Routine Building Maintenance...and...The SWAT Team

By NAI Jackson Hole broker Meagan Hill


Now that you have your Building Audit complete and you’ve separated your Routine Maintenance from your Long Term Replacement schedule, do not file these papers in the drawer. It’s time to do a little short term planning and preparation.

Routine Building Maintenance provides an exceptional income stream for many Contractors in our area. With a little forward planning, you can find the best Contractor for the best price AND why not secure this service for the future?

Each year we all need to give our Property some lovin’ – clean windows, clean carpets, sweep chimney, clean outside light fittings, replace light bulbs, snow removal, lawn mowing, painting, handyman repair work, the list goes on. Each of these items are essential to maintaining our Asset Value and maintaining our Tenants.

Instead of making the hurried call in the spring, consider listing out all of these Routine Building Maintenance items and inviting bids from local Contractors to complete this work for you over the next 3 years. Imagine being able to forecast your Maintenance Budget out 3 years with some degree of certainty. Imagine being able to schedule your Maintenance Work in advance with confidence that you will have the right Contractor at the right time for your Property and your Tenants business.

All the planning in the world cannot completely protect you from the inevitable emergency in the middle of the night. This is where your own Property SWAT team comes into play. While many of you probably hold a list of folks you can call at a moment’s notice, few have any idea what it will cost and all of you are terrified of what it will cost in the end. Don’t be. Use the Routine Maintenance Bid process to get a schedule of values from each Contractor so you know what their Call Out Fee and Hourly Rate will be in the middle of the night. Use this information as part of your selection process and then put a Budget forecast aside for Emergencies.

All done? Congratulations, you’ve reached Property Owner Nirvana. Daunted by the thought of the task? Contact our office for further information.

Meagan Hill is a Commercial Real Estate Investments Specialist and Principal of NAI Jackson Hole servicing the Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Teton Valley, Idaho markets.  Check out her commercial real estate blog on ActiveRain by clicking here.

For further information, contact Meagan at (307) 734-8700 or meagan@naijacksonhole.com