The Story of Auburn Handyman Service
Part 1: My Background & Qualifications
My name is Chris Kearns. I was born in Milwaukee in 1975 and transferred to Auburn in 1995 as a Junior to start the Building Science program. I finished my undergrad in Building Science in 1998, and my Masters in City Planning in 2010. I have been doing a variety of maintenance and renovation projects on my own properties and a few others in Auburn for over 20 years. In fact, I have renovated or updated about 150 properties in Auburn during that time, most of which were my own, so I was paying attention to the budget and the quality. If it matters, I have been a Real Estate investor in Auburn for over 20 years, since my first tenant moved in way back in January 2000. I spent about 15 years building up my portfolio to 100+ units by 2015, and managed them all myself, including doing a lot of the small maintenance projects and a LOT of painting. Although I bought and renovated a few individual units, but the bulk of my holdings were made up of small apartment complexes that turned around and/or renovated and turned into condos.
I can fix things, I like to do it, and I know who to call if I can't handle the job.
If that's all you need to know, then you can stop here and just call me now to schedule an appointment. (334-209-4797)
If you want to know more about who you are inviting into your home, feel free to keep reading. : )
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Part 2: The Burnout Part
On July 4th weekend in 2013, I was in the middle of a huge apartment turnaround project and frankly, it was kicking my ass. Somehow my dream of Real Estate riches and "passive income" had turned into a nightmare... I was busier than ever and also strapped for cash. The burnout was real, and I was trapped my own business with ton of investors looking to me for larger payouts, so I couldn't just quit. In reality, that's how the middle part of every turnaround goes, but after bouncing back from the 2007-2009 recession, I had had enough of that feeling. So I decided that I would give myself 5 years (till Labor Day 2018) to completely change my life into something that was less stressful and more enjoyable. I set up the classic 5 year plan to make some serious changes, starting with what I did for a living and ending with moving to a new place. By 2015, I had sold about 90% of my properties, and the I sold the rest in late 2016. For the first time in 20 years, I wasn't dreaming about building the hugest rental portfolio possible.
Part 3: Opening Up to New Experiences
After 9 years, I closed my office downtown on College street and got a passport, and started off to see some different things and places. For example, I drove around the US, and up both coasts all the way up to Canada, for example. Then in the Spring of 2017, I grabbed a backpack and took off to Europe for a few months. I wanted to see all of the cities and structures that I learned about in school, and maybe find a new place to live. I spent about 11 weeks in Europe and spread my time across 30 different cities, it was awesome. It was definitely the reset I needed, but of course that lifestyle is not sustainable without a source of income! (If you were wondering, my top 4 relocation targets came down to Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Barcelona. With more research and even some return visits, they were all eliminated, but Valencia, Spain, replaced them as the #1 option. For now, it's just a place to visit and to daydream about when I get stressed.)
Part 4: Starting Over at the Right Scale
Ultimately, I decided that I really did like living in Auburn quite a bit, and decided to recommit to my life & business here, and started buying rental properties again, but at a much smaller scale. Some of them were bought only to fix up and rent for a year or 2, but some were fixed up and will remain part of my core holdings for the long term. My rental business, Badger Properties, is still around from the apartment days, but it is much smaller and simpler than it used to be, and I'm happy with that decision. The sales side of my business was actually initially set up as a way to sell all of my apartments. My Real Estate Brokerage is called Auburn Investment Properties, and on that side of the business, I help investors get started with their first rental properties, and then growing their portfolio. In that business, we take newbies and hold their hand while they become seasoned investors, and they can feel comfortable knowing that wherever they want to take that business, I've already been there. I don't do Property Management in terms of leasing, but I can suggest someone or in many cases, we work together to build a mini-management company of their own. (There's no point in getting into too much detail on that here, if you want to know more just ask.) Both of those businesses allow me time to breathe, but also provide a nice income... but they aren't totally fulfilling either.
Part 5: Why Auburn Handyman Service?
So why would I start another business, getting dirty and sweaty doing handyman projects? Because I actually miss working with my hands and solving problems, honestly. I miss seeing tangible results at the end of a project. I don't want to do something repetitive (or worse, nonstop) that requires a massive scale to make a good living, like a starting a lawn care business. And I get a lot of Real Estate clients asking who they can call to fix this thing or that, and I usually just go help them anyway. Working in construction on Summer jobs back in Milwaukee was why I went into Building Science in the first place nearly 30 years ago. But the sad thing is, as you get more "successful" in most types of construction businesses or even with rental properties, ultimately you find yourself doing more of the admin work and less of the stuff we really enjoyed in the beginning.
My name is Chris Kearns. I was born in Milwaukee in 1975 and transferred to Auburn in 1995 as a Junior to start the Building Science program. I finished my undergrad in Building Science in 1998, and my Masters in City Planning in 2010. I have been doing a variety of maintenance and renovation projects on my own properties and a few others in Auburn for over 20 years. In fact, I have renovated or updated about 150 properties in Auburn during that time, most of which were my own, so I was paying attention to the budget and the quality. If it matters, I have been a Real Estate investor in Auburn for over 20 years, since my first tenant moved in way back in January 2000. I spent about 15 years building up my portfolio to 100+ units by 2015, and managed them all myself, including doing a lot of the small maintenance projects and a LOT of painting. Although I bought and renovated a few individual units, but the bulk of my holdings were made up of small apartment complexes that turned around and/or renovated and turned into condos.
I can fix things, I like to do it, and I know who to call if I can't handle the job.
If that's all you need to know, then you can stop here and just call me now to schedule an appointment. (334-209-4797)
If you want to know more about who you are inviting into your home, feel free to keep reading. : )
-----------------------
Part 2: The Burnout Part
On July 4th weekend in 2013, I was in the middle of a huge apartment turnaround project and frankly, it was kicking my ass. Somehow my dream of Real Estate riches and "passive income" had turned into a nightmare... I was busier than ever and also strapped for cash. The burnout was real, and I was trapped my own business with ton of investors looking to me for larger payouts, so I couldn't just quit. In reality, that's how the middle part of every turnaround goes, but after bouncing back from the 2007-2009 recession, I had had enough of that feeling. So I decided that I would give myself 5 years (till Labor Day 2018) to completely change my life into something that was less stressful and more enjoyable. I set up the classic 5 year plan to make some serious changes, starting with what I did for a living and ending with moving to a new place. By 2015, I had sold about 90% of my properties, and the I sold the rest in late 2016. For the first time in 20 years, I wasn't dreaming about building the hugest rental portfolio possible.
Part 3: Opening Up to New Experiences
After 9 years, I closed my office downtown on College street and got a passport, and started off to see some different things and places. For example, I drove around the US, and up both coasts all the way up to Canada, for example. Then in the Spring of 2017, I grabbed a backpack and took off to Europe for a few months. I wanted to see all of the cities and structures that I learned about in school, and maybe find a new place to live. I spent about 11 weeks in Europe and spread my time across 30 different cities, it was awesome. It was definitely the reset I needed, but of course that lifestyle is not sustainable without a source of income! (If you were wondering, my top 4 relocation targets came down to Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Barcelona. With more research and even some return visits, they were all eliminated, but Valencia, Spain, replaced them as the #1 option. For now, it's just a place to visit and to daydream about when I get stressed.)
Part 4: Starting Over at the Right Scale
Ultimately, I decided that I really did like living in Auburn quite a bit, and decided to recommit to my life & business here, and started buying rental properties again, but at a much smaller scale. Some of them were bought only to fix up and rent for a year or 2, but some were fixed up and will remain part of my core holdings for the long term. My rental business, Badger Properties, is still around from the apartment days, but it is much smaller and simpler than it used to be, and I'm happy with that decision. The sales side of my business was actually initially set up as a way to sell all of my apartments. My Real Estate Brokerage is called Auburn Investment Properties, and on that side of the business, I help investors get started with their first rental properties, and then growing their portfolio. In that business, we take newbies and hold their hand while they become seasoned investors, and they can feel comfortable knowing that wherever they want to take that business, I've already been there. I don't do Property Management in terms of leasing, but I can suggest someone or in many cases, we work together to build a mini-management company of their own. (There's no point in getting into too much detail on that here, if you want to know more just ask.) Both of those businesses allow me time to breathe, but also provide a nice income... but they aren't totally fulfilling either.
Part 5: Why Auburn Handyman Service?
So why would I start another business, getting dirty and sweaty doing handyman projects? Because I actually miss working with my hands and solving problems, honestly. I miss seeing tangible results at the end of a project. I don't want to do something repetitive (or worse, nonstop) that requires a massive scale to make a good living, like a starting a lawn care business. And I get a lot of Real Estate clients asking who they can call to fix this thing or that, and I usually just go help them anyway. Working in construction on Summer jobs back in Milwaukee was why I went into Building Science in the first place nearly 30 years ago. But the sad thing is, as you get more "successful" in most types of construction businesses or even with rental properties, ultimately you find yourself doing more of the admin work and less of the stuff we really enjoyed in the beginning.
We as humans are built mentally and physically to solve problems and overcome obstacles.
We spend a lot of our lives trying to make these problems and obstacles go away, but be careful what you wish for. If you find yourself among the "lucky ones" to reach that level, you will probably also find yourself depressed and wondering what your identity really is without the role or status that defined you before... and then ultimately looking for new challenges.
I know what I am... I am a helper... and so here we are. : )
Back to business as I wrap it up: If you make more money at your job, but don't get to do the part that you actually like to do, is that "being successful"? Not necessarily. I think there's a balance to be found, and I guess I'm still trying to find it. And quite frankly, getting steady rent checks is nice, but there's not always a lot of cashflow left each month until the loans are paid off. And commission checks are pretty awesome for the time it takes to earn them, but they aren't consistent, which can be stressful during the slow times. I'm not giving those businesses up, but there are always parts of the year when I have a ton of time on my hands, and I'd like to put it to better use. So one day I thought, why not try to build a handyman business that is centered around really helping people by taking on manageable projects I can do, and leaning on my local contacts for things I can't do? And try to grow it gradually, organically, through minimal advertising and mostly word of mouth, without the stress of satisfying investors, the self-imposed pressure of having to grow, grow, grow... and the headaches of coordinating a big team every day... is that possible? I hope so!
Can this business be done in a way that I am as happy with what I am doing as my clients are with the service they receive? Stay tuned to find out. Better yet, give me a call and see for yourself!
Can this business be done in a way that I am as happy with what I am doing as my clients are with the service they receive? Stay tuned to find out. Better yet, give me a call and see for yourself!