Less Headache Working For Landlords.....

btownpa

While most of my business comes from home owners , I do work for a couple landlords.. the landlord work has been going in when a tenant moves out and doing some repairs and repainting.. and so far they have been easyer to work with .. basically they just want cost effective and tenant proof repairs and then paint , and paint is mostly white or off white, so its pretty straight forward and simple.

home owners.............
oh I would like to look at 45 diffrent light fixtures .......and what!! ..... that paint color on the 1 inch sample doesnt look the same when its on a 10 ft wall....

So does any one eles work for landlords ?
basically what I was thinking is I could start offering apartment turn over service to landlords . In my area there are plenty of landlords that own lots of rentals and when you own alot of propertys , its going to be pretty often you are going to have a tenant moving out. so if I could get a good amount of landlords useing my service it could provide pretty steady work, atleast thats the idea anyway. well I was curious to see what other people thought about this idea, or maybe some of you are already working for landlords . so what do you think, good idea or bad?
thanks,
Dennis

Mike Finley

What you are describing is a property management company.

Darwin

When I first started out, I worked for a couple of landlords. Always paid on time but you must come in cheap with your labor prices. Most won't pay my prices now. I am fair. I just now know what it takes to provide service to them now. I got ... what do you say ... edumacated ...

WarnerConstInc.

I dont want to start typing because it will be long. Property Managment is the term exactley. Look for a property managment company, get in that way.

Its great for a while steady work, decent money, money in a timely manner. However, I found out this year that it actually cost me more money to work on their stuff and my other stuff 6 days a week. I backed off and for the summers I only accept larger projects or specific lanlord requests for me personally.

I make way more and work way less when I dont do too much property maintence. Dont get me wrong, it worked very well for the last 5 years and gave me an opportunity to spread my name around to the 'right' kind of clients.

ModernStyle

All the ladlords I know dont want to pay anything, they also want to use crap materials. Thats not how I want to be seen, as some blow and go guy making a quick buck. I am sure that there are some decent landlords that want quality and are willing to pay for it, but the ones I have dealt with were basically slumlords.

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btownpa

well so far its sounding like a bad idea in the long run

warner... what is your idea of the " right client "?

do you mean high end ,educated consumer?

maybe i have been dealing with the wrong clients.

so to warner and anyone eles , what is the profile of your idea client ?

DavidC

An ideal client wants what I offer and is comfortable with my rates.

Good Luck
Dave

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kevjob

Search the marketing forum there is valuable knowledge in there, you have to do the leg work but it will be worth it.

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olyteddy

I do turns these days as an in-house guy and for me and my crew the bottom line is speed. If a more expensive material can get the job done quicker, I'll use it. We strive for 40 or less manhours including paint, mechanical (electric and plumbing - often including a water heater) and cleaning. The schedule is pretty rigid but there are exceptions. The last two apartments, for instance, included some major bathroom repair and new tub surrounds.

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Dustyrose

You won't get rich working for landlords but they can provide steady income. Most of my work is through investors (flippers). But we do complete rehabs. Occasionally we will help with a turn over for select investors. Most landlords don't want to pay my prices.

Too many investors want quality work at crack-head prices. Well you can't have both. Some wisen up. They get tired of floating gas money and they get tired of looking for another crack-head to finish or repair the first crack-heads work. That is no joke.

You must stick firm to your prices and only do what you are contracted to do because some landlords will walk all over you and try to get you to do extras for nothing.

If that is what you like doing go for it. You will make more money from home owners but a good network of investors can keep you busy even during the usual slow months.

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WarnerConstInc.

My right client, almost ready to retire, or young family. Or ones that just say do it and let me know when you need money.

Actually, the right ones are the ones that seek you for the most part.

I do some work for one investor, he pays like clockwork, never have to worry about the money not being there. I do seem to have to work about 7-10% below my ideal price though, usually made up in a few extras along the way though.

Jason Whipple

This has been my experience to. Crap work, crap materials, and crap pay. They don't seem to care how good the work is, they only want it cheap. Maybe there are better ones out there, but they all look at there property as a money maker and don't want to spend an extra dime on anything.

I could never be a profitable landlord It's not in my nature to take the short cuts.

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WarnerConstInc.

I agree however, after someone 'fixes' the same thing 2 or 3 times in the course of a year, the landlord will be looking for something more. That is where I stepped in, sure they want it to be cost effective but, what is cost effective about putting a band aid something 3 times?

That's where I stepped in and was able to fix the problem correctly but, using materials that would hold up to the wear and tear of renters.

Some property owners I wont touch a thing on their stuff because I know how they are. Pick and choose your battles.

On a side note, last year I did 2 20k+ jobs on properties that this company managed.

Floordude

Sounds like your pricing needs to rise for homeowners and the more service your having to provide.

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BMAN

Landlords don't pay good enough to want to work for them. The ideal client is one who will pay a fair price and knows that it takes a little time to do it right.

renet2

Lower prices help in exchange for volume. Sometimes you can keep multiple crews or individuals working by servicing a large property management firms.

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ArtKit

LOL! That's exactly what I am saying! These home owners are crazy, they want the everything that's impossible! But our clients know if they want something special or unique they know they are going to pay thru the nose for it... which makes it worth my time!

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