who hooks investors in because he used to work for L&I and we uncovered that he actually served prison time for something that happened while he worked there. We collect information from the vendor to understand their ability to manage jobs and finances. And then there’s the human side… Conversations. Meetings. With the contractor. With their clients.
Sometimes you uncover things you’d never expect. Other times, you hear a landlord talk about a contractor and you just know this person shows up, communicates, and does what they say and more. An older owner recently initiated a call with me to simply tell me how wonderful the HVAC guy we are onboarding is because it was so clear to her how much better his service was than her previous experiences. The people part matters more than some realize.
So what actually changed out there?
We are now suffering from an overload of too much information since it is so easy for anyone to share and create content. There are no more gatekeepers. Even in those neighborhood groups I referred to – most can not keep up with monitoring the content and comments and they become a free for all.
It all looks the same -logos, company names, photos of work samples . . . So people default to guessing and frequently make decisions based on pricing. Many contractors have learned the subtle art of creating urgency and meaningless discount offers. I can come today. 10% off this month (off what?!). I have a job around the corner I am just finishing.
Nobody that you connect to in this random fashion can possibly know or understand your context: rental vs homeowner, budget needs, repair vs replace, tenant situation, compliance requirements. And not every contractor knows how to deal with the nuances of rental properties. Do you give them access to meet your tenant and tell a tenant what is wrong with YOUR property?
A contractor isn’t just “good” or “bad”. Different contractors and service providers can be right for certain situations and wrong for others. And of course, some are very wrong for every situation. We have all hired one of those.
If you are dealing with something right now…
Before you call 5 random people or go with the first one who responds, just pause. And try out one of Real Landlording selected vendors. From Appliance Repair to HVAC to full gut projects and additions. Our expanding network of accountable vendors can help you get things done and keep your assets running.
Even a quick second opinion over the phone can save you a lot of trouble sometimes.
