Hiring a Contractor (Part II)
Tags: Buyer, contractor, contractors, hiring a contractor, permits, profession, professional liability insurance, referrals, renovating your home, researching, respectable position, word of mouth, written contract
Last article I was writing about getting started when renovating your home, in this article I’d like to share how you would go about finding the right contractor…
You want to start out by researching several qualified contractors, as you know from one of my past articles that in every profession we’ve got “licenced” professionals and “qualified” professionals. My suggestion is to hire a qualified, licensed professional who comes from reliable referrals and has completed similar work that is available for you to view. The most effective marketing is the one that comes through word of mouth, and as a consumer it’s wise to use this to your advantage, ask your friends and family members questions such as:
How long did he say it would take to complete the job?
How long did it actually take to complete the job?
Did he address potential advantages and disadvantages of what you’ve asked for?
How long has he been in the renovating/contracting business?
Do you and your sub-contractors have licenses for what you are implementing? (eg: Electrical, Plumbing, etc.)
How and when do you clean up, specifically fine dust?
What kind of Warranty do you offer and what does it cover? (Is it stated in writing???)
Do you carry workers compensation, and Professional Liability Insurance?
WILL YOU PROVIDE A WRITTEN CONTRACT???
Are you responsible for all required permits relating to the job?
These questions will offend those contractors who have something to hide, I can tell you that the good, contractors will hold you in a highly respectable position if you ask these questions and they will think “you know what’s going on!”. It’s unfortunate but most people don’t ask these questions and you must remember that you are the reason why they have a profession, so HAVE FUN ASKING QUESTIONS!
Another thing to keep in mind is that, you must get along with the contractor! If you can’t communicate effectively with him/her, the entire job can be very uncomfortable for all involved people (mainly YOU!). You want a contractor who explains the job as it unfolds, and keeps the communication open and clear, the positives as well as the negatives about the job must be understood by YOU (The Client). This contractor should be able to problem solve and get you what you want while keeping the job within your budget, this is an art as well as a science!
The other thing is that the contractor you hire should come prepared with a minimum of 3 references that boast about his/her work! Ask if you can call them and ask them specific questions – Similar to the ones I highlighted above.
Last but not least, check up with the Better Business Bureau, they take complaints seriously!
My next article will be about obtaining proposals and estimates
Manjit Virk
Sales Representative with Signature Service GMAC Real Estate
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