For Agents & Landlords · Tri-Cities, TN

Realtor & Landlord Make-Ready Handyman — Tri-Cities, TN

Agents and landlords need one person who shows up, does the punch list right, and flags the things that need a licensed pro before they become a closing problem. That's the job.

Call Jeff — 423-552-8979 Request a Quote

Punch lists, turnovers & pre-listing repairs

A pending closing doesn't wait on three different contractor callbacks. Whether it's a pre-listing punch list, a tenant turnover between leases, or the last dozen small repairs standing between a house and closing day, I'm one reliable call that gets it handled — on your timeline, not a subcontractor's.

A freshly repaired empty rental interior ready for listing

Make-ready and punch lists

A make-ready punch list is usually a stack of small stuff — a cracked switch plate, a door that sticks, a scuff in the drywall, a leaky faucet handle, trim that's coming loose. None of it is a big job on its own. All of it together is what keeps a listing from photographing well or a buyer's inspector from writing up a page of nitpicks. I go through the list in one visit instead of you scheduling five different guys for five different one-item jobs.

I'll also tell you the truth about what I find. If a punch-list item is really a bigger repair hiding under a cosmetic one — soft subfloor under new flooring, rot behind trim that needs real carpentry and structural wood repair, not just a fresh coat of paint — I'm not going to caulk over it so the house shows well for one weekend. That's not honest, and it comes back on you at inspection or, worse, after closing. You'll get the real scope every time, even when it's not what you wanted to hear before a showing.

Between-tenant turnovers

Every day a unit sits empty between tenants is a day of lost rent, so turnovers are usually the tightest deadline I work with. A typical turnover means patching nail holes and scuffs, fixing a cabinet door that never latched right, replacing a broken blind, re-caulking around a tub, tightening loose hardware, and clearing whatever the last tenant left behind on the punch list. Where drywall took a hit from moved furniture or a hung TV, I patch and finish the drywall so it disappears rather than photographs as a repair. Where a window or an exterior door isn't sealing or locking the way it should, that's window and door repair I handle in the same visit.

I keep landlords and property managers on my regular schedule so a turnover doesn't sit waiting for an opening on a stranger's calendar. You tell me the move-out date, I tell you honestly whether I can hit the move-in date, and we don't leave it to guesswork.

Curb prep and second-home turnovers

First impressions still sell houses, and the cheapest fix for a tired-looking exterior is usually a good wash, not new siding. Pressure washing the siding, walkways, and porch before a photo shoot or a showing routinely does more for curb appeal than anything else on a pre-listing budget, and I can pair it with the small exterior repairs — a loose railing, a sagging gutter, a soft porch board — that a walk-up buyer notices before they ever ring the doorbell.

That work matters even more once you're up in the High Country. A lot of the second homes and short-term rentals around Boone, Banner Elk, and Blowing Rock sit empty for weeks between guests or owner visits, and a small leak or a loose gutter has all the time in the world to turn into a real problem before anyone notices. I turn those properties around between guests or list-ready between seasons the same way I do a valley rental — one visit, an honest look at what's actually wrong, and the work done before the next arrival.

One contractor, one call

The real value for an agent or a landlord isn't any single repair — it's not having to manage five different tradesmen to get one property ready. I've run a renovation crew of my own for twenty years, so I know what it costs you in time and headache to chase down callbacks. With me, you make one call, you get a straight answer on scope and timing, and I show up when I say I will. If the work needs a licensed electrician, plumber, or roofer, I say so and make the introduction from my own trades network instead of leaving you to find one on a deadline.

Twenty years running a renovation company means I can walk a property once and tell you what's cosmetic, what's a real repair, and what's going to come up on an inspection report before it does. See more about that background on the About page, and I work the full Tri-Cities and NC High Country service area for agents, landlords, and property managers who need the same reliable hands on more than one property.

The make-ready work I take on most

Pre-listing repairs

Tenant turnovers

Inspection punch lists

Move-in / move-out repairs

Drywall patching →

Carpentry & trim →

Kitchen & bath repairs →

Window & door repair →

Pressure washing for curb prep →

Why an ex-contractor is the right make-ready handyman

A handyman who's never run the bigger version of your job is guessing at what matters and what doesn't. I've bid full renovations, so when a kitchen or bath on a listing needs more than a punch-list fix, I can tell you plainly whether it's a quick kitchen and bath repair or something that belongs in front of a buyer's contractor after closing. And when a punch-list item needs a licensed electrician, plumber, or roofer, I've got a trades network built over two decades — I'll flag it and make the call, not let it become a surprise at closing.

Bigger rehab on the way?

Investors weighing a bigger rehab before you commit the capital — before you hire your next contractor, have someone in your corner who's built these for 25 years.

See how A Contractor in Your Corner works

See the full punch-list & repair work

Beyond make-ready work, I handle the punch-list and repair work that keeps a rental portfolio or a listing pipeline moving — see the complete list of services I take on.

Frequently asked questions

Do you work directly with property management companies?+

Yes — I work with agents, landlords, and property managers across the Tri-Cities on an ongoing basis.

Can you turn around a punch list before a closing date?+

Call with your timeline and I'll tell you straight whether it's doable — I'd rather tell you now than miss the date.

What if the punch list includes something outside handyman scope?+

I'll flag it plainly and connect you with a licensed pro from my trades network so it doesn't stall the closing.

Do you handle turnovers on second homes and short-term rentals in the High Country?+

Yes — Boone, Banner Elk, and Blowing Rock are part of my regular service area. Those properties often sit empty between guests or owner visits, so I check them over thoroughly rather than just hitting the obvious items.

Interior

Exterior

Carpentry & Fixtures