You have decided that it is time for a remodeling project in your home. I don’t care if it’s a new kitchen, bath or whatever. But if you are not able to do it yourself, or simply you don’t want to do it yourself, you will need to hire someone to do it.

Check out the contractor

I am sorry to tell you this, but there are some contractors out there who should not be in business. Some are plain and simple, scam artists. They take on your job and do not plan on completing it. There are other contractors who take on jobs that are too big for them to handle. Maybe they do not have the financial resources or the proper crew to handle jobs that are larger than they are used to. But sometimes they try the larger jobs, hoping that this can vault them into the larger job marketplace.

And then there are the contractors who are professionals. They know their limitations, and they know what type of jobs they can handle. And they stay within their limitations and areas of expertise.

Select the Contractor

When you have decided exactly what you want accomplished, it’s time to select a contractor. You will probably have two, three or more bidding on your job. Some may decide they don’t want your job, but if they price it high enough, and you accept their bid, they cannot afford not to do the job. But if your bids are coming in at, say, $50,000 to $60,000, and someone bids $35,000, alarms should be going off in your head. I would suggest that you question that contractor very carefully as to how they can do a job for so much lower than the competition. Something is not right.

Bottom Line

Here are a few hints of how you should check out a contractor before hiring them.

Verify that they are licensed in your town, Verify that they are insured. General contractors are not licensed by the state, but plumbers and electricians are.

Check references. Talking to someone on the phone is not good enough for me. How do I know it’s not their brother-in-law, pretending to be a satisfied client? I want to see their work in person.

Search the company and the main person online. Check with the Better Business Bureau. Check online reviews.

If you have more questions, please call me. I’ll try to help

Art Reiman, Realtor 732-598-7700

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