Are Contractors in demand in Cleveland?

[Stefan Crabtree]

I have been pouring over the BP podcasts for over a year now, but I am new to the forums, so hi everybody.

My wife, daughters, and I are considering a move to the Cleveland area next summer. We want to be nearer to my wife's family, and we are hoping getting started as RE investors will be more accessible there. 

Is there much work/demand for contractors in that area? Do you have a hard time finding contractors? How far out are they scheduled? Do you think it would be hard to get re-established there as a remodel contractor?

[Ben Riechmann]

Due To a hoot market, people have bought homes all over after without inspection.  Many are doing fixes or making the places the way they want to be.  Some investors I know are trying to build as quick as they can as houses have been selling as quick as they can get them up despite the rise in building costs and occasional slow downs due to temporary shortages of materials.  Friends of mine that do contracting work not only in Cleveland but in other places are really backed up.  It's important to factor into how long it could take to get contractors when buying in the area, especially as we get towards the colder months.  There some signs of the market calming down a bit finally, but contractors are still booking weeks out when you find a good one.  Offering money for an estimate where you are paying for their time or working as much to work with their schedule helps.  If you get a property management team that can handle some of that different work really helps, but you really need to do your research on this as it is harder to find these as well compared to some west coast and more east coast cities.  Everyone has to deal with same material costs and hold ups so good to have understanding with whoever you hire for your project once you find someone as you will want to build a good relationship for when you need help on future projects.