The Top 3 Tips for Finding a Reliable Home Contractor
Home improvement projects are exciting. It’s fun to see your space transformed and become what you’ve always imagined it could be. Unfortunately, beginning the process can be quite daunting.
One of the most important steps for any home remodeling project is finding the right home contractor. Finding a contractor can be difficult in and of itself, but finding one that you can trust that does quality work can be even more of a challenge if you don’t know what you are doing.
That’s why we’ve compiled these tips to help you find the perfect contractor. Read on to learn how!
1. Ask For Referrals
One of the best ways to get started in your hunt for the perfect contractor is to ask people that you trust for referrals. Do you have a realtor that you’ve worked with and trust? They often will have contractors that they rely on for fixing up houses to put on the market.
Ask friends and family in your area who they went with and how their experience was and compile a list of contractors to reach out to. If you trust your insurance agent, they can also be a good resource to ask. Google works too, but it’s hard to know what you are getting without a personal reference.
2. Ask to See Proof of Insurance
A lot can happen during a remodel and not all of it is covered by your homeowners insurance. You will want to verify that all contractors and subcontractors that you work with carry insurance. Working with contractors who don’t have insurance is just asking for trouble.
Not only could something terrible happen to your home that you would be responsible for paying to fix, but someone could get hurt, even one of the workers, and hold you the homeowner liable. That is why you should only ever work with insured contractors.
3. Check Their Online Reputation
One final way to ensure that the contractors you are hiring are reliable is to look into what people have to say about them online. The Better Business Bureau uses customer feedback to rate businesses, so be sure to check your contractor’s score. Angie’s list can be another resource where you can read experiences that others have had with the contractor you are considering.
You can also check to see if the contractor is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, which will show that they are actively engaged in their industry and open to accountability.
If you live in Northern Virginia or Maryland, American Home Contractors is a great choice. They’ve received Angie’s List’s Super Service Award 4 years running!
Spend the Time to Find the Right Home Contractor
Though it may take some time, finding the right home contractor is not something you should rush. You will be much happier if you take the time to vet your options and not just settle on the first contractor you find. Finding someone qualified who will listen to you and get the job done will give you peace of mind and make your project the best it can be!
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