Are you searching for a reputable contractor to hire for your next home renovation?
Finding a good contractor can be very challenging, especially if you don’t know what to look for when searching for one.
As someone who’s worked with many contractors in the construction industry for several years, I’ve observed a number of signs that can usually hint that I’m dealing with a professional home improvement company.
As a homeowner, one of your biggest fears may be ending up with a home improvement project that is over budget and/or behind schedule.
Knowing how to properly vet your contractors is important to ensuring that your project stays on budget & gets done in a timely manner.
Here are 5 telltale signs to look for when deciding whether or not to potentially hire a specific contractor.
1. Licensed & Insured
Most professional home improvement contractors should be actively licensed by the state or county that they currently operate in.
A licensed contractor will typically be required by law to obtain general liability insurance in order to cover the cost of any unforeseen issues and apply for permits.
Local contractors will often display their license information on their business cards, construction vehicles and other business signs.
A contractor who possess these things is often a good sign that they are a legit contractor and not someone engaging in unlicensed contracting.
Before you make the final decision to choose a specific contractor, remember to ask the company for their trade or business license information and a copy of their general liability insurance policy.
Likewise, failure to apply for & obtain the proper building permits prior to commencing a construction project may result in the issuance of a code violation.
2. Average Bid Price
While you may genuinely be happy with the first contractor that you meet and get a job quote from, it’s highly recommended that you seek out multiple bids from several construction companies that operate in your local area.
While taking this step may seem a bit more time consuming, doing so can potentially reveal some insights that you might need to determine if the first contractor is giving you a fair market price for your home renovation.
Most reputable home improvement contractors will often give you a total job cost that falls in the ball park of similar local competitors.
A rough estimate of a local fair market price might be to average 3 or more bids that you have received; which will typically fall somewhere near the range of the highest & lowest bids.
For example, let’s say I need to get some new hurricane impact windows installed on my house.
We’ll also assume that I get separate bids from 3 local contractors offering the same standard materials & installation services.
Company A gives me a quote for $1,500, Company B gives me a quote for $1,750 and Company C gives me a quote for $2,100.
The way I would calculate the local fair market price for the project would be to add up all of the quotes and divide by 3, which gives me an average bid price of approximately $1,784.
From this calculation, I now have a starting point to negotiate the final project cost with the contractor that I ultimately hire to complete the job.
3. Customer Referrals
One way to avoid the time consuming task of searching for a good contractor is by simply asking friends, family or neighbors about a contractor that they’ve worked with in the past and can confidently recommend.
If someone you know recently had some similar work done, they will often gladly refer you to the contracting company that did the job.
While getting a good referral is a major step towards choosing a reliable contractor, you should still do some additional research on the contractor’s company to ensure that they meet the legal requirements to perform work on your home improvement project.
4. Brand Visibility
Most legit construction companies will want to promote their business and services online to attract more customers.
A reputable contractor will often have a professional website where they provide their contact information & list of services.
They will also typically have a social media presence on platforms such as a Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
The more brand visibility that a company has, the greater the chance it is that your dealing with an established home improvement contractor.
5. Online Reviews
A reliable contractor that’s been active in your local community for a while will typically have online customer reviews from people that they’ve worked with in the past.
These contractors will also typically have online profiles on business review sites such as: Angie’s List, Bing Places, Google My Business, & Yelp.
Reading through some of the reviews about a specific contractor on these sites can give you an idea of what to expect if you decide to work with them.
I must say however that not all reviews are fair and accurate, so you’ll need to take some of these reviews with a grain of salt and use your better judgment to gauge the authenticity of each customer’s reviews.
Finally
Contracting is all about establishing trust and confidence with prospective clients.
As a homeowner, always reflect on your gut feeling when assessing a potential contractor.
So make sure to assess these qualities before deciding to hire a particular contractor.
