I'm Moving to Ithaca blind as a bat! (apartment, rentals)

[inciter]

Hi everyone!

I will be making the move to Ithaca this spring from Sonoma County Ca.; My New Bride has a wonderful place just North of Ithaca that she runs a horse boarding stable. We are setup for that part. I am 46 years old and making this big move brings out a few butterflies in the old gut.

My main life style of the last 18 plus years is Deck Refinishing and General homeowner services mostly Decks, Gutter Cleaning and Basic Power washing. I hope to transition into the same occupation. Being self employed is a rewarding experience for me.

Without having ever visited Ithaca and going in blind at this point in time, I was hoping, maybe some of the fine posters on this board being a current resident or past resident of Ithaca or close areas mite be able to offer some hope I will find work in this trade I love. I know some communities are do it yourself communities, is Ithaca a Do it for me style community? Or a mix of both Styles possibly… The online Yellow pages look light in respect to the services I offer.

Most of my Customers in Sonoma County are Lawyers, Doctors ,Computer Specialists as well as Teachers and Retirement Communities.

Thank you all if you can or cannot help.

[Sgoldie]

Can't answer most of your question but wanted to say that Ithaca is a very progressive city (green oriented, etal). You may be interested in knowing that coming from the west coast to set your mind at ease and for planning purposes.

You may also want to consider what services you can offer in the winter as that is a fact of life here. Near the university (Cornell) there are many large older homes used for student rentals which could be a possible avenue for a repair business. - Just a thought.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Good point about the student rentals. I had a little "business" when I was a teen growing up in the Collegetown neighborhood. I use to shovel sidewlks in the winter, mow grass, rake leaves, general clean uip, and some minor repairs for several apartment buildings when the landlord was absentee. you might give that a look. There are DYIers in Ithaca (especially since the new Home Depot and Lowes opened), but I would suspect there are still quite a few folks who decide to pay someone else to do odd jobs (though decks and such are more than just odd jobs). I think your biggest obstacle may be getting your foot in the door. Not a huge community (city ~ 30,000, county ~ 100,000), and your line of work sounds like it's a word of mouth reputation. On the plus side, the housing stock tends to be older, so there's more opportunity for fixer upper options. Good luck with your move, and I hope it all works out for you.

[Hartwick]

You are definitely moving to a very progressive city, one with a robust economy. The city is definitely growing thanks in part to Cornell University and Ithaca College, all the professors, support staff, and students. There are many new upscale housing areas scattered on the outskirts of the city, with many of these building very expensive homes. Also, there are many, many fine residential neighborhoods as well as whole areas comprised of mostly student housing. Plus, as other posters have said, Ithaca has a lot of businesses, with Wegmans grocery store, and the new Lowe's and Home Depot which have recently opened.

With that being said, you will obviously need to get yourself established in the community via the Yellow Pages, the Ithaca newspaper. You might want to get yourself associated with Lowe's and Home Depot as one of their trusted installers(if that is something of interest). Plus, just word-of-mouth advertising is also successful, as you know already. You might also want to check to see if there is a local builder's association as that would serve to generate business.

While most of what you list is obviously warmer weather work, you'll need to perhaps expand your horizons of jobs you're willing to do in the winter time. With all the new housing, student housing, established neighborhoods, etc., you should have no problem keeping yourself productively occupied all year long.

Good Luck! You'll LOVE Ithaca.