House Doctors featured in the Dover Post

House Doctors was recently featured in the Dover Post in an article called “New Service Builds a Bathroom in a Day,” which Erik Reichelt offers at his location in Delaware. Reichelt discusses the new service in depth with the Dover Post reporter and takes a potential customer through the entire process of installing a bathroom in a day. Check out the entire article here.

New service builds a bathroom in a day

Since House Doctors opened in Dover more than two years ago, it has always been looking for ways to expand what it can offer the community.

For instance, franchise owner Erik Reichelt recently started installing egress windows, a service that’s become more popular with changing building codes.

But it’s the business’s new Bathroom in a Day service that’s the most recent addition to House Doctors, which will be moving to its new location at 25 Maggies Way, Suite 1, Jan. 1.

Reichelt spoke with the Dover Post on Nov. 19 to talk about the new product.

Q What is the Bathroom in a Day service?
A The Bathroom in a Day is an acrylic lining system for your tub and shower unit, or just a shower unit, so you don’t have to go through the tear-out process where you tear out the tub unit and walls, which can be a several day process. We can provide these acrylic panels and tub liner and install it in one day.

Q So you just put the liners over the existing tub or shower?
A We measure the tub, and the lining system is a glove fit to line over a steel tub or cast iron tub. There’s a 14-step measuring process where we can ensure with certain, specialty tools that you get a glove fit.

(Read More)

Franchisee Profile: Doug Coyle, Owner of House Doctors Andover, MA

Location: Andover, MA

Q: Before franchising with House Doctors, what were you involved with?
A: Before getting involved with House Doctors, I worked as a sales manager at an auto dealership. After twenty years in the car business, I got a little tired of it and started looking for an opportunity to own my own business. I had experience in the franchising industry from owning a Ski-Doo Snowmobile franchise, so I decided to start looking for a new venture there.

Q: What attracted you to House Doctors?
A: Not many people have a service like House Doctor, but it’s one I think a lot of people need. House Doctors’ highly professional approach to handyman service is uncommon in the industry and made it stand out as a brand. Being on time or communicating with clients when that’s not possible, those small things done right build a very professional image.

Q: Why was House Doctors the right business opportunity for you?
A: House Doctors provided a prefabricated business venture that was exactly what I was looking for. The members from corporate I met with were very down to earth and willing to work with you. That, in addition to reasonable franchising fees and royalties, made House Doctors very attractive.

Q: How do you connect with the local community?
A: I’m a member of the local chamber of commerce. I also sponsor high school silent auctions and sports teams. Most of my business comes from young parents, so I try to help out with community events benefiting kids.

Q: What are some of your recent accomplishments?
A: Last year our location was named one of the top 10 House Doctors franchises in the nation. This year is set to be our best yet for sales.

House Doctors featured in Tips & Quips from the Working World

House Doctors was recently featured in an article in a national blog called Tips & Quips from the Working World, entitled, “Home Handyman Services – How a Home Improvement Franchise Works.” The article discusses what it’s like to be the owner/operator of a professional handyman franchise. It includes interesting and useful information about how the franchise works, daily tasks, ups and downs of the job, and tips for potential handyman franchisees. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Home Handyman Services – How a Home Improvement Franchise Works

Home handyman services can be a profitable, interesting job! Here’s how a home improvement franchise works, plus job tips from a small business owner and operator.

“You have to like what you do,” says John Driesse, who is the franchise owner of House Doctors of North Jersey. “Running a business – not to mention starting one – consumes a lot of your time. There’s always something to do. You’re behind most of the time, and you have to be good at prioritizing things. Everything is important, but some things must be done before others.”

Driesse’s business is part of a large US-based handyman franchise company called House Doctors. Here, this professional handyman describes his job and offers career tips for aspiring small business owners…

Home Handyman Services – What Does a Professional Home Handyman Do?

A professional handyman’s job includes both residential repairs (eg, cleaning gutters, doing carpentry, installing pet doors, remodeling, etc) to commercial repairs (eg, fixing doors and windows, installing new carpets or floors, performing maintenance services, etc).

“Most people are surprised that we respond to their calls quickly, arrive when we say we are going to, and complete the work in a professional manner,” says Driesse. “The ‘professional handyman’ name carries somewhat of a negative connotation, and we’re working hard to change that.”

Owning and operating a home improvement franchise is different than working as a professional handyman.

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House Doctors featured in Washington Examiner

House Doctors was recently featured in an article in The Washington Examiner entitled, “There are still a lot of properties available to rehabilitate – but finding them can be a challenge.” The article discusses the difficulty of finding a “fixer-upper” to live in or fix up and then resell, and gives advice to first-time home buyers looking to avoid bad investments. Hugh Sutherland weighs in as owner/operator of House Doctors in Northern Virginia and an investor in rehab properties, explaining that foreclosures and short sales need love and attention in order to become liveable for families on a budget. He explains the drop in house-flippers and investors like himself, and says that instead, families are moving into these homes. This article will provide some great exposure for House Doctors in metro DC, and should generate some local interest in fixing up homes, and who to call when one wants to take on these kinds of projects. A portion of the article is included below and it can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

There are still a lot of properties available to rehabilitate – but finding them can be a challenge
By: Deborah Huso

Finding a fixer-upper to flip, or to live in for a time and then resell later for a profit, is not as easy as scanning the real estate listings.

“Some properties may fit fixer-upper categories in the buyer’s eye, but not be listed that way by the seller,” said Jonathan Hill, president of RealEstate Business Intelligence in Rockville, a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems.

The seller or the seller’s agent may want to avoid what they perceive as a negative moniker.

That said, it is not surprising there are more of these properties on the market in the D.C. metro area these days — and that more of them are selling. RBI’s figures from April to September this year show 997 fixer homes sold in the District and surrounding areas, including the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, Arlington and Fairfax counties in Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland. That’s a jump from the 650 to 750 sold during the same periods from 2005 to 2008.

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House Doctors featured in Atlanta Home Improvement

House Doctors' Jarid Kossen was recently featured in Atlanta Home Improvement’s Expert Q&A in October. The Q&A is over the topic of winterizing the home and Jarid give’s some tips on how homeowners can do simple things to make sure their home is weatherized for the winter. The article can be seen in PDF format below:

HouseDoctors.AtlantaHomeImprovement.10.01.10

House Doctors' Fast Start Program: What You Need to Know Before Opening

You buy into the concept, you go through the discover process, then you sign a franchise agreement, what’s next?

Many new franchisees can be intimidated about exactly how to get the ball rolling. They’ve bought the rights to their very own franchise and now it’s up to them to open up shop and be successful doing it.House Doctors understands this can be an overwhelming process and has spent many years perfecting the system, processes and procedures required for getting franchisees up and running without missing a beat.

Through their Fast Start program, House Doctors provides as much of a turnkey operation as possible and partners with each new franchisee through opening their new location and throughout the first year (The Academy to be discussed in a later post). With the support of their Franchise Support Manager, and everyone at the House Doctors home office, franchisees complete a 125-point checklist of items necessary to accomplish to ensure success, but not only complete the checklist, complete it in the right order. This support includes Business Planning, Budgeting, Market Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Securing Business Licenses and more. House Doctors takes a vested interest in each one of its franchisees careers.

House Doctors also provides new franchisees what’s called an “Initial Package.” As part of a franchisee’s investment into House Doctors, they receive an initial package which includes everything they need to have a complete, professional brand image right off the bat including uniforms, the appropriate technology and software, marketing materials, website development and maintenance.

So although you may be off to the races, the benefit of working with House Doctors is that you won’t be alone. You’ll benefit from House Doctors’ 15+ years of experience operating 175+ locations nationwide to back you.

House Doctors tells MainStreet.com how to winterize homes

House Doctors was featured in an article and slideshow on MainStreet.com entitled, “How to Winterize Your Home.” The article discusses different ways to winterize your home and provided very useful tips for people at home looking to make these changes and cut costs. Check out a portion of the article below or read the full story here.

How to Winterize Your Home
By Jeanine Skowronski

With Halloween approaching and Thanksgiving not far behind, homeowners need to start preparing their houses for winter weather. After all, advance preparations can save money, preserve energy and increase safety as you transition into the winter months.To help you and your home weather the inevitable storms, MainStreet consulted the experts to find out what homeowners should do before the temperature drops drastically.

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