Choosing the right contractor can sometime be a bit of a challenge. But with just a little research and some simple questions you can make sure you find the right contractor for the job.
First and foremost you need to make sure that the contractor is licensed and insured. Some states will require contractors to have a bond as well. If you live in a state where a bond is not required more than likely the contractor will not have one as they can be quite expensive.
Once you have the contractors license number you can call the licensing boards which may be at the start or county level depending where you live. You want to make sure that the license is active and in good standing. You can also ask if there were any complaints or actions taken against the contractor. Most contractor licensing boards have an online database for you to do this research without calling.
Next do a search for the contractor online. See if you can find any reviews or complaints. The easiest way to accomplish this is by typing in their business name followed by city and state. For example “ABC Contractor Austin, Texas”. Another way to find reviews is by doing a search on their phone number.
Ask for referrals. What you need to be careful with on this is that the contractor is going to give you referrals to his happiest customers. But it is still worth making these calls because even the happiest customers of the contractor still may not have been that happy.
Get clarification on bids. You want to make sure that you are really comparing apple to apples when making your final decision. If there is something you do not understand or are not seeing in the bid ask questions.
Did the contractor show up on time? This is a big one. If you scheduled an appointment at 3pm for them to take a look at a job and they did not show up until 4pm this could be a red flag.
Trust your gut. The lizard part of your brain that is there to keep you safe is almost always right. If the contractor gives you the heeby jeeby’s trust your gut.
Finally, ask for a portfolio. This is kind of a hit or miss as not all contractors keep a portfolio of their work. But if they do it is usually a good sign that they take pride in their work. Not only that but it allows you to see the work they have done.
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Article is courtesy by: contractors in Oregon
