What To Consider Before Hiring A Mobile-Home Handyman

If you have spent years investing and rehabilitating mobile homes, you’ll realize that it is hard to find the “ideal” contractors or handymen. They all differ in how they work the mobile home and how they see the finished product. Despite their differences, there are still a few similarities. This article will guide you in dealing with handymen. Below are what you need to consider before hiring a mobile-home handyman.

1. Different Expectations

As an investor, you look at a mobile home differently than a handyman. You will look at it as an investment; something that will earn you more money than the amount you spent on it. On the other hand, a handyman will look at what can be repaired and how they can earn more money out of the repairs.

By letting the handyman work on the mobile home rehab, you might find yourself paying for a lot of repairs. It is best to set expectations with your handyman and take control of the rehab. Only make them fix what is needed. If a part of the mobile home still works or does not endanger the safety of its future occupants, then it may be okay to leave it be. This will save you time, money, and energy.

2. Handyman’s Work Experience

It is advisable to work with a handyman or contractor with at least 2 years of experience in rehabilitating mobile-homes. An inexperienced handyman may not know how to work with mobile homes since it is not like a regular home. If they know the business, they might know shortcuts in working with mobile homes without sacrificing quality and may even charge less if you’re lucky. Plus, they might have mobile home-specific tools and parts that not all handymen have.

3. Transparency with the Handyman

Letting the handyman know about your expectations, budget, boundaries, and other conditions you may have is important. Lack of transparency could cause confusion and lead to loss of money, time, and energy. A written agreement with clear and specific instructions would help a lot in these situations.

TAKE NOTE: You cannot set realistic expectations if you have no knowledge about flipping a mobile home. You can find knowledge on repairs and other useful insights through experienced mobile home investors in forums, Facebook groups, and other mobile home websites.

4. Weigh Your Options

Having potential contractors and handymen bid on rehab jobs is acceptable if you want to choose quickly and efficiently. Another thing you could do is have the contractors list the possible repairs and their costs to help you decide which one is best for you. Lastly, you can also give them a test that shows their skills. Whichever method you use is up to you. What’s important is you weigh your options intelligently.

5. Know Your Paperwork

Depending on your location, there is a set of rules for mobile home repairs and it might involve paperwork with the park and/or with the contractors. You may ask for help at a club meeting or to your Real Estate Investors Association. Like in number 3, you can always ask online to know more about these types of things.

There is still a lot more to learn about dealing with mobile home contractors or handyman like payment for services, avoidable mistakes, and advertising. Keep on researching for knowledge and don’t be shy to ask for help online or offline.