How To Get Maintenance Vendors To Prioritize Your Property & Return Your Calls!

No Deal If You Can’t Scale:

Why You’re Likely Having Trouble Attracting A Maintenance Vendor

I recently had three different gutter companies come to my home for an estimate to install gutters on an in-law cottage that we’re renovating ourselves. While they were there, I asked them to take a look at an existing gutter that isn’t draining as efficiently as it should. All three companies provided quotes to install and replace the inefficient gutter, but when I asked for a quote with just the install, I never heard back.

The same structure also has some mold/mildew in the crawlspace and I want to address it now. If you live on the east coast you’re well aware that it’s been a very wet summer, most notably after visits from Henri, Ida, and Larry. The first company came on a Friday and promised a quote early the next week. That Sunday, Tropical Storm Henri ripped through Southern New England and apparently blew that company’s estimate away. For a full month following that, I couldn’t do any better than getting on a waitlist when I answered honestly that my issue was not related to storm damage.

What’s the point? Although the hurricane story could be considered an outlier, it is representative of how business works when demand is high and supply is low. No one is going to give the little guy the time of day when there are big jobs around. Gutters aren’t overly difficult to install yourself, which is fortunate, because a company isn’t going to waste their time on a job that doesn’t bring in at least a couple thousand dollars. Have a small leak in your roof and need someone to give it a look...good luck. Unless you can sell the answering service on your potentially needing a new roof, you’re going to have a hard time getting someone to come inspect a couple shingles to see how the rain is sneaking in.

[ Learn More: The Importance of Property Maintenance ]

THE PROBLEM:

As a homeowner with marginal issues, I’m a small fish. The most successful companies cater to either larger projects where there is more room for profit or catastrophic issues where they can tap into insurance companies’ fat wallets. At a time when it’s becoming typical for service companies to limit the range or projects they’ll address, being a small fish is not a comfortable place to be. Small jobs that you’re trying to be proactive about can turn into big jobs in time when not dealt with promptly. For example, that leaky roof issue will get plenty of attention when you call months or years later talking about the need for black mold abatement. It just shouldn’t be this way...and depending on your situation, it doesn’t have to be.

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?

I should begin by saying that there might not be any better solution than being patient if you live in a single-family home that you yourself own. But, if you’re a real estate investor, or maybe you just think of yourself as an owner of rental property, you do have the opportunity to take advantage of the rule of scale by hiring a property management company.

[ Learn More: 3 Reasons It Pays To Have A Real Estate Expert In Your Corner ]

Let’s return to those gutter companies. Here’s the conversation that took place with one of them:

John: “Well, Mick, if I don’t do the full project with the install, removal, and replacement, it just doesn’t make sense for me to come down that way. I’ll do my best to see if I have any projects in the area and maybe I can try to bang them both out on the same day.”

Fair enough. But here’s how that conversation goes when I reveal that I work for a property management company that manages over 1000 units in Southern New England:

“Thanks John, I appreciate your trying to fit me in and I understand the hesitancy to commit to a minor job. That being said, I work for Nexus Property Management and I’m confident we’ve got some gutter needs with some of our clients. How about I reach out to our maintenance department and get back to you?”

BIG FISH:

I immediately become a big fish when my property joins with hundreds of other properties in the Nexus portfolio. This is the same benefit that all of our clients enjoy. They not only have access to our in-house maintenance teams 24/7/365 but they also take advantage of the relationships we build with third party vendors throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. By hiring a property management company like Nexus Property Management® you’re elevating your property from Harry’s Hardware to Home Depot. Nothing against Harry or the small businesses that are staying strong out there, but when it comes time to maximize profits and be able to attract maintenance vendors, there’s a benefit to size and a reputable name that just can’t be understated.

NEXT STEPS:

If interested in learning more about the other benefits that come with hiring Nexus Property Management®, contact our team at any of our franchise locations. We hang our hats on sharing our experience-based best practices and ideas for the betterment of real estate investment as a whole. We look forward to hearing from you.

[ Learn More: 4 Types of Real Estate Investor: Which One Are You? ]

Mick Lefort is the Vice President of Operations for Nexus Property Management®. A National Property Management Franchise that manages all types of rental property from single family homes or condos to large apartment buildings and complexes.

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