Good advice below from Money Magazine. Also, don't forget to contact an experienced construction attorney. It's like measuring twice and cutting once - just a good idea that can saves time, effort and money later.
(Money Magazine) -- Home improvement is one of the fastest-growing segments of e-commerce. But the consequences of a bad decision when it comes to finding a contractor or remodeling products online are far worse than buying the wrong paperback.
What if those rave reviews you read about a contractor are ringers posted by his daughter -- or if your supposedly in-stock sink order doesn't ship for two weeks, throwing off your entire work schedule?
Follow these tips to avoid glitches and get the most for your money.
To find a contractor: Sites that are driven by consumer ratings are your best bet. That's because you get to see what as many as hundreds of prior customers say about all the pros in your area.
Just watch for sites with anonymous postings and ads that appear in search results that look like positive ratings. In the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas, or a few counties in New York, Connecticut, and Florida, check out Franklin-Report.com, which compiles user comments into Zagat-like ratings.
Beyond those regions, a good alternative is Angieslist.com, which charges $5 a month, and uses the credit card info to prevent anyone from creating more than one login in order to
via money.cnn.com
"Home improvement is one of the fastest-growing segments of e-commerce. But the consequences of a bad decision when it comes to finding a contractor or remodeling products online are far worse than buying the wrong paperback."
I agree, home owners should take care when looking for contractors, it is common for them to exaggerate about their service, length of business, and client satisfaction. So take time to know your contractor. This will save you money and head aches.
Thanks!
Posted by: Shawn Jaimes (siding repair kingwood tx) | 09/02/2010 at 11:20 AM
Hey thanks for the great advice!
My wife and I had the exact same problem with our garage door last summer. Hopefully I in no way need to do that again, what a PITA to fix it had been! But it was even much more annoying not having a working garage door, so after putting it off for awhile I finally went to the hardware store to get new parts. I didn't have any experience fixing garage doors but fortunately there's quite a bit of info online and it is not that difficult. Best of all the parts are simple to find either online or at the local large box hardware shops. It took less than two several hours from start to finish to obtain everything squared away and functioning again, and hey presto! functioning garage door!
Posted by: genie garage door opener parts | 09/09/2010 at 08:25 PM
Completely true. It's always a good idea to find out what other people are saying about the company that you're thinking of hiring. Another way would be to schedule a phone interview with the contractor and ask them for references, then call those up. You can never be too careful. You can also see what guarantees the company is offering. A good contractor won't hesitate to put a money back guarantee against bad workmanship.
Posted by: Mattie | 11/03/2010 at 07:32 AM
Who are you using for a remodeling contractor?
Posted by: Home Remodeling Company Chesterfield | 07/27/2011 at 03:52 AM