“What do you mean you can’t fix it? We pay you $16.00 an hour to know this stuff!” Folks, if anyone ever says this to you it’s time to start looking for greener pastures. First of all, $16.00 an hour to be an expert in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, appliance repair,…
A question that I get asked a lot from techs all over the world is, “How do I earn an above average income in this business?” My answer is simple. “Become an above average person.” It amazes me how many people out there today want to do above average jobs,…
Okay, I’m not going to sugar coat this when I say that the maintenance side of the apartment industry is sucking. I keep seeing the grim posts online about positions not being filled for 6 to 9 months. I’m actually witnessing it in my hometown. And, it seems like when…
Okay folks, it’s time to address a falsehood that’s been spreading through the apartment industry faster than a crop duster’s fart at Disney World. I’ve been hearing it since I started in the business 15 years ago. And the legend goes like this: “You need to take the EPA class…
9) The Boozer Sometimes as adults we come to work with a hangover. Once every year or two is life. However, “the boozer” takes it to another level. Clocking in all glassy eyed while looking like a Nick Nolte mugshot every week will get you blacklisted from the apartment industry…
Okay, there’s actually no such thing as YouTube University. That’s just what I like to call YouTube. A university because of the endless knowledge it provides for just about anything you can think of. All for free! I have mined tons of gold out of YouTube and I took those…
If you’ve hung around my blog or YouTube channel, you know that I’m passionate about apartment maintenance and finance. I know how hard we work and it breaks my heart seeing people who come to the end of their journey with nothing to show for all that hard work. The…
A quick cheat sheet! Something I’ve always wanted while on a work order in the heat of battle. Instead of having to search all over the internet for helpful charts and information, I will consolidate everything here that will give technicians quick access to what they need. You can click…
I’ve been on both sides of this issue. I’ve dealt with shops that had the bare minimum to work with and shops that had more than enough to work with. Needless to say, working in a skeleton shop annoys the piss out of me. Early in my maintenance career I…
The debate that has been going on for decades. And will continue to rage between management and maintenance techs for years to come. Should the company pay for a maintenance tech’s tools? Yes they should! Now, before you feel like putting my head in a vice let me explain. Does…