Renovating your house for moving: Part 4

Many people want to know what is the best way of finding a truly competent contractor or tradesperson. There is no secret to the process, but you do need to spend some time if you truly want to be certain that the person you're hiring is the best possible one for the job.

1. As mentioned yesterday, make sure that you insisted on seeing a copy of every tradesperson's professional licensing.

2. Ask every tradesperson that you're potentially hiring to give you between three and five references of previous jobs. Any competent tradesperson
or contractor will easily be able to give you this number of references. The more of these references that you're able to speak with, the better your chances of not getting a 'dud' when it comes to home renovations.

3. Contact each of these people and ask them if they would hire the tradesperson again. If possible, try to arrange to visit that persons renovation site, so that you can physically take a look at their handiwork.

4. Call your city's or county's building departments and check to see if there are any complaints against the repairperson or contractor. Again, having a complaint lodged against them should not be reason for immediate dismissal. As in all facets of life, unforeseen problems happen in the construction industry. Investigate to see how the complaint was rectified.

5. Repeat step three, but this time with your local Better Business Bureau. Remember that a completely clean record is not a necessity, but that several unresolved complaints should be an indication that perhaps you should look a little further afield.

As well, one of the easiest ways of finding competent tradespeople is to simply ask around among your circle of friends. In general, there is nothing like the recommendation of a trusted friend to supply a valuable opinion.

Tags: moving, hiring tradespeople , home renovations

posted by Anonymous @ 2:25 PM