Old Houses Mended…

“Old houses mended,
Cost little less than new before they're ended.”
~Colley Cibber

If you’re like most Americans right now you are making do and staying put in your home trying to do a lot more for a lot less. Having a handyman to help keep the small things done is a great way to ensure the small jobs don’t become big jobs that end up costing you dearly down the road.
Finding a trustworthy and reliable handyman isn’t as hard as it used to be. Word of mouth is still the best advertisement and even though you may not know who is telling about a handyman you can trust the opinions that are written on consumer based web sites like Angie’s List because they are coming from real customers who may or may not be happy campers.
It’s a great way to weed out the undesirables and find the retired contractor who is just trying to keep busy and can do it all from fixing a toaster to replacing the mail box that got smashed last week. Nothing makes you feel more confident in your abilities as a homeowner than to know you have someone you can call to be your catch all guy.
Handymen are making a big comeback with the economy hit so hard and more people repairing existing homes instead of moving into new ones, so it’s not hard to find a few to interview based on positive consumer reviews. Make sure to have a list of questions handy and find out some basics like hourly rates, what type of jobs they can do and what type of jobs they can’t do. You may not need an electrical outlet fixed now but if you do somewhere down the road you can always call the handyman who told you that was his specialty even if you didn’t hire him to take down the storm windows.
Once you use the services of a handyman you can go back to the same source you used to find him and post your own written review to help him along with business. Web sites such as this help the small guys stay in business by giving them legitimate word of mouth referrals that money can’t buy so make sure you repay the great service with a little great referral. And if you really love your new handyman you want to do everything you can to make sure he has enough clients to stay in business and stick around.