If you’re like a lot of homeowners, to save money each year you likely complete as many home maintenance and renovation tasks on your property as you can yourself. While this is a wise move in most cases, sometimes there are jobs that you just don’t have enough experience or expertise to do, and which for your own safety, and that of your family, you should outsource to someone who is more qualified.
Regardless of whether you need to find an electrician in L.A., a plumber in Chicago, a painter in New York City or a top Atlanta handyman, you will have a variety of options to choose from with regards to service people in your area. The key is to make sure you find the best person for the job — who will be within your budget.
This isn’t an easy thing. However, if you follow a few strategies, the process doesn’t have to be too daunting or stressful. Here are some of the top tips you can follow to find the right tradesperson or other contractor for work on your property this year.
Table of Contents
Work out Your Goals First
One of the most important things to do is work out your goals. There’s no point starting to search for a tradesperson if you’re not clear on what it is you need them to do and what skills they will therefore require to do the work effectively. Make sure you have a timeframe in mind for when the project needs to be completed, too, so you can evaluate candidates based on who can finish the project in time.
Experience and Qualifications
Evaluate tradespeople based on the experience and qualifications they have. To get a shortlist of people, investigate the various options in your area and look for those who have done plenty of jobs like yours in the past and who have the relevant qualifications, plus insurance and licenses.
As you compare tradespeople, keep in mind that these days anyone can create a website and a business name for themselves and then promote themselves as an expert. This doesn’t mean they’re legitimate. Do your due diligence, so you don’t hire someone who’s inexperienced or fraudulent.
A good way to find genuine contractors is to ask your friends, family members and colleagues for referrals. If you don’t have any luck there, check out reviews and testimonials on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and specific trades-based forums and blogs.
Examine Prices With Care
Unless you don’t care how much the work costs, you’ll likely have a set budget in mind that you feel comfortable spending on the project. As such, examine the prices of different contractors with care. Don’t just look at the initial quote and think that’s enough, either. Read all the terms and conditions and other fine print, and ask questions about “what ifs,” to ensure you’re comparing prices effectively.
When you compare quotes you’ll notice that different tradespeople often use quite different types of fee structures. Some will have an overall project cost, for instance, while others will charge per hour, and others still will have a simple base fee but then add on extra charges for numerous things.
Always try to scope out if the contractors on your shortlist have any potential hidden fees, which they could try to charge later on. For example, sometimes people will have additional costs for completing projects within a set timeframe, working on weekends, accepting certain payment methods or for making simple changes to the job scope. Ask a variety of questions up front to determine if there are any additional fees to factor in.
Choose a Problem Solver
It’s not something that probably comes to mind straight away, but when you’re evaluating maintenance or renovation candidates, the perfect person for the job isn’t just someone who comes in under budget and who has the right experience and qualifications; you should also choose a tradesperson who’s good at solving problems.
During jobs things invariably go wrong or become more challenging. When this happens, you want to have a contractor on site who doesn’t throw their hands up in despair or charge you through the roof to deal with an issue. What you need is a proactive problem solver who can use their analytical and creative skills to come up with helpful, innovative solutions.
Since finding out if someone is a problem solver or not can be tricky, look for signs they could be. For instance, a tradesperson who likes to keep learning new things and building their skill set, one that doesn’t seem overwhelmed by their workload and can stay calm under pressure and someone who is confident they’ll be able to complete your job in the desired timeframe.