Vetting Licensed Remodelers in San Antonio

by | Jan 25, 2013 | Construction and Maintenance

Working with licensed remodelers in San Antonio is important, but having credentials in and of themselves isn’t as important as having a good track record with clients. Before signing on the dotted line, make sure you do your due diligence in hiring the right crew for the job. Follow these tips to ensure you don’t hire a hack for your home remodel.

Check Credentials

Disreputable people lie all the time knowing that trusting members of society will take their word for gold. Don’t fall for a beginner’s mistake. Check licensing credentials with the state board. At the same time, you can check if a contractor has a good reputation or not.

Check with the Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau

Most businesses work hard to rectify complaints before they go too far. However, that does depend on a contractor being given the chance to make things right. Some consumers are so upset they lodge a complaint before trying to work things out.

Pay attention to official complaints against licensed remodelers in San Antonio but pay attention to the details as well. If you were a local business owner, you would appreciate customers giving you enough benefit of the doubt to check and see if the complaints against you seemed legit.

Visit Online Court Databases

Certain states have court records – including small claim cases – available online. If possible, do a court record search for the contractors you’re considering. While it may pull up cases from 10 years ago, you may also see he is sued often. You might also stumble onto other tidbits like arrests for public intoxication or indecent exposure. Getting this kind of information on someone may seem like snooping, but it’s important to know the kinds of people you’re investing money in and allowing into your home.

Speak with Former Clients

Taking references from a licensed remodeler in San Antonio is always tricky. Deceptive people can easily give you fake names and have their friends pretend to be previous customers. You have to assume you’re being told the truth or work to vet references a bit.

One easy way to check and see if a source is legit is by talking to them about the practical aspects of a job, and then hitting them with an emotion-based question. “What kind of work did he perform on your house? What kind of siding did he use? How did you feel about the end result?” Someone who is lying will have a much harder time switching gears and will likely wind up answering your trick question by answering one that wasn’t asked. For instance, someone who is lying to you may answer, “How did you feel about the end result?” with “He was done in just two weeks,” versus, “I was very happy with results. He was done so quickly.”

For more information visit us at http://www.shawcoremodeling.com

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