Handy man fees...Your thoughts

Handy man fees...Your thoughts

Investor · Rochester, NY · Member since 2013 · 130 posts · 36 votes

Hello,

Am i being unreasonable by telling my handy man that these charges are too much.  He said he went online and searched for average charges.  My argument is he should use local comparisons not national. And i could have done most of these except the ceiling repair :) It's just that i am 2 hrs away from the property in Rochester NY.  Would gas be worth it to fix these minor repairs? (The work is already completed and i will pay) but i don't want him to think he can take advantage of me..especially being that i am a woman.  Thanks.

2 Two installed smoke detectors 25.00 25.00
1 Installed new padlock 25.00 25.00
1 Repair the door with hinge with new holes 50.00 50.00
1 Ceiling repair replaced the new drywall, screwed the stud and patched 2nd times then put the texture for match ceiling. Painted 2nd coat. 85.00 85.00
1 Tile base fell off and removed the old caulked then cleaned installed new caulked. 25.00 25.00
1 Drywall 0.00 0.00
1 Purchased receipts from Home Depot 33.65 33.65
243.65
3Reply
186 views

Most Popular Reply

Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
7y

@Meg K.,

Those seem very reasonable to me, if anything the drywall job alone I'd expect to cost around $200.   If he/she does quality work, don't nickle and dime them-- a good relationship is worth a lot more than a few bucks! 

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  • East Texas · Member since 2018 · 205 posts · 138 votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @JD Martin:

    Can you ask him if he feels like moving to Tennessee? I could use someone good and cheap like that :)

     He could make a lot of money by starting a bidding war just in this thread alone!

    That is insanely cheap. My guy charged me that just to patch some drywall let alone all that extra stuff. I'd say that would run me around $800 where I am.

  • Real Estate Broker · Nashville, TN · Member since 2013 · 54 posts · 29 votes
    7y

    Relationships are key.

    Take a big picture look at this one - investing is long term proposition, no matter what

    type of RE area you work in.

    Fair is a very important word to me personally,

    I'd suggest fostering this relationship and build on it. He's working for a living,

    saves you from the time investment of doing it yourself.

    Best to you on your properties -

  • Specialist · Easton, PA · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y

    @Lucius Carroll

    Relationships are key. Being a contractor and investor myself works great for my investor clients. I have two clients where their combined 30 properties tenants don’t bother them with maintenance/repair issues. My clients know they can count on me, and at a fair price. I send the bill and they pay it. 10 years with one guy and 12 with the other.

    What people need to understand is there are costs in doing business (the right way). Vehicle, fuel, GL insurance, state licenses, tools, etc. This stuff doesn’t come cheap. So when people want stuff done the right way, its costs.

  • Investor · Rochester, NY · Member since 2013 · 130 posts · 36 votes
    7y
    The drywall part is a small 2 feet hole in the ceiling...anyway, i understand.  This is his side job, not his full time job...it's good enough for small repairs.  For a major repair i would go with a professional who works full time in that field.  Thanks.


    Originally posted by @Justin K.:
    Originally posted by @JD Martin:

    Can you ask him if he feels like moving to Tennessee? I could use someone good and cheap like that :)

     He could make a lot of money by starting a bidding war just in this thread alone!

    That is insanely cheap. My guy charged me that just to patch some drywall let alone all that extra stuff. I'd say that would run me around $800 where I am.

  • Contractor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2018 · 1 post · 0 votes
    7y

    @Meg K. Hi Meg, I’m not understanding the prices on your post can you please clarify? Also what is the total he invoiced you for? Was it Labor and materials? Thanks!

  • Rental Property Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 325 posts · 253 votes
    7y

    @Meg K. These changes are very reasonable, actually little bit on a low side. Be glad you have him. I have a handyman who charges me $100 for small jobs like that because while he is doing small jobs he is not doing something big, trade off. I will take your handyman all day for that price. However, ask him for 10% discount since he is already there doing many of these thing that are not time consuming. Pay him $200 but start at $175 as flat fee.

  • Investor · Trafalgar, IN · Member since 2016 · 95 posts · 58 votes
    7y

    @Meg K. Pay the guy...I wouldn’t go to a house across the street and do the repairs for that. If he’s trustworthy, use him again. Im a full time investor and contractor and it blows my mind sometimes what investors think they can “get stuff done for”. The cheapest price is NEVER the best option....

  • Scott JensenPro Member
    Financial Advisor · Blaine, MN · Member since 2014 · 477 posts · 387 votes
    7y

    Don't forget that he is probably paying taxes on this (or at least he should be). Self employment taxes of about 15%, federal income taxes of about 12%, and state taxes of about 6%... That turns $243.65 into $165. There's no way I would have done all that work for $165...

  • Member since 2018 · 25 posts · 0 votes
    7y

    Ridiculously cheap overall.  I do not nickel and dime my handyman because if take care of him then he will take care of me when I really need him.

  • Real Estate Broker · Central Coast, CA · Member since 2019 · 15 posts · 10 votes
    7y

    Id love to get those prices!

  • Engineer · Portland, OR · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    @Meg K. It’s really just supply and demand in your market. In some areas of the country that’s s great deal in others not do much. You can always try out other handymen which will enlighten you more than anything you are going to read here. My impression is you think you are getting ripped off, but it doesn’t seem that way to me

  • Contractor · Matthews, NC · Member since 2017 · 15 posts · 1 vote
    7y

    @Meg K. All of those prices sound extremely reasonable. Based on the prices guessing he works for himself and might carry insurance.

  • Rental Property Investor · East Aurora, NY · Member since 2017 · 19 posts · 17 votes
    7y

    @Meg K. I’d say those prices are extremely fair. If his work was good and he showed up when he said he would, then you’ve really lucked out. Does you handy man do work in Buffalo?

  • Rental Property Investor · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 257 posts · 130 votes
    7y

    @Meg K. I would have charged you at least $325 in suburbs of Buffalo

  • Investor · Sooke, British Columbia · Member since 2015 · 2 posts · 1 vote
    7y

    @Matt Michaelson

    Okay I think she gets it people..

    We all started some where.. We all learn..

  • Rental Property Investor · North East US · Member since 2019 · 114 posts · 31 votes
    7y

    Does he shows you any testimonials for his experience? If not its first sign that you can lower the price.

    May you can tell him that price he propose are ok but for very short time to complete. Determine unrealistic short timeframe and add if he may exceed this deadline price will be lowered.

    Of course it depends on average costs from your area and on size of property😎

  • Forest Park, IL · Member since 2013 · 1 post · 0 votes
    7y

    I recently struggled with a similar situation where I thought my handyman was overcharging me for some projects around my house. I quickly got over myself , when he called me while I was out making errands, that my projects were done. Yeah!

  • Morrison, IL · Member since 2016 · 48 posts · 68 votes
    7y

    I'm from rural Illinois where things tend to be a lot cheaper.... and it seems reasonable to me. I do all my repairs on two SFR units, but i would pay that price if I was in a pinch.

    My 2 cents.

  • Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2019 · 1 post · 0 votes
    7y

    @Meg K. I live in Seattle and a basic drywall repair patch is $250 or more. If he went to HD and bought all the materials then fixed your drywall and painted it. You have more than $250 worth of labor. If I understand your post correctly he probably spent about 1 hour getting materials and 4 hours doing the work. That’s less than$50 an hour and he has to pay 30% to taxes and pay off the materials. Your time is more valuable then that.

    Dustin

  • Rental Property Investor · Papillion, NE · Member since 2017 · 398 posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    @Meg K. It depends. There are sliding scales of what a handyman is worth also how much work you are providing them. If its sporadic than expect to pay higher rates (the rates you mentioned are very reasonable on a pro rata basis). I have a PT hmadyman that is paid $18 an hour for basic work and $25 an hour for snow removal. They have their own truck and are fairly independent.

  • Contractor · Alexandria, VA · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 5 votes
    7y

    @Meg K.

    When I was starting out on my own as a contractor, I did a lot of handyman filler work. I think your handyman is priced very reasonably - IF the quality of his work is good... being two hours away from your property, I think you should consider the 4 hour round trip, fuel, your time spent assessing the problem(s) going to get supplies and then actually doing the work and of course the opportunity cost (you could be earning elsewhere instead of fixing these minor items.)

    Someone who is responsive when you need them and does quality work is invaluable. x10 when you are out of the area and can tackle these issues with a phone call.

  • Rental Property Investor · Brooklyn, NY · Member since 2013 · 272 posts · 165 votes
    7y

    I personally dont like it when service people - especially electricians - charge "per-point" or per job. Any job can be broken down to 2 things: Materials & Labor.

    I actually find that the best strategy is to find a good handyman you trust who charges by the hour, and just pay her/him for the labor. (and reimburse  - without padding or markup - for any materials needed)

    For ex, I know that changing out a faucet shouldn't take more than 45 mins, so if a handyman tries to charge $ 150 (excluding the faucet itself)  for this simple task, i might feel exploited.

    Depending on where you live, quality reliable handymen can fetch between $20-50 per hour  (vs federal min wage is less than $8/hr) so this is pretty good for work that doesnt even require a high-school GED IMO.

  • Buffalo, NY · Member since 2014 · 371 posts · 146 votes
    7y

    Seem very reasonable, if not low.

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