Tips To Find Contractors For A Third Bid
For many property managers, it is a constant struggle to find qualified contractors for much needed repairs, maintenance and projects at their properties. Even property managers with a stable of reliable contractors still face challenges. This is because many contractors do not have the capacity to take on more work and because property owners still want managers to get three bids.
To help property managers address the challenge of finding contractors for a third bid, here are four proven ways to find qualified commercial contractors.
Property Management Association Vendor Directories
If a contractor has taken the time to join a property management association, chances are they will take the time to provide a bid to a member company. At the same time, most property management association’s have searchable directories of contractors. These directories are often available to non-members as well. Here are three examples:
Again, any property manager can search these directories to find contractors for a third bid. Even better, they are typically property type specific. In our examples, BOMA caters most office, retail, and multifamily properties. CAI is focused on the community/HOA management industry while IFMA caters to facility managers for a wide range of property types.
Property Manager Insider’s BidSource
Property managers can use our free tool, BidSource, to find contractors for a third bid. The service is matches property managers with contractors in their local market who have the capacity to take on commercial work and complete projects. Bid information is never made public, and property managers are only connected to one contractor. Click here to submit a project to our BidSource team.
Specific Google Searches
Another way to find contractors for a third bid, believe it or not, is Google. There are, however, certain ways to search that will help property managers locate commercial contractors.
First and foremost, include property and product specific terms in your search. Instead of searching for “roof repair” try searching “apartment TPO roof repair“. Rather than searching “pot hole repair” search for “shopping center parking lot repair“. By adding property, service, and commercial search terms into the query, it will dramatically improve the chances of finding a commercial contractor
Second, look at the paid ads at the very top of the search results. Many users simply gloss over the paid ads in the Google search results, but this is usually a mistake. Advertisers can closely match searches with paid ads, so a very specific search should yield relevant ads.
Using very specific Google searches can help property managers find contractors.
Facebook Group Recommendations
Last year Facebook made a dramatic change to the content it shows in the homepage news feed. As a result, posts into Facebook Groups are getting significantly more visibility. In turn, the use of Facebook Groups has grown significantly, and there are now hundreds of property management specific Facebook Groups. This includes Property Manager Insider’s Facebook Group.
Property manager’s can join a Facebook Group, many are specific to both property types and locations, and ask the group for recommendations. At the same time, it is possible to join trade specific groups. If a property manager needs a roofer, they could join a commercial roofing group, and ask the group to recommend commercial roofers in their local market. It is important property managers take steps to avoid hiring bad contractors when they source them via Facebook Groups.
Find Contractors Using BidSource
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