Whether you have a condo, a single detached home or rental units, no matter how big or how small the property is, no matter how new or old, there is always ongoing maintenance and repairs that need to be done.
An essential element to successfully keeping up property maintenance is to know good and honest vendors who can do the work properly and at a fair price.
When you own property, there are many general things that need basic upkeep like gardening maintenance, interior and exterior painting, that leaking sink or faucet and of course the ongoing cleaning. But in addition, there are larger projects that periodically need repair or replacement like a roof, sewer line, and water heater or heating system.
Whatever your property needs are it is important that you have a basic sense of what is entailed in the repair and an idea of what an appropriate cost is. Below are a few tips to keep in mind, when you are planning repairs and maintenance to your property.
Do it yourself: Anytime you can do a repair or you can do maintenance to your properties yourself, you will save a substantial amount of money. Labor is typically the most expensive cost associated with property upkeep. Materials are usually very affordable. For example, if you wanted to paint the interior of a 1,400 square foot home, it would cost an average of $1,300 to $2,400 or more to have someone do it. The materials for this interior paint job would typically cost less than $450. In this example you can save up to $2,000 by painting it yourself, and painting is a relatively simple job that most anyone can do. But if you do not have the time or are not able to do the work yourself, you can hire a professional. But just make sure you find someone good whom you are comfortable with.
Get a referral: If you are going to hire someone to do work at your home or an income property, it is always a good idea to get a referral from someone you know for that particular job. This way you will have the peace of mind that the worker is a known quantity. Referrals are the best way to find someone to do a job. People today are starved of good customer service and quality work. When a worker has done a good job for someone you know, there is a high probability they are going to do a good job for you too.
Get more than one estimate: If you are not able to get a good referral from a friend, you want to then get at least two to three estimates on a job. Prices can differ greatly for the same work and it is in your best interest to find out what a fair price is. Although there are many fantastic contractors, handymen, electricians, plumbers and tradesmen that will offer you great service at a fair market price, there are also some of them who have ridiculously high prices and you should not fall victim to them.
I had a client who was buying a home in Mission Hills. When she had her home inspection, the inspector recommended that she have a roofing contractor come out and look at the roof because it looked like it may need some maintenance. She of course had a roofer come out to assess the roof. The roofer told her that the home needed a new roof at a cost of about $39,000. When I learned of this inflated estimate, I think my heart stopped beating. Although I am not a roofing contractor, I knew that $39,000 was simply an outrageous and ridiculous price and that this particular roofer was trying to take advantage of my client. We immediately got three additional estimates from credible roofing contractors that were highly recommended. The three new estimates came in between about $11,000 and $14,000. In addition, all three of the subsequent roofers said that the roof only needed maintenance to it and that it did not need a new roof. This is a good lesson for all of us. You do not ever want to be in a position where you are going to be ripped off by a worker. In fact, now is a good time to have some of those projects that you have been putting off taken care of.
Opportunity knocks: Due to the higher unemployment rate today, there are a lot of skilled tradesmen in San Diego who are looking for work. This is an opportunity to get good value on their labor for work that you may need done. Being a Realtor, I have created a list of excellent handymen, electricians, plumbers, contractors, woodworkers and most every type of tradesman you could need.
I have owned property over the last three decades and have learned to do a lot of the maintenance and repairs myself. I have also learned to find good and honest people to do work for me when I need it. You too can do the same. Just keep in mind the tips above and you can maintain your property in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Trent St. Louis is a licensed Real Estate Agent and a member of the National, California and San Diego Association of Realtors. He can be reached at trent@tns.net or at his office in Hillcrest, The Metropolitan Group. DRE#01273643.
