Listen to this articleTwo brothers from the Allentown area – Julian Zaid Dawood and Dr. Jimmy Dawood, MD – launch DaWoodWorks, an online platform that connects property owners and homeowners in need of maintenance with contractors to meet their needs.
The company is also veteran-owned. Julian Zaid Dawood is a senior human resources professional and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, while his brother Jimmy is a U.S. Navy lieutenant who earned his medical degree from the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Dawood is currently a general surgery resident at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
“We are landlords ourselves, so we know how difficult it can be to keep track of maintenance and keep track of service history. That's why we developed DaWoodWorks. It was built by property owners for property owners; the idea is to make maintenance easy and stress-free,” said Julian Zaid Dawood, adding that the name of the platform was derived from her surname.
DaWoodWorks contractors offer services such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, carpentry, flooring, painting, landscaping, roofing and general maintenance. Contractors have been vetted, licensed and insured. You have agreed to offer the best price to DaWoodWorks customers.
“There are no estimates or hidden fees,” he said
The DaWoodWorks.com online platform is available to real estate and homeowners through a four-tier subscription plan based on the number of properties they own or manage. Costs range from $20 per month for 1 to 3 properties to $200 per month for over 21 properties. Subscriptions are available for 3, 6 or 12 months.
“Property owners can submit their first maintenance request without a subscription to see if they like DaWoodWorks before committing to a subscription,” Dawood said.
He said submitting a maintenance request is simple: Take a photo of the work needed, provide a detailed description, the address of the property and the days and times the property owner or manager is available.
“We receive the maintenance request and forward it to a contractor who provides DaWoodWorks with an estimate and confirmation that the work can be completed within the time frame specified by the customer. We then send the information to the customer for approval. If he accepts, the contractor will show up and complete the work,” Dawood explained. “Payment for completed services is agreed between the customer and the contractor. DaWoodWorks is not involved in this part of the process.”
The platform also includes a dashboard that compiles information about maintenance requests. After each maintenance request is completed, details about the request, such as: For example, the contractor who serviced the property, the date of service, the materials used and the invoice are logged in the dashboard.
“It helps property owners manage and monitor the condition of their properties. With the dashboard, they can easily see when and what type of repairs were carried out on a particular property,” he said.
Dawood said some real estate agents have signed up for DaWoodWorks and plan to offer the service to their clients.
Dawood said his family has roots in Allentown's Syrian community. At one point, he said the company planned to provide funds to community organizations.
“We want to do good for people,” he said.
Rochelle A. Shenk is a freelance writer