Despite what you may believe, watching countless episodes of “Bob the Builder” does not exactly turn you into a construction or home-repair professional. For those who completely refrain from DIY savvy ways, it becomes necessary to hire an expert every time a light fixture breaks, a wall starts to peel off, or a faucet doesn’t function.
When such situations arise, and you are in dire need to hire a handyman, how do you decide where to look for one? Well, anyone with a hammer can proclaim themselves a handyman, but how do you know that they are good enough?
To make the hassle of hiring a handyman a little easier for you, here we have laid out a perfect guide to finding the right and best handymen. So, you won’t ever have to deal with a poorly repaired faucet, a half hanging fixture, or a painted wall.
1. Ask Your Family or Friends for A Referral
When you are new to any neighborhood, the best way to hire a handyman would be to get recommendations from your friends and family if they live around the area. Prompt them for a detailed review of the company’s or the individual’s general standards, performance, and professional behavior. Most homeowners, such as those who’ve installed new Legacy Quartz Countertops, will have recruited help from the handyman services at least once or twice. Hence, they will be able to give you a trustworthy recommendation.
2. Hunt for A Perfect Handyman Online
One of the most efficient ways to find handyman services around your area is through business review websites. You will find a complete directory of home service providers from handymen, construction, and architectural services to doctors and veterinarians on the websites like Angie’s List, Yelp, HomeAdvisor, Houzz, and various others. These Websites provide authentic reviews and ratings about every listed service so that you can make the right choice.
While searching for the best service, try to be specific about what kind of help you want and make sure to mention your city. For instance, if you want assistance with various New York City projects, a simple search like “Handyman Services NYC” will lead you to countless companies and individual services. You can check the reviews and ratings to decide which service you want to hire.
The websites like Houzz and Angie’s List operate in America while Yelp runs in 31 different countries. Search for an authentic directory that runs in your country to hire reliable home repair services.
3. Seek Suggestions from a Community Forum
Most of the newer communities and apartment buildings have community forums or groups where residents can share information about various topics, including handyman services. You will often find word-of-mouth referrals at these forums if you are not on talking terms with anyone around the neighborhood who might give you a promising lead on reliable home service providers. While you are online, search for such forums to seek out first-hand reviews and browse for good referrals.
4. Reach Out to Your Local Hardware Store
If you haven’t had any luck with online resources, visit your local hardware store or home improvement center. A bulletin board is often placed outside the shop at hardware stores for sticking pamphlets, flyers, and business cards of both companies and private contractors. There is a high chance that you will find someone reliable to work for you through these flyers or cards. However, make sure that you ask the staff for a recommendation, and if you decide to go with a particular handyman service, try to search them online to dig up some reviews.
5. Run A Background Check on Candidates
Check if your candidates have any past complaints registered against them. In the United States, employers can run a background check on their workers through the Better Business Bureau website. You can easily find out if your prospect has been filed for any lawsuit or scam before trusting them with an estimate of your task. If you find anything significant against them, consider going with the second alternative instead.
Some Tips Before You Hire
Before handing over any task, ask your handyman to present some license or verification. Let the handyman know where you found them and make it clear that you intend to leave ratings and a review once the job is over. While this does not guarantee a quality service, it sure works as a motivator. Never pay the full amount of money upfront to the contractors. Generally, pay a small estimate sufficient to cover supplies and pay the complete balance after the job is fulfilled.