This is a follow up to a previous post on finding helpers for properties that you cannot physically be there for, for whatever the reason.

Preferably I'd like to hear from the larger LL's with 30 or more sfh's that are out of the area.

My sfh's are in an economically depressed area with great rent returns. The problem is finding on the books help.

I do want to be legit and look for 1099 handyman, contractors, etc.

There are no LL associations, there are no PM companies to hire or join forces with. Mainly there is 10+ cash labor when it comes to helpers. There is no interest from contractors from the nearest large town because an hour away is one of the hottest RE markets in the country.

I called the local temp agencies who could do all the tax stuff for a PT employee but they tell me there companies won't place people in residential homes because of risk of theft, liability, etc.

I've contacted all the closest RE companies near the area asking for helpers or even an agent to help. Not one response.

I've checked with the housing agency and there are no other LL's using a legit handyman / maintenance guy. There mostly small one or two unit owners.

Ideally, I would like to have a 1099 guy Not an employee since there are no set hours, I don't supply tools and I am not there to supervise. I would like to hear how you would handle this, even an off-line chat with the long time LL's.

I'm interested to see the answers. 'My area is like yours. No PM's around, no responses to ads. No large cities nearby. I can't make sense of it other than DIY locally, so I want to hear how it's done from a distance.

We don't have temp agencies where I'm at, so no day labor. Most contractors here pay their guys cash and have no comp. The ones that do are priced too high for an odds and ends work LL and they are doing bigger and better things anyway.

Thank you NE for validating my sanity!!

I thought I was the only one.

Maybe help in a big metropolitan area is readily available, but in this area CASH is king.

Heck if I place or answer an ad for help, half the numbers are disconnected within a week. If I'm lucky to get someone and I mention 1099, they look at me bewildered.

I really have no answers and yet these are money machines.

If I was 20 yrs younger I'd still be working them myself but no longer possible.

Mike, I am DIY and that is very against the grain here. After doing it this way for many years now, I really have no plans of changing that. I'd rather put the energy into improving other areas of my business at this point.

I get help from time to time and that is mostly borrowed from contractors. Can I borrow a few guys to me drywall this house for the next few days? Or help me with this roof, help me re-wire, whatever. A check with a 1099 is what they get. Rarely cash. Liability with my fingers crossed. Sad to say, but A TON of us do it that way. It's the vast majority of people in the business

I did the employee thing in the past, NEVER again! It creates more problems than it solves and they aren't even created by the employees. The issues come with cost of compliance and of course government.

When I age to the point that I can't do it, I'll start selling the high maintenance rentals and move into different forms of RE investing.

Flipping houses allows for more readily available labor to be around. That's why I like it when I have flips going, because we can jump to a vacancy for a few days and knock it out. I'm still there though! :)

General maintenance of rentals does not allow for multiple guys until you get to a certain point and with over 20 units, I'm still not at a point to justify it. From a work load, cost, and time standpoint.

I didn't have that many out of the area single family homes, only seven (7) in one area. So on the corner of two major streets, a block from two of my rentals sat American Home Realtors. The office had a Broker, Managing Agent and 9 sales agents.

I went in the office on several occasions looking for help dealing with my rentals. They didn't get it, I wanted to be a client and buy more homes and have them service my property's for a fee.

So I drew up fliers saying:

Investor, Owner looking to buy "more" Rentals. Need someone to help me manage, lease current local properties in their area. Current rentals on Platt, Vanowen, Shoup, Welby Way and Gross. The agent that sold me the above properties made so much money that she was able to buy herself a rental property.

Within minutes of delivering this flier, I had three agents from that reality company fight for my business. The manager of that office was in house most of the time, letting her sales force go out do do sales. She was already managing over 40 homes and would add me "list" to her roster.The rule was, I would be charged "one months rent" to manage my properties. Tenants would contact her and she had a list of good reliable reasonably priced handymen. She would rent out the homes and deal with all issues. The rent checks would still be sent to me residence. I would be billed for repairs by the handymen.

Any new property I buy through her would get 2 fee years a management.

Mike,

One suggestion: Contact some pastors in that area. They know the folks who need work and are more likely to be dependable.

Even the workers we find are a passing parade. Few stick around very long. They are not motivated by money.

BRAD

Have you checked Facebook? We have local pages here for services and there are lots of advertisements there for handymen, painters, etc. Many advertise that they are bonded and insured.

I have tried facebook, there was one for jobs in the county. I posted it a year back, never got any response from that one.

IMO a property management company wouldnt survive or the 2 that existed years ago would still be there and expanding. No LL will pay 45-60 hr for handyman labor when they can get it for 10-15 cash

Mike, I say this with love, but you appear to have champagne taste on a beer budget. Are you a self-employed accountant? No one should no better than you that if you want a totally legit, insured, trustworthy, reliable, self-starter handyman who requires no supervision and brings his own tools, and fronts the supplies, etc. you are going to have to pay for it. Add in the skill to do light plumbing and electrical work but the flexibility to do painting or even sweep the floor or shovel out the sidewalk.

$20 an hour? That’s a riot.

You are describing what we would call around here as a ‘home maintainence business”, not a roustabout servant who after paying his expenses, is going behind for the honor of working for you.

In poor, rural northern Maine that costs around $75 bucks for the first hour and $50 an hour thereafter.

I bet you a beer that there are several similar businesses like that in your area. Ask at the local Home Depot or chamber of commerce, town office, city hall, or even the patrons at a local diner.

If you read my post I didn't say I offer 10-15, I stated its what the workforce here wants in cash. I would rather pay a reliable 1099 guy much more but the mindset is cash.

Even the legit contractors pay there help cash which is who would be painting my places anyway.

.