Gary North

July 3, 2010

The economy has hit handymen very hard. This is good for me. I am not handy, but I have money to spend. My wife is handy, so she knows how to screen handymen.

I wanted to have a deck sanded and stained.

I used Craigslist to find local handymen.

I searched for SERVICES. Then SKILL'D TRADE.

I looked for "decks." There were several. I clicked on each link. They described their services. All had email addresses.

I composed a brief message. I saved it in my clipboard. Then I used CTRL-V. I sent it to all of them.

What is your price?

Dallas
350 s/f deck (not bad shape)
15 steps
Sanded, stained, sealed

I had expected several offers. I got only one. His price was acceptable. Conclusion: he is really hungry. The others weren't.

This gave me a starting point for checking with other handymen. I was no longer flying blind. When I say "I," I mean "my wife." She makes the how-to decisions.

She went to Angie's List. There, she found a well-recommended person who offered a price 40% less.

Get more than one bid. Using Craigslist and Angie's List is a two-step strategy.

On the day this went out to Tip subscribers, a site member posted a video that she made for someone who was going to come to do some repairs. The video went through what she wanted fixed. This is a great idea. Produce a video, post it on YouTube, and include a link in the email you send to prospective bidders. The handyman can see exactly what you want. He can provide a less risky bid, which means a lower bid.

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