How To Find a Handyman The Right Way – An 8-Point Ultimate Guide For Homeowners

After hearing and writing about one of our clients’ experience with a Handyman from Hell from Kijiji, we thought we’d write a follow-up article to help shed some light on important points you should be aware of when you conduct your own search for a “Handyman near me” or similar.

Finding skilled help is a challenge. It’s like walking into a bookstore and picking out only one book to read. Everything looks great on first glance, but as the saying goes, “You Can Never Judge a Book by Its Cover.”

Like a bookstore, it’s the same when you enter the search arena online. You can never judge a Handyman by the picture he paints on his cover, or in this case, on cover websites like Facebook marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist, and even personal business websites.

To help you avoid a Handyman from Hell of your own, we have put together a list of 8-factors that really matter when picking out a solid handyman from search results such as “Handyman Near Me.”

How to Begin Your Search For a “Handyman Near Me”

When it comes to looking for a doctor, would you go on kijiji to browse the MD section?

Well, why not?

After all, if they have a bio, pretty doctor stock photos of work, a list of things they can and can’t do, and they claim to have over 10 years experience, then they’re golden, right?

When it comes to picking out things that matter, you probably don’t browse classifieds where anyone can post whatever they want.

The following are 8-factors that really matter when picking out a top candidate from a google search like “Handyman Near Me.”

Similar to the official google reviews we show here on Handyman And Designs, Ratings and Reviews are a huge factor in helping you determine the best potential from your Handyman near me search results.

For one thing, if anyone had a bad experience with him in the past, expect to find some parting words of love online. Have you ever browsed some of the bad reviews on Yelp? They’re hilarious. And they are also helpful for avoiding bad experiences of your own.

On the other hand, positive reviews and ratings make it clear that a handyman service is reliable and trust-worthy. The more reviews, the better! They’ll create a much more accurate and nuanced portrayal of a handyman’s character and work. It’s easy to get a few reviews for your business from family and friends, but getting dozens or even hundreds of them is near impossible to fake.

There’s so much value in generating reviews as they help to build your credibility as a handyman and attracts new customers. The drawback is that reviews can also be fabricated, and you need to be aware of this when reading or collecting them. Like our reviews on Handyman And Designs demonstrate, it’s important to tie reviews to an official source, like a google business page. If reviews don’t come from a legitimate source, it is best to ignore them because they are most likely fake reviews posted by a web developer to make his/her handyman business look good. Other official sites include Facebook’s business pages and Yelp.

Unfortunately, in the 21st century, we have also seen The Rise Of The Karens. As defined on Wikipedia, a male or female species perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of normal reason. In reviews, you often see them complain that their phone calls have been ignored. These reviews take down the rating of a Handyman’s overall score, but don’t let those bad remarks fool you. If 95% of the listed reviews are of praise, thanks, and admiration of jobs well done, then the Handyman is as good as the positive reviews claim.

A handyman with a fantastic looking website probably cares about their business and wants to provide a better experience for customers, both online and in person. If you see a great looking website, it’s because the handyman takes pride in their business and reputation.

With a simple change of a telephone number, a handyman with no website can instantly have a new business.

A website is like a home that is built on prime real estate. It’s there to stay. So once established, a business can’t let reputation ruin its foundation, or the house might collapse. If there is no website, there is no foundation for a name or brand. Hence handymen on kijiji, Facebook groups, Facebook market place, Craigslist, and similar, are a here-today-gone-tomorrow type of business. With a simple change of a telephone number, a handyman with no website can instantly have a new business. It is best to avoid any work promised by a person or business with no website.

If a handyman requires half or all payment upfront, and it’s not for materials, run away and never look back. No professional handyman worth his salt asks for large payments upfront, unless it’s specifically for materials. Professionals know that if they accept payment upfront, the chances of them staying motivated to complete a job greatly diminishes, so they avoid asking for payment until the very last details have been fixed and completed. Professional handymen know how to motivate themselves to do a great job. Only con men and terrible workers who don’t care about their work ask for half or more payment in advance.

A good handyman has some sort of physical location. It’s acceptable to operate a business out of a home, after all, some of the best workshops are built in a basement. At the very least, you want to see that they’ve put something down to demonstrate that they are here to stay.

…you want to see that they’ve put something down to demonstrate that they are here to stay.

Listing a physical location (on Google and their website) shows that they’ve filed the right paperwork to make their business legit, and they’re not trying to hide from anyone.

If a handyman is convinced that they can do the best job, they know they’ll get hired, so why should they charge you for an estimate? A handyman who charges for an estimate is just looking to make an extra buck, sort of like stores that place candy by the cash register.

If the job is very small, handymen will generally ask for a cell text or email of photos of the product to be installed, where the product needs to go, and/or what needs to be repaired. This way, the handyman can save time and transportation fees by providing you with an immediate quote via email or text. Expect to only get free estimates for jobs/projects over $500. For anything less, it’s best to go with photos and text/email messaging.

Do NOT hire a handyman that can’t promise a guarantee of good quality work. Such a handyman will up and leave you with a bill for a job half done if five o’clock rolls around and the buddies are already congregating at the watering hole.

A handyman who provides a written guarantee puts pride and energy into his work. He Will Never leave you high and dry by the roadside.

Before and After Construction photos are one of the most important features to include on a handyman website or social media account. They demonstrate a progression of a project that people can see for themselves is real. If only finished work is shown, and no before photos are showcased, than the photos presented are most likely fake stock photos – taken from a free source like Pexels.com, Pixabay.com or many more free photo sites. We admit, stock photos look great! After seeing them, you might be tempted to hire a Handyman who shows them, but beware, the person that comes to your door might be another Handyman from Hell, and your personal horror story is about to begin.

…Before and After photos demonstrate the level of workmanship you can expect from a Handyman.

Aside from proving a Handyman’s capabilities, Before and After photos demonstrate the level of workmanship you can expect from a Handyman. Photos tell a story. From start to finish, they capture the process of what was done. By showcasing this process, you can quickly see the level of precision, patience, and commitment a Handyman has for his work. The more fantastic each finished work looks, chances are good that you have found a Handyman who is truly passionate about his work, and is committed to doing a great job each and every time.

Before and After photos matter. Always search for them when you look for a Handyman or any other construction related help. On Handyman And Designs, basically our entire Gallery consists of Before and After photos. We are proud of our work, and we love to show it.

Always hire a handyman that meets the criteria we just listed.

• They have stellar reviews, or at the very least, good reviews
• They’ve listed a real location on Google Maps
• They have a business website
• They provide a free estimate
• They guarantee their work
• They show before and after photos of completed projects

When it comes to your home, it’s worth the time and energy to put a little research into the handyman you’re inviting over, whether you need them to install two ceiling fans or repaint your entire house.

With the plethora of websites dedicated to ratings and reviews, it’s not hard to find a directory of professionals that can give you the down low on local and trusted talent, so take a few minutes to read what people are saying, which is perhaps the most telling of all these criteria.

As they say, the customer is always right…or at the very least, the customer will always tell you what they think.

Don’t rely on the misleading criteria provided by classified websites where anyone can post whatever they want, and use stock images from the interwebs to visually build up the illusion of credibility. If you fall for this fake sales pitch, you might find yourself playing in a horror movie of your very own.

After reading this article, we at Handyman And Designs, hope you will find a great Handyman for your needs.

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