5 Questions you should ask a contractor before you let them work on your house. (And the Answers you should be looking for!)

1. Are you licensed, a member of any professional associations and rated by the Better Business Bureau?  The correct answer here is obviously yes. Licensed companies that are members of their local HBA or other associations have put down roots in their communities and have often invested in training through them. Companies do have to pay to be members of the Better Business Bureau, but they ensure through their rating system that companies provide honest advertising claims and settle any complaints they receive. Angie’s List members pay for their service because they know that all reviews are unsolicited and left by other members. Companies cannot “join” Angie’s List, they can only be reviewed by members. While online reviews can be helpful, there’s little or no oversight when it comes to who can and does post reviews.

2. Are your employees covered by workers compensation and liability insurance? If they aren’t, YOU can end up being liable for injuries that occur on your property.

3. Do you issue lien waivers? This ensures that subcontractors can’t come back to YOU to collect if the contractor defaults. Without this, you run the risk of paying for services twice.

4. Is this a fixed price or just a ballpark estimate? In some instances, it will not be possible to get a fixed price due to unknown issues that get uncovered during construction or changes made mid-stream, but, having those exceptions spelled out in the contract will help protect you. Get a fixed price in the contract whenever possible.

5. How much of your business is from repeat customers or referrals and can we talk to references or even better, can you take us to see projects you’ve built and/or some that are under construction? Although no contractor in their right mind would invite you to contact an unhappy customer, visiting a project or talking to a customer will allow you to have a “hands on” idea of the quality of their work and give you insights on how the experience will be. It’s never pleasant to live in the middle of a construction zone, but there are things that companies and their employees do that can make it much more bearable.

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