ConstructionDeal.com Update

As Spring and Summer roll around, you notice a lot of discussion in the media about home repair scams. It's as old as the hills - warm weather brings out the crooks who want to take advantage of the unsuspecting... and the lazy.

You can protect yourself from an unscrupulous contractor or even an outright scam artist by doing your due diligence. Or, in other words -- doing your homework.

Scam Artist?
Where do the scam pros lurk? At your front door, for starters. Don't ever hire anyone soliciting repair or renovation services door-to-door with a "special deal" or someone who has some "leftover materials from another job." Usually, you should leery if an unknown contractor or company calls you out of the blue. Treat an unsolicited call from a remodeling or repair company the same as you would any telemarketer. Hang up.

Can I Trust the Yellow Pages?
Just because a company is in the phone book does not mean they represent quality nor has the company been screened by the directory. They simply paid for an ad.

Beware any contractor who only gives you a cell phone number and has no business address. It doesn't mean you should avoid them completely, but it means that you may not be dealing with a qualified or established company. Do a little extra homework and thoroughly check their references. Go to a current or recent job site to physically review their handiwork.

Does a Contractor License Matter?
Yes and no. Some people prefer to work with a local contractor who will simply give them the best price - they don't care of that repair or remodeling company has a license or not. However, a license is a great indicator of quality, history, experience, and stability for any contractor.

If you want to find out if your potential contractor is licensed, ask for their license information and check this online resource!

Also, find out if your state even requires a license. Some do not. Some only require a license for certain projects or projects over a specified dollar amount.

Should I Check the Better Business Bureau?
Absolutely! The construction industry provides the BBB with the most complaints nationwide. They handle, monitor, and help resolve customer grievances against companies. Check to see if your potential contractor has current problems or a history of complaints. They hold complaints on record for 36 months.

What About "Pre-Screened Contractors"?
Ha! There are several online companies out there that promise that all their companies and contractors have been pre-screened. Or, there are "excellent" reviews and ratings on their sites. ConstructionDeal.com doesn't do anything quite so foolish.

Why? Well, read this story to get an idea. It's nearly impossible to keep track of all the thousands and thousands of contractors in our network. They may sign up with no BBB complaints, all their insurance and bond payments made, with no legal actions against them, but... all of these things could easily change the next month, week, or even day!

Any company that promises their contractors are prescreened are providing a false sense of security to homeowners! We want you to ALWAYS do your homework on ANY and EVERY service professional who may step foot on your property. The more you know, the less chance you have of getting burned.

How Much Should I Pay Up Front?
Ah, here's where many homeowners get screwed. The unscrupulous contractor and especially the scam artist will ask for most (if not ALL) the money up front. But, they're getting smarter about this. They know most homeowners can't or won't pay it all up front. So, they're trying to get as much as possible and they're running away with it.

The BBB says you should never pay more than one third up front. I'm a little stingier and I think you should be, too. Try to negotiate a serious pay plan in your contract. Tell the contractor or company you will not pay more than 15% up front - but will give another ten percent on the first day of the job... if they show up. Then, if work progresses, you'll pay more each day/week/month. And then pay the final amount after work is complete and you are happy.
There will be compromises there. But I would rather see you not get your project completed than to be ripped off by a scam artist. So don't be afraid to negotiate to protect yourself.

What Else Can I Do?
Again, if you can - check REFERENCES of every contractor or company who will do work for you. And if they cannot provide you with more than one or any reference more recent than 2 months ago, you should be concerned. Quality companies should be proud of their work and should have plenty of satisfied clients. If they do not - what do you think your odds are that you'll be happy with your project?

If you do get burned without doing any of your own research, you've got no one to blame but yourself. If something does go wrong, try to work with the BBB to get help. They can usually help resolve almost 85% of all the construction, remodeling, and repair cases they mediate. If not, the courts might be your only alternative.

RELATED POSTS
Remodeling! 'Tis the Season!
Carpeting Scam to Avoid

If you need to find a home repair expert, post your project with ConstructionDeal.com. We'll match you to as many contractors as you wish -- and don't forget to check them all out! It's a fast, free service for all homeowners and business owners with remodeling, building, or repair jobs.

Labels: Find a Contractor, Home Improvement, Home Repair

For anyone who owns a home, no matter how old it is, at some point in time a homeowner will need to find a general contractor or service professional, such as a plumber or electrician, to help with installations and problems that arise.

Homeowners need to find professionals for two main reasons - home repair and home renovation. The average age of the American home is close to 35 years so there will be a constant need to upgrade and maintain for homeowners. Besides fixing problems, there has been a significant desire to remodel older homes, spurred on mostly by the Baby Boomer generation. Home remodeling has skyrocketed for the last three decades, increasing year over year in total expenditures. In 2003, remodeling sales totaled $230 billion in 2003, which accounted for more than 2% of the U.S. economy.

Many homeowners in need of such services are choosing to do the work themselves. The DIY craze has been growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to many home improvement television shows, such as the HGTV, the DIY Network and the Discovery Home networks.

Sales at local home improvement stores, like Home Depot and Lowe's, had been on the rise for quite some time but have slowly fallen back down. More and more people have turned away to find more qualified installation professionals and better quality products than those available at the home improvement chains. In fact, some contractors are specializing in coming in to fix do-it-yourself projects that didn't go well. HGTV even has a show called Over Your Head about repairing a homeowner DIY job.

For homeowners who do not have the time, tools, or experience to complete a home repair or renovation project on their own, they have to hire someone. A contractor is an independent professional or company who can design, install, repair, replace, remove, or build parts of or parts within a house. Because these services are done by independent contractors and companies, many do not know how to find a reliable professional.

How to Find a Contractor

There are 3 main ways to find a contractor for an upcoming home improvement or repair project:

• Personal Referrals
• Homeowners should talk to family, friends, and co-workers about reliable companies to help complete projects. It's a great way to get a personal testimonial from some a trust source.

• Advantages of Personal Referrals
• Referring friend or family member may have already shopped around to find the best offer in the area
• Their opinion of the contractor's service is trustworthy
• Homeowners can view the quality of the work

• Disadvantages of Personal Referrals
• Homeowners may not need same type of work done on their houses
• Friend or family member may be able to afford a higher budget
• Friend or family member may have a different style of house or be in a different neighborhood
  

• Yellow Pages/Phone Books/Directories
• Homeowners can use a local directory to look up a contractor. Yellow pages and white pages have anything from a basic listing, which has the company name and phone number, to a full page advertisement, which lists the company's details and full range of services.

• Advantages of Yellow Pages
• Homeowners can choose from companies at their own pace
• Homeowners are able to call as many companies as they would like
• Homeowners can review company details in advance to determine how close they are, possibly how big the company is, and what services are offered

• Disadvantages of Yellow Pages
• Homeowners have to call each company individually, describe their requirements, and answer the same questions
• Homeowners tend to only call one or two companies - receiving fewer bids on a project could mean the homeowner will end up paying a higher price
  
• No direct referrals from trusted friends or family members to rely upon
  

• Online Referrals
• With the Internet revolution, there are a host of online companies that provide contractor referral services. Homeowners can post their project on these websites and let a set number of contractors contact them. It's usually a free service for the homeowner.

• Advantages of Online Referrals
• Homeowners will receive multiple bids, which allows them to get the best rate on the work
• Homeowners only have to post their project requirements once and answer questions one time, which saves time
• Homeowners may be able to find additional online resources, such as financing and informational articles

• Disadvantages of Online Referrals
• The website may not be a trusted resource, such as a member of a building association or the Better Business Bureau
• The online referral service may not have a contractor, in their network, close to the homeowner.
• No direct referrals from trusted friends or family members to rely upon

However you choose to find a contractor or service professional to do work on your home, please make sure you get several bids from several companies. Don't just call and select the first person to answer the phone. The more bids you have, the better the chances are you'll get the best price (check here to find more tips on finding the best contractor for you.)

References:
Joint Center for Housing Studies

External Links:
ConstructionDeal.com - Online Resource to Find a Contractor
Home Time.com - TV Show & Home Remodeling advice
Better Business Bureau
Wikipedia - Home Improvement
Bob Vila.com - Home Improvement Advice
DIY Network - Do-It-Yourself advice

Labels: ConstructionDeal.com, Find a Contractor

Whether you need to have a screen door fixed or you're adding a 2nd story to your home, you should always do your homework.

This means you should check references - whenever you're hiring a service professional or a company to come into your house, take your money, and perform work. Don't be shy and don't be lazy. The correct term is due diligence.

Get names and phone numbers (any contractor should be proud of any past work and happy to give the information) and call them.

Ask -- at least -- These Four Questions:

1) Did the Contractor stay on schedule and follow the terms of your contract?

2) Did the Contractor listen to your concerns, respond to problems, and seem concerned about resolving the issues?

3) Were you pleased with the work and were you pleased with how it got done? (okay, so it's two questions... sue me.)

4) Did the Contractor make all the necessary corrections to any problems?

Click here to find out if a Contractor is licensed.

If you need a contractor, you can always use ConstructionDeal.com. We have a network of service professionals ready to help you complete your project. But don't just count on the work we do to check them out - check them out yourself. Do your home work.

Simply submit your request to our site and you'll get 4 quotes the same day - sometimes in a matter of minutes. At no cost. And no obligation.

Good luck with your project!

Labels: Find a Contractor, Home Improvement, References

"So... what can your site, ConstructionDeal.com, do for me?" you ask.

Here's the short version -- we'll help you find a contractor (and save you time and money doing it.)

Here's the slightly longer version -- Let's say you have a remodeling or repair project and you need a professional to help you do it. From help building a new house all the way down to stopping that faucet leak in the kitchen. You have a few options to find an expert - you can ask a friend or family member for a referral.

You can pick up your yellow pages and thumb through to find a few companies that have a pretty ad. Or, you can use a service like ours.

"How does ConstructionDeal.com save me time and money?" you follow up. You're tricky that way. Always asking the good questions.

If you rely on the referral from your friend or sister-in-law, you end up calling only one company. That company might not do the type of work you need. And, you'll only be talking to ONE company. That means you'll get only ONE bid on the job. You might pay too much.

If you have to pick a few random companies from the phone book, you have to spend time calling them all up, qualifying them over the phone to make sure they can do the job, and then you have to wait for follow-up calls. You might even need to pull a few more names out of the book and call those up. Takes a lot of time.

What our site does is this -- you submit your remodeling project under the correct category. You provide an accurate description of what the project involves (thus, qualifying the contractors), and then you sit back and wait for them to call you. Nice, huh? You'll get 4 quotes from service pros the same day - sometimes within minutes.

Anyway. That's what we're all about. Matching you up to contractors. If you need some work done, post your project -- at no cost -- and decide on the best bid from all the contractors, to have the job completed. Simple.

If you don't need anyone right now... be sure and bookmark our page.

"Thank you," you say.

You're welcome.

Labels: Find a Contractor, Home Improvement, Home Repair