10 Mistakes Homeowners Make
I consider myself to be a reasonable and honest general
building contractor and rarely have problems with the people I'm working
for, because I'm not out to take advantage of them. This could be a
completely different story for contractors that are trying to take
advantage of homeowners and you should understand each and every one of
these mistakes.
1. Never and I mean never give a contractor more than $1000 or 10% of
the total contract upon signing the actual contract.
2. You should always read the entire contract and make sure that you
understand it. Everything should be listed in the contract
3. Go with your intuition and listen to your family. If there’s
something that you don't like about your contractor and your family
doesn't like the contractor either, find someone else.
4. Don't hire the first contractor that comes to your house. You should
always get three bids or estimates.
5. If any building materials are delivered to the house, including
concrete, make sure that you have a materials lien release from that
company showing that the contractor has paid them in full, before paying
your contractor their final payment.
6. Avoid giving the contractor their final payment, until the job is
done. No excuses at all here, you don't give your contractor their final
payment at all, until the job is completed and you're happy with it. Do
not forget this one ever.
7. Check your contractor to make sure that they're licensed. If your
contractor has any employees they should have workers compensation
insurance. Depending on which state you live in, it might not be
required. Some states also don't require contractors to have licenses.
8. Don't get caught up in your contractor or their workers problems. I
once worked with a guy who was constantly trying to make everyone feel
sorry for him. He was a gifted con artist and didn't like the fact that
I warned everyone about him.
9. Does your contractor have liability insurance? This might not be as
important on a $300 job, but it could be important on a $30,000 job and
would definitely be important on a $300,000 one.
10. This is one of the most important things for any homeowner to
remember including myself. Does the contractor actually have enough
experience to complete the project? You could ask to see other jobs that
they have completed. Not pictures of these jobs, but the actual job
itself.
I believe that the most important one of these 10 items is to get at
least three estimates, from three different contractors. Second, you
should feel comfortable with your contractor and third don't give them a
lot of money up front and never pay them, no matter what they say, until
the job is done and you're satisfied with it.