Housing Market’s “Babysitters”
I have the names of over 500 contractors in my contact manager (no, I don’t use a Rolodex anymore; I doubt anyone under 25 even knows what they are).
My database includes not just inspectors, lenders, and handymen, but also painters, 
carpenters, electricians, roofers, masons, odor remediators (by far the best: Dave Polley, aka “Odor Medic”), window cleaners, chimney sweeps, surveyors, property managers, etc.
Just in case I have a gap in my “referral lineup,” I subscribe to Angie’s List (and frequently check it).
So, what is the category where I get the most frequent requests — and have the fewest names?
House cleaners.
I wish I knew why that was.
My guess: it’s a combination of high turnover, and people who hold the names of good ones very close to their vest, i.e., they don’t share them.
Sort of like babysitters . . .
P.S.: It’s also the case, unfortunately, that there seem to be a lot of middlemen out there “placing” non-English speaking workers, providing very little training or accountability — and pocketing most of the fee.
