Although the number of strata high-rises in Surrey might pale in comparison to our slightly bigger neighbour Vancouver, the opportunities to do business within these complexes are no less substantial.
Although the number of strata high-rises in Surrey might pale in comparison to our slightly bigger neighbour Vancouver, the opportunities to do business within these complexes are no less substantial. By the time Surrey becomes the largest city in British Columbia, the skyline of the city will be markedly different with over 30 high rises instead of 7 or 8. This makes for a huge opportunity to do business within a very unique, high concentration, and high-yield consumer market: the residential strata high-rise condominium.
The needs in this market are significant, and immediate. The people who live in these buildings have several problems in their suites every month, yet often have no knowledge of a contact person to help them. If they must resort to the yellow pages, or the internet, they not only could be paying a $150 minimum charge, they could also be inviting a complete stranger into their home to help them. The company may be located in Vancouver and as such, would undoubtedly need to charge for the travel time.
What if they have two problems in their suite? They then have to ask two different trades people to come, and each may charge their own minimum charges, even though the jobs may take no more than 5 minutes each. So the resident just puts up with their leaky sink,or often waits until they can’t stand it anymore, or tries to fix it themselves unsuccessfully.
Is there any solution to this conundrum? Absolutely. One must only understand the unique inner workings of the strata high-rise condominium to best advertise one’s services. Although an on-site building maintenance staff may be employed to take care of common areas such as hallways, and parkade, the owners of the individual suites, and their residents, are meant to fend for themselves for anything inside their suite door. So that means that anything from garburators, shower heads, sinks and tubs, toilets, lights, and painting, just as examples, are 95% of the time the owner’s responsibility to repair. Who are these people going to call when their toilet is plugged?
A broad majority of these buildings house a concierge staff person, or an employee of the strata whose job it is to help residents with any questions, or problems in their suite. These concierge staff often have carte-blanche authority to pass on to owners the name and phone number of a company or individual that can solve their issues. Would you like that person or company to be you?
It can often be surprisingly easy to have your name be a part of the preferred trades list within a strata high-rise condominium. A handyman in particular could thrive in this setting with just some basic knowledge of electrical, plumbing, painting and carpentry. Imagine having a client base where you drive to one location, bring a box of tools, and service 10 customers in one day. Now that’s a smart business model!
-Written for submission into the Surrey Board of Trade newsletter