Never had to maintain a home/do repairs. New investor

Rehabbing & House Flipping
10yFollow

Never had to maintain a home/do repairs. New investor

Cody Barrett
Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 345 posts · 138 votes

You guys rock! 

Just a hurdle I am trying to smoothly clear by preparing myself before taking on my 1st property when it closes this week.  (2unit upper/lower duplex) built in 1920 but in excellent shape. Inspector was impressed and simply recommended some updates here and there (also a local investor).. 

I am in preparation for things to go wrong at some point though and knowing that I never had to deal with any home maintenance/repairs/updates in my life because I am young and this is my first property ever.  I am a little nervous of getting that first maintenance or emergency call from a Tenant.  So.....

Any recommendations on handling a situation like this?  Just handle anything I am comfortable with (might not be a whole lot lol) or maybe just find a local handyman and ask if he is OK with short term calls/needs from my tenants or myself? 

Really, I hate bandaid repairs because it just adds to the cost of finally just getting it done correctly.  No doubt I will be screening and requesting referrals for any handyman or contractor for repairs or updates.   But I am a quick learner so maybe after watching a few projects I can test the waters myself? Anyone ever do something like that?

I will look to hire someone permanently when I have more doors to manage but for just starting out I am a little stuck... haha!

Thanks for sharing your experiences!!

Cody

1Reply
30 views

Most Popular Reply

Bob H.
Rental Property Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2014 · 414 posts · 272 votes
10y

YouTube is your friend!

4Reply
See this reply in the discussion

13 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Steve Vaughan
    Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    10y

    I fumbled through a ton of repair and maintenance requests in the beginning, too, @Cody Barrett.  I would go over and look at the problem, tighten this or check for tripped breakers on that.  They liked that I cared enough to come over and check it out.

    I went to the next level shadowing experts - a handyman, electrician and plumber at different times.  When I had a vacancy and needed work done, I'd call a pro (they were all moon-lighters) who would walk me through some things as they worked.  Maybe get referrals from an investor meetup or employees at HD or Lowe's, etc.

    2Reply
  • Cody Barrett
    OP
    Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 345 posts · 138 votes
    10y

    Ahhh that is very nice to know. Super helpful! 

    Knowing that others were in similar positions and got through it makes me feel confident! I like that approach and that is a great point you made, the Tenant seeing an effort right away makes a statement followed by getting an expert involved right away if the situation calls for it. I am trying to create some systems and processes for when things like this pop up. lol Awesome @Steve Vaughanthanks for the post!

    Cody 

    0Reply
  • Bob H.
    Rental Property Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2014 · 414 posts · 272 votes
    10y

    YouTube is your friend!

    4Reply
  • Scott Weaner
    Rental Property Investor · Yardley, PA · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 561 votes
    10y

    Work on having a good group of professionals to help. Know who to call when you need to. Slowly learn to do some minor tasks. I have learned to re-screen and change locks! I also did some minor repairs that a township inspector wanted done.

    0Reply
  • Nikolas Ferreira
    Flipper/Rehabber · Boca Raton · Member since 2015 · 231 posts · 81 votes
    10y
    Cody Barrett hey Cody, the DIY's can get complicated and costly fast. A friend (thought he was an electrician from watching the pros do it) and tried to re-wire some light fixtures, giving the rental a more updated look. Well long story short he saved on the electrician but ended up causing a short that fried all his appliances and nearly set fire to the place. Get to know a good Local insured handy man or do like me and become friends with a good General contractor. Anything I need for my house I hit him up. And now that I will be also buying my first rental property I already told him to be ready for anything that might come up. Since we are friends prior to business dealing he doesn't jack up the prices on me, and still makes a living.
    1Reply
  • Liana Alexander
    Chief Administrative Assistant · Tampa, FL · Member since 2012 · 16 posts · 6 votes
    10y

    I would say definitely build a network of people you can call on for emergencies. If you're part of a local REIA or know other investors, see who they've used in the past or who they would recommend. If you're handy, maybe fix some minor issues yourself, but in the long run it will always be better to call in the professional 'big guns'. If you find someone who does a couple of different things, like a general handyman who can cover multiple tasks, just make sure they're proficient in everything they claim to do (electricity, plumbing, installation/carpentry, flooring, etc.) Someone may say they can do everything, but they can only kind of do everything. 

    2Reply
  • Sarah Ziehr
    Real Estate Broker · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 531 posts · 266 votes
    10y

    If you are just starting out and have never stepped foot in a Home Depot, then I might suggest purchasing a home warranty for this first property. 

    This way if or when things come up, you are protected for anything major and can see how simple service calls can add up. When do you hire a plumber/handyman/electrician/HVAC ask lots of questions and watch what they are doing. 

    You can also try youtube- I find there is a video on "how to" almost anything. 

    Good luck! 

    0Reply
  • Cody Barrett
    OP
    Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 345 posts · 138 votes
    10y

    I can't thank everyone enough! All the advice is super sound and injects the confidence needed to prepare myself for that first type of phone call from the tenant.  I am actually looking forward to the nasty stuff so I can experience it, learn from it, and create a system to fix it if it happens again in the future.  Great advice and thanks again : )) 

    Cody 

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    investor · McDonough, GA · Member since 2015 · 230 posts · 77 votes
    10y

    @Cody Barrett

    If you get a call or complaint from a tenant, look it up on YouTube and see what the repair involves. Then you should be able to decide if you can do it or not. I think a handyman is ok for something like flooring or wall repairs. I don't think I would let a handyman touch my plumbing, electrical, or HVAC. One downside to doing your own repairs is having to buy tools. It might be cheaper to just pay someone to fix your problem if the repair requires buying special tools that you won't use very often. 

    1Reply
  • Jim Brown
    Millersville, MD · Member since 2015 · 140 posts · 47 votes
    10y

    All great advice above.  I guess I would say make sure you keep enough in the "maintenance fund" to cover whatever comes up.  If it something small that you feel comforatble with, great!  Learn as you go.  If it's something more complex, than tap into the "maintenance fund" and like @Steve Vaughansuggested, try and gain as much info as possible from the pro while he is on site doing the job.  Good luck!  It sounds like your going into this with the right mindset.  

    1Reply
  • Cody Barrett
    OP
    Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 345 posts · 138 votes
    10y

    Thanks @Jim Brown"strong defense makes for a good offense." lol... But great point about the maintenance fund, just listened to a podcast detailing how critical that fund is.  I think @Brandon Turnergave an example of how 1 home's maintenance fund of his was used up in a single month because of a wild scenario thrown at him from a tenant. 

    Great advice @Account Closed! That would give me a great idea of what I'd possibly getting myself into which can also give me an idea of the costs associated with a repair.  I will be working on finding the pros for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC like you mentioned, not worth the risk for someone unlicensed or not professional creating bigger problems for me.  Awesome, thank you!!

    Solid advice as usual, thanks BP! 

    0Reply
  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    10y
    Cody Barrett If you are willing to tackle repairs early on it will help you down the road. - DIY can save money when starting out helps with cash flow - Learning how to do the repairs helps you later if you hire work done because you know what is involved - Fixing things helps you see how to tenant proof your property, which means make it harder for them to break things As others said just google it or watch a youtube video and you can learn anything.
    0Reply
  • Cody Barrett
    OP
    Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 345 posts · 138 votes
    10y

    @Joe SplitrockYou nailed the feeling I was having when I went to post this question.. I definitely want to be knowledgeable about the critical aspects to running this type of business successfully and repairs, maintenance, and updates are important components.. Possibly expensive ones too lol..

     Like you said, learning some of this stuff now just makes me stronger down the road when I deal with bigger buildings and more units... I think those fundamentals you bulleted were reasons why I felt the need to play some sort of role in my business when it comes to repairs/updates down the road. Thanks for helping me see the importance of being in the know.  

    Cody

    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free