I've always sided with NE on this one--why hire someone to do the half-dozen misc things that I can do for so much cheaper? Plus I like the challenge of constantly learning new skills.

Life is teaching me a lesson. I tore my meniscus and have struggled to walk for the last 3 weeks, so I've had to find alternatives to DIY. This is what I've done with my enforced desk time:

--Hired out a difficult, dirty attic insulation job that I was going to do myself. Took 10 hours (hip roof with four dormers--crazy!)and paid the guy $200. Totally worth it.

--Spent lots of time learning about lead paint and researching a solution. Saved myself $2000 in costs and got the job done in a week instead of two months from now.

--Analyzed market rents of three rentals coming up for renewal. Found out my spitball numbers were way low. Sent out increase letters that will bring in an additional $2600 next year, instead of losing track of deadlines and failing to bump up rents.

--Took the time to chat with my handyman and got a lead on a fire sale property. $20K sale price + $20K in repairs for a duplex worth $120K.

--Took the time to find someone to repair gutter/fascia/soffit on two of my properties. Not work that I would do myself but never took the time to hire out. Found and corrected some budding issues. A stitch in time saved nine.

--Finished my taxes.

--Repaired a rift with a handyman plumber that may become my go-to guy and only charges $30/hr.

So despite the doors that are currently closed, I've found several more have opened. What has your experience been with taking the tools out of the truck? Any regrets?

We are extremely lucky. We work well as a team, always have since we met back in the day and worked in hi-tech together at several companies.

Now DH is the DIY guy AND contractor liaison and I am the business, tax and paper person. So he doesn't need to take the tools out of his truck to run the business because that's what I do. He likes to do the stuff for which contractors charge too much for too little, and hire out the stuff where it really works for us.

Good job, Robin. Hope your knee gets better soon!

In the end, no one HAS to take the tools out of the truck. But I found out that I made substantially more money and have much more time when I did.

Thank you, NE, what does she charge?

How did you find her?

Robin,

God has a way of pointing us where He wants us to go, tho it usually involves pain. Bummer on the knee but congrats on the blessing of a new outlook.

A beauty of this biz is anyone can work it how they please. AND...We can also adapt as our interests and dreams change.

DIY got me started, helped me build, but soon it was limiting my biz and my income.

The pen is mightier than the nailgun!

I signed checks today, prepped by my bookkeeper, for 2 homes supercleaned, 2 homes fully painted, a list of basic turnover repairs that was prepped by my super was completed, and grass mowed at some multis. I spent about 15 minutes to write those work orders and text a photo of each to the helpers, and 5 minutes to sign their checks. My business moved forward with 20 minutes of my time...

After I had a 40 minute phone call with a man selling a multi million dollar apartment complex.

Free the rest of the day.

Short version, when I was DIY my net worth topped out at a $_____, no more room to grow. When I set my pride handyman mastery aside and learned to hire my biz and income grew to many times that.

Life is short. Do what makes you happy.

BRAD

Robin: Hope you get well soon. Reminded me of the 8 months I had a cast on and had to have the prospects pick me up to show my property to them because I couldln't drive.

I need someone to do paperwork. Tell us more NE.

Back in 1979, I was only 19 years old, my gas line to a rental pool heater sprung a leak. My broker sent her plumber over there for an estimate. With all of the discounts, it would cost me $2,500. That's $7,500 in today's money. That's for a new underground galvanized line running from my gas meter to the pool heater, some 50 feet.

SO instead I pulled a permit. Ran the gas line under a 3 foot walkway, up from the ground to the block wall fence between me and my neighbor. Ran the "larger" diameter gas line 18" from the ground along the fence (Block Wall) and then was covered by my side planter scrubs. So the line was exposed along the block wall for only 20 feet, strapped as per code.

We the City, Building and Safety and Gas Company failed my job saying it is not allowed, an exposed gas line! They cut the line and capped it off at the meter.

I than took the State Contractors exam for Building, Law and Plumbing. Getting 100% on two test and 96% on the third. I then went to court and sued the City, Gas Company and the plumber who gave me the estimate, then ratted me out. I had a permit that passed but the City didn't like the Idea a home owner could do it better and cheaper than professionals. I had spent around $200 for parts, materials and dump fee's.

SO from then on, doing things for less by myself and having top quality results was my key to success and allowed me to buy more property.

Thanks NE. Great idea. I'm in the process of changing accountants so I'll ask both of them!

We're not finding the quality my husband brings to the table on so many jobs, and he enjoys the work as NE does.

Hoping that I can learn more ways to find properties at the convention. There isn't much around here that isn't above retail. I spent the money I had saved back for a deal on a deal and now I am slowly building it back up.

Trying to get a handyperson again. I don't have enough work for a full time employee (thankfully), nor do I have the money to pay someone full time. The few people I have tried are either idiots that say they can do it all or they don't want to do the dirty work.

I was under a house yesterday. I installed a new sump pump and attached and taped the dryer vent which had come undone and dumped lint in the crawl.

Side note, I found a golf ball in the vent. How? I am still pondering.

Now maybe I could have found a meth head and had them do this work, probably for cheap. But then I would have to go down there and make sure they did it right, so why not do it myself?

Guy that does my sewer and well work gave me a quote the other day for installing a sump in a basement and plumbing it out. It was over $1500. Not including the pump. He used to talk to me about bumping quotes when he didn't want the job, but I never thought he would do it to me.

NE, nope, still working the "slave" job 7 - 4 daily, M-F.

And why not? It's good work. Keeps me busy. Provides low cost health insurance. Free money via ROTH 401K match. Camaraderie in an industry that interests me... and leaves me with more than enough time to manage my rentals. I can work inside or outside, at my house or my favorite local pub, and I get 6 weeks of paid vacation/holiday time off annually where I make money for waking up.

Could I quit my job and triple my unit count? Possibly. Do I really want to? Nah, not really. 54 units is enough for now. I'm currently doing one-off flips to generate added income. I'm not sure that more units would make me measurably happier, though. I have everything I need and much of what I want.

Could 5 more units buy me a nicer Porsche? Sure, but that's a never ending game. I already have a nice Porsche, and I enjoy driving it very much. I've seen the guys with the $100,000 Porsches; they're trying to get the $150,000 Porsche, and those guys are trying to get the $200,000 Porsche, the trailer, and the mobile home. Just more stuff no matter how high you go. I'm content with what I have now. I'll probably trade it off in a few years and upgrade to a little more hp and comfort, but today I'm hitting twisty backroads and taking corners at 80 mph... going 85 or 90 around those corners won't noticeably improve my life and might actually scare the ba-jeebers out of me.

Could 100 more units allow me to retire today? Yeah, probably, but.... I'd have to find something productive to do with my time vs. sit around all day. I hear that's one of the worst parts of retirement: folks who have nothing meaningful to do. Most of my friends won't retire until they are at least 60 years old, so I won't be able to pester them. Today, I'm playing with robots that do Cycle Counting in our new warehouse, managing over 128,000 SKUs. Cool stuff! Making 6 figures doing that is not a bad deal at all.