Finding a Trusted Minneapolis Handyman

For several years as a property manager, I’ve counted on the services of a variety of handymen to fix problems at our rentals. The trickiest part is finding a handyman with a good reputation who’s willing to take on the job.

In Minneapolis, homes vary greatly in age and style. If you reside in the city, odds are your home was built in the early part of the 20th century. Ours was built right after World War 2 in 1946 – a classic ranch style house now approaching 80 years of age. A handyman’s delight!

Where to Find a Good Handyman in Minneapolis

I used to rely heavily on two sources: Angie’s List and referrals. Nowadays I rarely check on Angi as Google reviews seem to be just as reliable and don’t require a subscription.

Referrals are obviously a great place to start, but I’ve frequently run into issues where the handyman doesn’t have the time for your task, or isn’t willing to take the job at all.

I’ll sometimes check with my home inspectors to see if they can recommend a handyman or pro with the skills I need. Home inspectors get a first-hand look at the product of a handyman’s job (and they LOVE to point out the follies of the DIYers gone rogue).

I will also check good ol’ Google. Assuming there are more than 30 reviews and an overall rating of 4.5 or higher, odds are the contractor is a solid candidate for the job.

One caveat: I will scan through the reviews to look for any “3” ratings. These tend to be the more honest reviews that point to real issues a customer may have encountered. The “1”s and “2”s may offer some insight, but in many cases these are “spam” reviews or customers who never engaged the handyman with a job.

ikea kitchen — The IKEA Kitchen Project. Most of the time spent was on unboxing and assembly!

Why I Would Not Recommend Thumbtack

Many clients like to use the app called “Thumbtack“. Thumbtack aggregates numerous local pros into a Handyman marketplace. The platform matches up specific jobs with a handful of pros via “leads”. It’s a good place for customers to find the pro they want. The only hang up for me is that the pros eat a LOT of lead costs.

Yep – the handyman still has to pay Thumbtack anywhere from $10 to $20 (sometimes more) for the privilege of getting a single lead, even if the customer picks someone else. Several pros have complained about this system. And it’s not hard to understand why. If you can’t win a string of leads, all of a sudden you’ve wasted time and money ($$$ that adds up quick for a sole proprietor!)

This flaw in the system doesn’t hurt the customer (unless you consider that pros bake-in lost leads into their hourly rates) and it enriches Thumbtack with hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost-lead fees. It’s the mom and pop pros that got stuck with these meaningless fees.

I suppose it’s partially justified for giving pros access to clients they otherwise would not have. And, to be fair, Thumbtack is in the business to make money.

Still, it would be better for Thumbtack to consider alternative revenue generating models that don’t rely so heavily on lead fees. As a handyman myself who recently quit Thumbtack, I’d suggest a set, nominal subscription fee and kill the lost-lead fees for good.

Do You Need a Handyman?

By the way – I am a handyman serving Minneapolis and the surround suburbs. Woot!

I figured this gig would be an outstanding way to meet potential clients in the real estate space, and it’s turned out to be very rewarding on its own merits. I’ve met some wonderful people and provided countless fixes since firing up Paratus Handyman Services earlier this year.

If you need help with just about anything around the house*, reach out today! My rates can vary based on the job, but generally it’s $85 for the visit, and $75 for each hour after the first.

info@paratusrealty.com

612-405-4559

*The “just about anything” list: