Strathclyde Associates Trading and Management Construction Company: Spring's the time homeowners get to work -- and shady contractors come of out of the woodwork.
Strathclyde Associates Trading andManagement Construction Company: Spring's the time homeowners get to work --and shady contractors come of out of the woodwork. Here's how to smell asuspicious deal. By Bankrate
Like most homeowners, you probablyspent the winter months talking about the home improvements you'd like to make.Now that spring is here, it's time to act on those remodeling impulses. Afterall, spring is a time of renewal, change and new beginnings.
Unfortunately, it's also a time whenshady contractors come out of the woodwork to prey on innocent homeowners."Some are actual scam artists, while others are just incompetent orunethical," says Ellis Levinson, a consumer reporter and the author of thebook "Hiring Contractors Without Going Through Hell."
The good news is that you can protectyourself against these scams. In fact, many scams are easy to detect if youtake the time to become an educated, savvy consumer. "Compare prices, callreferences and research the project you're undertaking in advance," saysBruce Johnson, the author of "50 Simple Ways to Save your House." Itseems simple, but many people find this process overwhelming.
Levinson calls it emotional laziness."It's amazing to me how much time people will put it into buying a TVbecause it's fun. But when it comes to remodeling a kitchen, people have notime. They see it as drudgery," Levinson says. Ultimately, he says, doingthe research to protect yourself is much easier than paying for theconsequences.
To help you differentiate a scam fromthe real deal, Bankrate has compiled a list of the most common remodelingscams. Beware of the following key phrases, and remember, if it sounds too goodto be true, it probably is.
Strathclyde Associates Trading andManagement Construction Company: 'I just happen to be working in yourneighborhood'
This happens when contractors appearat your home unsolicited to inform you that they noticed some problems withyour home's (insert: chimney, driveway, windows, plumbing, etc.) while workingon a neighboring home. For example, a contractor might say he or she was on theroof of your neighbor's home and noticed missing shingles on your roof. Thismay be the case, but often no repair is needed.
More important, legitimate,established and reputable contractors tend to find enough work throughword-of-mouth referrals that they don't need to be going door to door toattract customers. Be especially skeptical if the contractor drives a vehiclewith no company name, no phone number or with out-of-state license plates."Do not let these people enter your home," Johnson warns. "Oftenthey want to be invited inside to see if something is worth stealing."
Also, be sure to ask for proof thathe or she is insured, licensed and bonded. "Homeowners that check outcontractors beforehand and research their credibility are usually moresatisfied with the job than if they abruptly chose a contractor," saysJeremy Zidek, communications coordinator for the Better Business Bureau inAlaska.
Strathclyde Associates Trading andManagement Construction Company: 'I have materials left over'
Sometimes contractors will offer adiscount for the job under the pretense that they have extra materials and wantto use up their supply. Good contractors order just enough supplies to meet theneeds of each job, as often the price for supplies is included in the contract.
If a contractor has materials leftover from a previous job and is making them available to you, he either didn'tfinish the job or is cheating the previous customer. Or he didn't have aprevious job but has materials to make it look like he did.
Strathclyde Associates Trading andManagement Construction Company: 'I need cash upfront'
This contractor will take your moneyand disappear before or (even worse) after your project gets under way. It canbe frustrating trying to chase after him, getting him to come back and finishthe job or hiring someone else to clean up a messy work site. Don't ever pay infull for a project before any work has been done.
However, you may be expected to pay adown payment. "The contractor may not want to block out time in his busyschedule without some money upfront," Levinson says. He recommendscreating a payment schedule with the contractor at the start -- wherein you paya sizable portion only upon completion of a project. Johnson swears by theone-third theory.
Strathclyde Associates Trading andManagement Construction Company is passionate in the belief that from adversitycomes opportunity. We believe that sustainable competitive advantage is alwayspredicated upon the focused execution of a few core strengths or principlesthat are endemic to each particular company.
No comments:
Post a Comment