At least for me. I have been doing this for 21 years. Without a doubt, the biggest problem is finding and keeping reliable, insured, competent, contractors - particularly for repairs/renovations, etc.

I have used the same lawn service for yours, the same electricians, landscapers, snow removal guy, plumber, etc., but the repair guys are very problematic.

I had a great sprinkler guy who I used for 10 years, but he got out of the business. With difficulty I found someone last year who did a lot of work on four of my properties, but refused to bill me! I e-mailed him four times asking for invoices. Silence...

I have been using a great guy who handles almost everything for me, but he wound up taking a $35 per-hour fulltime job because he's not a good business guy. He squeezes me in on nights and weekend. The result is a to-do list that keeps getting bigger.

When I have had to hire other handymen it was always the same: Describe the job, act coridally with them and pay them immediately. When I had more work they wouldn't respond to my e-mails. Many aren't smart enough to realize that it makes much more sense to keep your good customers than to keep looking for new ones. But that's what most do.

Forget Craigslist. Here in Denver you're lucky if you get a response at all. I'm going to try Angie's List, but am not hopeful.

Wish me luck!

Someone here will say that you need to offer your $35 an hour guys $100 an hour and all your problems will go magically away. Highly unlikely.

Me? I've resigned myself to the fact that the majority of this path for me will be DIY and I feel very lucky when I have a few helpers along the way. Hire out the high stuff and the technical stuff to the big boys.

The "employee" path isn't much better. Been there, done that. Not anymore.

I hear that. I hope you pick up something useful at the convention.

I do as little as possible myself as I haven't found a way to write off my time, and I don't work for free. :)

" Someone here will say that you need to offer your $35 an hour guys $100 an hour and all your problems will go magically away. Highly unlikely. "

I doubt that we will see any experiment offering anyone $100 an hour, but the idea of tying a premium payment rate within the context of building a relationship with a good repairman should not be discounted.

I have built several houses from the ground up and can do pretty much anything in a house except install a boiler or furnace. I hire that stuff out or call Vee for help if troubleshooting. Thanks Vee!! Also, I don't want the liability should the boiler go BOOM after I install it.

So the work for me is easy and pretty streamlined. Ive got all the tools and many of the materials stocked.

Usually don't have a large to do list because I don't have a day job. Total remodels on rentals or flips are happening somewhere most of the time, so if I get an emergency or vacancy, i just over and get it done.

I have a good relationship with a roofer and borrow his guys once in a while for bigger jobs like drywall or big wiring projects.

Since '79.

I do it All, but the Code Compliance Stuff.

Contractors pull(Mechanical) permits and the work is City Inspected

and Recorded.

Biggest Problem ? Arthritis.

Like Deano said: I feel sorry for the ones who don't drink.

When they wake up in the morning,

that's as Good as their gonna feel all day . Cheers !

I just wrote to Mike Rowe on Facebook. He is always talking about the Skills Gap and training for jobs that already exist. I told him no one is training actual handymen these days: all the grampas who knew this stuff are retiring or dying off, the younger dads of today are often clueless themselves and NO ONE is teaching anyone how to maintain a dwelling! Asked him what his Mike Rowe Works Foundation thinks about this: is there a solution?

If you are not a DIY, it is mighty difficult, and costly, to make it in this business. Every Dollar that goes out to a handyman or a subcontractors, comes off your bottom line.

On the other hand, it's almost impossible to know everything, after all there are dozens of trades in the building industry, some of which require a contractor's license, such as handling freon gas for air condition units.

Learning how to do repairs, maintenance and services early on, will give you a chance to make a decent profit.

One of the reasons handymen and contractors come and go, is that they don't make enough money to stick around.

I've seen what some LLs are writing about handymen...and how low they are willing to pay them. Well, the result is: these LLs will keep on looking for new handymen, year after year.

I do all my repair, maintenance and services...except for A/C freon charge...since 1976.

Try having no problems... Only solutions!

DH and I were just talking about this today. How does someone become a handyman? Experience. There's no school or certification program.

Why would someone become a handyman? Relatively low pay, on call 24/7 for emergencies.

Besides me being a Landlord, Investor, Owner and manager of my own rentals, I'm also a Licensed Contractor.

The way I "hit it off" with most of my long term client, who also own a bunch or rentals, is that we worked together. For non emergency's they would send me a "list" of repairs. Based on the day of the week and the direction I was traveling, I would stop by their problem property and make the necessary repairs. I had keys to clients rentals and introduced myself to any of their new tenants. So long as they knew I was the one going to work on their unit, they never had a problem.

Most of the time my clients tenants had my pager/voicemail number and would just call it in themselves. The only way the owner knew there was a problem is when I sent them a bill/invoice.

One time I was scheduled to work at a clients 20 unit building. She had a small list and wanted to see how I made the repairs. When I didn't snow up on time, she called me and was disappointed in my service. I had to remind her that I treat the real emergencies first and jobs come second. I told her many times that when she had a leaking pipe, water heater, gas leak, I dropped everything and took care of things immediately. Again she was disappointed and asked who was more important than her. I told her a good client with a real emergency called and I had to get there asap. She said who was that. I responded it was her husband. Tenants at another property tried to reach her but she forgot her phone and so then called her husband. She asked what was the emergency. The sewer line backed up and there was flooding under her 8 unit building. I had to cut off the water. Pump out the sewerage. Then repair the sewer pipe. Then spray under the building to eliminate the odor.

Now that I'm no longer working for clients, I have enough property of my own on my hands, my clients too have too much trouble finding good reliable help. To replace me, they have to pay almost double and get six tradesman to do the work I did for them for 30 years.

Another Bedtime story from Robert J.

" I told her a good client with a real emergency"

"If you are not a DIY, it is mighty difficult, and costly, to make it in this business. Every Dollar that goes out to a handyman or a subcontractors, comes off your bottom line."

I consider that the cost of doing business. When it comes to electrical, plumbing, roofers and HVAC I will only hire licensed contractors. That includes painters and flooring contractors. Less liability and certainly less costly in the long run. More important to me is I don't have to worry about the quality of the work.