Author Topic: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?  (Read 1497 times)

BigMoneyJim

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Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« on: April 01, 2020, 03:48:17 PM »
Short back story: I was revving up to quick-sell my deferred-maintenance home and move cross-country to an apartment. Because I didn't want to bother with the expense and hassle of getting the place fixed up. This is in the Dallas (Irving) area.

Well now it looks like that's unlikely/unwise to do in the next month or two like I hoped, and now iBuyers and presumably investors have shut down.

So my new idea is to take the time and money the next couple or few months and get things fixed up myself. (No DIY; I mean paying others instead of selling and letting it be someone else's problem.)  I was guessing that since presumably flippers are stopping and many are tight on money that contractors might need work and maybe be priced right, or at least the "good" ones are more available. (If I could figure out who those are.)

But now I'm not sure. I'm hearing Home Depot and Lowes stores are packed, and local home construction is still proceeding.

So does anyone have any information about whether there might be some deals on home improvement soon, or if it's busier than ever because people with money (like me) and nowhere to go are taking the time to fix things up?

I need some broken storm windows replaced (with low-e glass), all the flooring redone, interior patching and painting, and maybe wallpaper removal and replacement.

Are bargain services in the near future, or are these folks staying busy?

waltworks

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2020, 03:59:57 PM »
If this drags on long enough, sure. As of right now, even shit contractors have 4 or 5 months backlogs. Some of those people will cancel, sure, but people aren't abandoning their remodel halfway through. There's some significant lag time before large numbers of builders are looking for work.

In 6 months, if the economy is in the toilet, you'll be able to get lots of great bids from great contractors. Until then, though, probably not.

-W

MayDay

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2020, 06:57:24 PM »
If this drags on long enough, sure. As of right now, even shit contractors have 4 or 5 months backlogs. Some of those people will cancel, sure, but people aren't abandoning their remodel halfway through. There's some significant lag time before large numbers of builders are looking for work.

In 6 months, if the economy is in the toilet, you'll be able to get lots of great bids from great contractors. Until then, though, probably not.

-W

I agree with this.

My coworker's husband is a carpenter and he is as busy as ever.

BigMoneyJim

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2020, 01:23:15 AM »
Thanks for the info!

Not sure what I'll do then, other than wait and see what happens.

Actually I'll probably go ahead and fix the storm windows and get low-e glass. Clearly I'll still be here now when the weather gets hot, and the low-e glass would help a lot in the mornings and late afternoons.

SndcxxJ

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2020, 08:40:44 PM »
I'm not sure how your area is doing, but here in the Bay Area we are on lockdown except for some key businesses.  Home improvements are continuing, but most commercial construction has halted.  I am finding that getting sub contractors that typically work commercial jobs is easy because their normal job has stopped.  I would expect it to get back to business as normal after the lockdown.  You might find some contractors ready to jump on your project if your area is experiencing anything like my area.  Otherwise, it might just delay you a couple months and you can get back to your original plan after this blows over.

Hadilly

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2020, 11:39:10 PM »
All construction has been halted in Santa Clara county (SF Bay Area)unless it supports Covid-19 related healthcare or is deemed essential.

Michael in ABQ

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #6 on: April 05, 2020, 02:23:29 AM »
New Mexico declared construction to still be an essential job - residential and commercial. So things are still proceeding here. Actually there seemed to be very little they didn't consider essential.

KarefulKactus15

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #7 on: April 05, 2020, 07:54:18 AM »
The contractors I know are more busy.

All the businesses are re doing their interiors.

affordablehousing

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Re: Improvement Contractors Busy/Slow During Pandemic?
« Reply #8 on: April 06, 2020, 11:03:49 AM »
The labor you want to squeeze is the informal labor market. If you want to look for a deal, find the people who have to sacrifice safety for food and aren't getting a check from the government.

 

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