How Valeria Urcuyo Runs a Nationwide Home Services Business from Nicaragua

In this episode of Peter Lohmann’s Podcast, I sit down with Valeria (“Val”) Urcuyo - VP of Operations at Appliance Repair Professionals, a nationwide appliance repair company serving property managers in 40+ states.Based in Nicaragua, Val runs the business remotely, coordinating hundreds of subcontractors and thousands of repair jobs each month. We talk about how she makes this model work without a U.S. office, the shortage of appliance techs, and why some vendors inflate diagnostic fees. Val also shares how her team vets technicians, the repair-vs-replace math, and her candid take on appliance obsolescence.On leadership, Val explains how she earned the trust of the company’s owners, lessons from her mom’s Taco Bell career, and the hard calls that come with scaling a business nationwide.If you’re in property management and juggling vendor relationships, repair costs, or company culture, Val’s story is packed with takeaways.Episode Chapters00:00 – Intro02:03 – Val’s background and company overview04:22 – Running a U.S. company from Nicaragua09:20 – Challenges and strategies in appliance repair16:46 – Sponsor: Utility Profit18:21 – Expanding services and industry insights22:01 – Pricing models and property management35:41 – Factors influencing repair decisions36:40 – Customer communication and empowerment39:01 – Sponsor: Crane40:29 – Planned obsolescence in appliances43:38 – Val’s journey and leadership insights52:38 – Scaling challenges and lessons1:03:46 – Team building and company culture1:06:24 – Conclusion and contact infoLearn more and connect with Valeria here: Valeria on LinkedInThe Appliance Repair ProfessionalsLearn more & connect with me here:⁠⁠Crane⁠⁠, the private community for property management business owners.⁠My Free PM Newsletter⁠⁠RL Property Management⁠⁠