How to find the perfect contractor
Locating an approved contractor can be trying especially if you are a first-time home buyer. The number of them competing with each other to do your work can leave you confused to sign up for at least one of them. Still, it is not difficult if you know a little about them. Here are a few tips on how to find the perfect contractor to help you reduce the effort...
Get in touch with close friends and relatives or anyone who has dealt with any of these contractors before. If they are homeowners themselves, it will be a lot better. Ask them about how these contractors fared in doing their work previously. If they were confident and satisfied to hire them again, it could be a good choice. Interior designers, architects and even furniture makers can sometimes recommend the names of a few good licensed contractors.
Search on the Internet. Type keywords like 'experienced building contractors downtown Chicago' or anything that you only will know to get the information. You may find a lot of them. Read all about them including their licenses and prices. Check for customer reviews. Go through the online classifieds like Craigslist and Back page. Be careful about approaching anyone from those ads. Those ads are mostly without any charge. Anyone with little or no qualification can place a free ad. There is a possibility though that a company which has entered the market recently is good and is also offering their services at reduced rates. Always check with any of their recent customers before considering them.
Your local phone directory and yellow pages can also be the answer to how to find the perfect contractor. There is usually a whole bunch of 'local contractors' ads in the yellow pages. Always check all their documents before finalizing on any of them.
Now that you have a list of probables, you can sift through them and verify if they are observing the following standards of doing business as contractors...
Ask them to provide you with a list of happy customers in the immediate past. There may even be some good reviews on the company's website. Also see if they had customers who were displeased with the work. If they had noted their grievances, you can know that the company was genuine and sincere to work on the complaints.
What liability insurance does this company have? Accidents do occur during contracting jobs. Are they providing workers benefits to their employees? If a worker is hurt while doing the work on your premises, you do not want to be held liable for medical expenses of the injured person.
What about prices and quotations? It will be wise to look at a few tenders before deciding on that one contractor. Do not ever accept a quote given on the telephone. Remember not to go by prices alone. A lower quote may be the reason for not enough overheads or that they were not paying their workers adequately, or worse still not having sufficient insurance.
Putting everything in writing. Most contractors will put down everything in writing in the contract. If it is a big job, you can ask your attorney to look into it. Although there were quite few complaints lodged with the Better Business Bureau in the previous year, many of them were reported to be faithful to carry out their contracts. Whether you are thinking of doing a complete remodeling of your home or even a minor home improvement inside, you should be acquainted with where to start.
Follow these tips on 'how to find the perfect contractor' and you are through.