A Message to Brownstoner Readers
Just a reminder that ultimately the usefulness of this website as a resource depends on the input of the entire community. The traffic since we launched the new design in January has been consistently averaging about 1,500 unique visitors a day with page views and hits significantly higher. Given these numbers, we hope that we…
Just a reminder that ultimately the usefulness of this website as a resource depends on the input of the entire community. The traffic since we launched the new design in January has been consistently averaging about 1,500 unique visitors a day with page views and hits significantly higher. Given these numbers, we hope that we will start to see more feedback to questions on the Services page. This section has such great potential but cannot survive on questions alone–we need more answers! So we’d appreciate it if you could take a few minutes and read through the recent postings and chime in with your two cents. Most of the questions are seeking referrals, so you don’t need to be an expert yourself to be helpful. Don’t be shy!
Thanks a lot.
Brownstoner
I have had 2 really good outcomes from Service Magic and some bad ones. Sometimes it is hit or miss. My husband requested someone who does plaster work for our ceilings a few months ago and got nothing useful. I put in another request a month ago and got some great responses for people who specialize in renovations. (Perhaps it was what I wrote vs what my husband wrote 🙂 We are using one of the people now and are very happy with it! My advice, Service Magic is a definite bonus but don’t depend on it completely.
Service Magic is a waste of time. I tried it a few times for very straightforward projects (painting, flooring). Replies to my requests came weeks after I posted it, and when I followed up with the contractors they never replied.
I don’t think anyone would want to share good, cheap contractors. Why would they? I can barely get them to work on my houses, why would I share them?
You may want to consider posting a link to http://www.servicemagic.com this is a free site with licensed contractors and providers of all general home ownership “needs.” There are no fees involved and you can read reviews about any of the service providers. No one can just “sign-up” as a provider they need to provide licenses and past information.
On more then a few occasions (I would say 10 since you launched the new site), I have tried to get on and you guys shot blanks – no page loaded, errors, etc. (fyi – I work in the internet industry and definitely understand when the problem is at my end or not; in this case, it was not.)
I’d suggest that the posters put their email address in the post, so that someone with advice doesn’t have to post to the entire world to communicate with you. It also allows for easier back and forth. Plus it just seems friendlier and more personal that “anonymous”
Browstoner,
can you add this listing to your real estate listings.
Christmas Realty
http://christmasrealty.com/
Actually, real estate is not a business for most people who buy it. It’s a means of obtaining a home. I’m glad to recommend a good, cheap contractor or worker to another homeowner, on the rare occasions I find one to recommend.
Service referal blogs will never work. Why would successful real estate investors want to share their best contractors with the public? It makes zero business sense. Real estate is a business, not a social activity or a charity. The good cheap contractors won’t stay cheap if everyone knows about them.