If you’ve got a job that’ll take a week, contractors will basically fight for it - but if it’s just something that takes a few hours, it’s apparently a real struggle to get anyone to show up.
I just installed a new kitchen sink and hooked up the faucet and dishwasher for a client. He said they had called eight plumbing companies, and all of them either refused outright or said they’d get back to it but never did. One company agreed to come install it but wouldn’t do the hole in the countertop for the sink, so they would’ve needed to hire a carpenter separately - and you can imagine how thrilled a carpenter would be about a job that takes less than an hour.
This is an incredibly common story among my customers. I’m a plumber by training, but when I went self-employed, I expanded my services to cover all kinds of handyman work. Clearly, I’m filling a niche, considering the amount of gratitude I’m getting from customers. I literally received a gift basket from one just last week. I should’ve made the jump a decade ago.
Renting is genuinely the worst, some rando having complete control over your life simply because one time they happened to have or had been given enough money to cover a downpayment on a home? What a farce.
They can kick you out due to no fault of yours, they can raise your rent to any amount, they are obliged to do very little maintenance, it is literally the same as serfs of the past. You provide value to the land holder in exchange for living on “their” land.
I was lucky enough to transition to homeownership after many years of renting, it is much more expensive now but rent increases year over year forever, the mortgage is a fixed rate for however long it takes to pay off and in a few years the costs of rent vs mortgage will flip, with the mortgage being more economical.
Few people talk about the long term rent cost outlook, take a peek at what rent will be in 15, 30, 50 years and feel your knees tremble. Our system is broken and will likely never be fixed.