Success With Contractors

THE SEVEN ESSENTIALS

Here are seven essential tips to keep in mind while searching for and working with a home improvement contractor. They’ll help protect your consumer rights and keep your job running smoothly across the course of the project.

Screen Prospective Contractors Carefully

Do you know everything you should about the contractor you’re about to hire? If you haven’t done your homework thoroughly and know that the company is financially stable; what their credit rating is; whether there are outstanding complaints by past customers or subcontractors and much more, you should have a professional screening performed by Smart Consumer Services.

Exercise Your 3-Day Right to Rescind
If you sign the contract but then have immediate regrets, you have a legal right to cancel the contract within three days of signing it, providing it wasn't signed at the contractor's place of business.

Be as Pictorial as Possible
Explain your project in graphic detail. The more information you give the contractor, the better. Clip pictures. Mark pages in books. Sketch possible floor plans. Make lists.

Be Financially Realistic
Sometimes what you want and what you can afford will be in conflict. Good contractors are trained professionals. Be willing to consider your contractor's point of view and ideas. It may save you money and get you a better result.

Avoid the Lowest Bids
If you’re searching for a contractor by merely comparing bids, picking the one with lowest bid is not the wisest course of action. Often, the lowest bid has been underestimated, and that means likely cost overruns, BEST case, and in the Worst Case Scenario, a company that may be on very thin ice, financially.

Insist on Third Party Mediation Clause
Be sure to insist that an Alternate Dispute Mediation (ADR) clause be added to the dispute resolution portion of your contract, prior to any arbitration language, in the event of major disputes. ADR is less expensive and frequently a more effective first step in dispute resolution. The Smart Consumer Services Sample Contract Package includes the language you should have added to any remodeling contract prior to signing.

Don’t Hesitate to Ask Questions
When you notice a problem or spot something that’s not what you wanted, speak up immediately. Don't wait until the end of the project, when it’s time to make final payment to complain about something you noticed weeks earlier.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat.