How to find the best handymen on Craigslist

​Craigslist has a bit of a shady reputation when it comes to finding reliable handymen, but there’s no denying it can be an invaluable resource once you know how to screen out the junk. So, without further ado, here’s the tried and proven method we use to hone in on the cream of the Craigslist crop. 

1.) Perhaps it goes without saying, but make sure you’re posting in the correct market location and the appropriate category. “General labor” is usually the best category for general handyman work, while the “skilled trade/artisan” category works well for finding licensed tradesmen such as plumbers, electricians, etc.  

2.) Your post title should specify the specific type of vendor you are searching for. For example, “Plumber Wanted for Busy Real Estate Investing Company.” 

3.) Specify the city and zip code where the work is to take place.

4.) The text of your ad is extremely important. It should convey professionalism (i.e. no typos) and provide specific instructions for prospects to follow. You want to hire someone who can read and follow instructions, so this serves as an effective pre-qualifying tool. The more information you ask for, and the more specific you are in your requests, the easier it is to eliminate time wasters and unqualified candidates. Here are a few suggestions for what to ask for:

• Full name
• Company name
• Email address
• Cell phone number
• Number of years of experience
• Trade license (plumbing, electrical, etc.)
• License number (if applicable)
• Hourly labor rate
• Does the handyman have his own vehicle?
• Does he have his own tools?
• Does he have a criminal history, and is he prepared to submit to a background check?

​The text of your ad is extremely important. It should convey professionalism and provide specific instructions for prospects to follow. You want to hire someone who can read and follow instructions, so this serves as an effective pre-qualifying tool.

5.) Set compensation to “Varies based on experience.” For contact information, enter your email address and check the box for CL mail relay. Do not provide a phone number—you want to force prospects to respond in writing (by email) to see if they follow the instructions you provided in your ad.  

6.) If you’re going to use the responses to pre-qualify prospects, then it is important to think about what you consider acceptable responses to each of your requests. For some questions (e.g. name, email address, cell phone number) there’s no right or wrong answer—you’re just looking for complete information. For other questions, you should be prepared to disqualify the prospect based on the substance of the response (e.g. you may not want to hire someone who does not have a vehicle and tools). There are not necessarily right and wrong answers to things like labor rate and experience, but the information is useful for comparing candidates. Finally, do not hesitate to eliminate prospects for ignoring a question.

7.) For each response to your ad, run through your pre-qualification checklist and add the qualified leads to a follow up list. After a week or so, you should have a good number of promising candidates, and from there you can start interviewing and inviting vendors out to give estimates.  ​