TEN POINTS YOU SHOULD INSIST ON FROM YOUR

CONTRACTOR

1. Insured or Insured Properly: Many contractors lack any insurance or adequate
insurance. Insist on copies of updated WORKERS’ COMPENSATION (this is
the most important insurance in my opinion), General Liability and Auto policies.
If a contractor who has no or inadequate insurance gets injured or has a problem
at your property who then becomes responsible? It is extremely easy for us to
have our agent get you any and all updated certificates.

2. Length of Time in Business: 96% of all contractors fail in the first five years.
90% of those left fail in the second five years. You should choose a company that
has been in business for at least ten years.

3. Financial Stability: Is the company strong financially? Companies who are
deeply in debt may tend to make decisions based on such a situation. Will they
rush through the job, cut corners, or use substandard materials to save money?
Insist on the names of the contractor’s suppliers to call and check their financial
stability.

4. Ask for References: Ask for names of MANY past customers and take the time
to call them. If a contractor gives you a small number of references and those
references only have “mostly” good things to say – what does that say if these are
their “best” references?

5. Ask for an Agreement in Writing: Insist on a detailed agreement of the
proposed work in writing. Agreements should spell out how the work is to be
done from start to finish. For example, if an agreement does not tell you how
deep the base on a new patio or walkway will be – what do you have to refer to if
the base is only 4 or 5 inches deep and it should be 8-10 inches? Quality
companies will give you very detailed agreements so there is little room for
“interpretation.”

6. Pricing: Quality companies pay for all insurances, quality employees, the best
materials and adequate amount of time to do the job properly. If a price is more
than 5 or 10% less than proven reputable companies – what might those other
companies be missing in completing their work for you?

7. Follow-up: Does the company attend to your needs and requests after the
“larger” job is done? Quality companies will return for smaller requests many
years later no matter how small the job is or how busy they may be.

8. Time Frame Before They Can Start Work: If a contractor can start your
project right away (especially during the busy season) why is that? Reputable
companies quite often have a backlog of work because they do good work and
many people want their services.

9. Proper Employee Paperwork: Do employees have current, legal and
appropriate working documents?

10. Quality Work: It goes without saying you must insist upon the best company
when hiring a contractor to work at your home. This requires finding the
company who will use the best methods, take the appropriate amount of time to
properly complete the job, use the best material and employ the most skillful,
experienced and qualified staff. A quality company takes the long view and
wants your project to look great many, many years after the work has been
completed.