My uncle recently bought a fourplex, using some inheritance money as a down payment. He’s a realtor, and this is his first foray into investment property. I saw him last weekend, and was excited to see how things were going. But my innocent (and excited) “How’s the fourplex doing?” was met with a good deal of defensiveness… So, not so great, I take it?

It’s all rented, which is good. Some unfavorable tenants moved out and seemingly more favorable ones have moved in. His renovation plans haven’t gone so well, however, — he planned to paint and recarpet the entire apartment during the turnover, and hired a guy to do the work. Unfortunately, the workmanship was shoddy, and the guy was still working by the time the people moved in. Not ideal. Not a disaster or anything, but not ideal. So, he’s on the lookout for a new “guy” to take care of maintenance and yardwork and whatnot. Maintenance and turnovers for a fourplex could be quite a bit, and having a reliable maintenance person would certainly make things run a lot more smoothly. Outside of Angie’s list (which seems to be getting more and more expensive), or asking around at the local lumberyard or hardware store, does anyone know a good way to find a reliable, licensed, insured, capable and reasonably-priced freelance handyperson? (Tall order, I know.)

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