Cutting Costs or Cutting Corners?

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Keeping costs down is important at any property; however, cutting too deeply can hurt in the long run rather than help. Read on to discover cost-cutting maintenance mistakes and learn how to avoid them.

Shopping Around

Shopping around is a good thing, but it can be taken to extremes. If you shop around with every repair you need, you will likely save a few dollars in the short-term. But constantly switching vendors will keep you from building relationships and trust with your vendors. By using someone new every time, you’ll never be able to trust if they’ll finish the job on time or on budget. It’s much better to develop relationships with a small handful of vendors that do good work and offer fair prices.

Hiring Unskilled Workers

Your uncle’s friend’s stepson did a fine job on your uncle’s leaky shower, but that doesn’t mean you should hire him to fix that roof that sprung a leak. Unskilled workers will likely charge you less than a worker associated with a reputable company or an experienced contractor, but there’s a reason for that. An expert repair will last longer than the repair done by the kid down the street who used to babysit for your cousin’s daughter. If you spend a few more dollars now, you’ll save money in the long run.

Waiting on Repairs

It may be tempting to wait on a repair that isn’t an emergency, but the old adage is true — a stitch in time saves nine. Today’s minor repair could turn into tomorrow’s disaster. Inspect your property regularly for minor repairs and get them fixed before they turn into major issues. It might sting a little to spend the money this month, but it’ll hurt much more if you have to replace the entire roof in a few months.

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