User talk:Triadhandyman

Want to Find a Good Handyman in your Local Area?

They’re on the Internet, in the yellow pages, consumers have never had more or easier ways to find a handyman for projects big and small. Sites like Craig’s List, Oodle, Backpage,and kijiji offer a digital-age version of the classified ads for metropolitan areas coast to coast. Search engines offer local search such as Google Maps, Yahoo Local, and MSN’s new baby “Bling”. And of course, there is always online business advertising directories like the Yellow Pages, the central problem with these yellow page-like sites is that often they don’t have enough user content to help the consumer make a decision.

National franchise companies are advertising everywhere: on the net, TV, radio, and local newspapers. Handyman and home-improvement franchises aren’t exactly sprouting like Starbucks and Subway, but it is the fast-growing franchise area with more than a dozen national companies vying for customers. But those franchise operations tend to be more expensive than the typical $30 per hour to $60 per hour charged by an independent handyman, with some rates soaring to more than $90 an hour along with fees for traveling to and from the job.

Sites that provide handyman screening and referrals are alternatives to franchise companies. At servicemagic.com, which says it is the largest such site, has merged with several similar online services including 1-800-Contractor (at www.1800contractor.com) and ImproveNet (at www.improvenet.com). However, these type of companies are nothing more than an advertising service, and have no legal leverage over their advertisers to force them to resolve complaints. So be careful about claims to resolve disputes.

Word of mouth is still considered one of the best ways to find a reliable handyman. Talk with neighbors, people who live in similar houses, clerks at the local hardware store, or trade workers who have done work on your house in the past.The conclusion is there is no problem finding a local handyman, the issue is finding the right handyman for the type of job you want done.