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*** USE EXTREME CAUTION!
***
Whether you choose Variety Homes to do your project, or someone
else, read this page.
It will be the best time you spend prior to choosing a contractor.
You may have heard horror stories about remodeling projects that
went bad, and cost the consumer a fortune! The fact is that the project doesn't usually "go bad", the Contractor doing the
job does, sometimes by accident, sometimes intentionally. My intention is not to scare you right out of doing your project,
it's to make sure you do everything you can to protect yourself as you procede with choosing the right contractor.
What can happen?, What are warning signs? What can you do to minimize
the chance of it happening to you? I will answer these question for you (at least in part).
5 Potential Rip-offs!
- Contractor takes your money and never comes back.
- Contractor writes a vague contract and supplies inferior materials & workmanship.
- Contractor writes a vague contract and gouges you for "extras" that you believed were included, because
you were "told" they were.
If they "tell" you it's included, have them write it on the contract & sign it by the change!
- Contractor starts the job and only shows up and works when they
need another draw, dragging the job out forever.
- The Contractor is done (or in some cases, not done)
and you have liens filed on your property because he never paid the bills relating to your project. If he doesn't pay....
BY LAW, YOU are now responsible for paying those subs, even though you put a big chunk down.
3 Basic
Warning Signs!
-
If you are asked to pull the permit because they are not licensed... or for ANY reason, DUMP THE CONTRACTOR! If you pull the permit, you are responsible for everything.
That means correcting work done wrong, people hurt on the job, etc, AND you are not covered by contractors insurance,
or the State of Minnesota's Recovery Fund (for more info on how the Recovery Fund works feel free to call me) To verify they
are licensed, ask for a City they work in, and call to verify they are State licensed.
-
If you request
it, the contractor should provide an up to date copy of his insurance certificate showing YOUR NAME as an
additional certificate holder (bottom left corner), SENT TO YOU (not given to you, because they can forge them) by
his insurance agent, showing he has liability & workers comp coverage that is in force, and will be thru the job. Don't
be afraid to call the agent and double check that it's legit. If he won't provide it, he's probably not covered.......
DUMP HIM!
How do you protect yourself?
I was once told that there is no way to protect yourself from someone
that intentionally plans to rip you off, and unfortunately that is the probably truth!
Case in point, locks on doors only keep honest people out, the criminals
will get in. So it is with a Contractor that really intends to rip you off, BUT THEY ARE NOT YOUR BIGGEST FEAR!!! You
can usually sense a crooked one. Your fear should be the contractors that don't plan to rip you off. They may be new
in business (less than 5 years), or inexperienced in handling their cash flow. Is it one or two guys trying to do
all the actual work & working out of their truck, so if just a couple things go wrong on your job (or
even someone else's job) that it could put them in a cash crunch that could put them out of business. IF that happens,
then ALL the jobs they have going come to a stop, they have your money, and they're gone. You have to pay for the materials
(if they didn't) and you have to hire someone else to come in and finish the job, and that will usually cost much more
than the original bid. You could end up spending TWICE the original price! Our company works with individual
sub-contractors that are trained to do their specific job. This we believe gets you a better quality job because each
sub only does what they do best and they don't try to be a "jack of
all trades".
Remember: The contractor you choose is going to provide
the product you pay for, and that's like buying oats....
- You can buy fresh, clean oats at a fair
price.
- OR you can
buy the oats after they have been through a horse one time at a much cheaper price.
This doesn't mean that the
lowest priced Contractor WON'T provide a professional job, any more than it means the highest priced WILL! It may be
that the competition was just really expensive, making the low bid appear TOO low! Or that the competion was missing
something making the correct bid appear TOO high. Nobody said the choice would be easy!
There's no guarantee that when you choose your Contractor
they'll be a good one, but below are some things you can do to minimize the chances you'll get a bad one!
How do you want your project to look?
fresh & clean or like.... well you know, the cheap oats. You have to live with it for a long time, do it right.
You need to feel comfortable with who you choose.
DON'T choose strictly on size.
The really large remodelers are usually expensive, but big doesn't warrant excessive prices. The really small (they do
the actual labor) may be cheap, but do they have the stability to complete the job? You can only get so much satisfaction
for your money, and we strive for 100%.
Be sure they are licensed. Ask to see
a copy, it will have a date of expiration, or call a City they have worked in recently as they will have a copy on file.
Be sure they're insured. Ask to have
their insurance agent mail you a certificate of insurance showing that the contractor is covered, with you named
as holder on the certificate. Again, I say mailed because they can be forged.
Check out their stability, do they
live in the area, do they own their home, (roots) how long have they been in business, can they handle a job the size of yours,
are they a member of either the Builders or Remodelers Associations, etc.
Check their Suppliers. They should
be willing to give you a list of some of their suppliers so you can check their payment history, (are they considered
a good account), and how long have they done business with the supplier.
Ask for some references! The fact is
that a lot of customers never call the references because if you think about it, who would put a bad reference on their list,
BUT, a bad contractor will probably never provide you the list, so the objective is accomplished. If you don't get their
list, take them off your list.
Get their Drivers License Number & their vehicle's license plate number. Ask to see their
license to write down the number. Having this number makes it easier to track them down if you would need to, plus they
may be less likely to rip you off when they know you have this information.
If everything seems in order,
then the last thing is this, & it's a BIG ONE: Be sure you feel comfortable with the person that will be in charge
of the project. You will have to deal with that person all during the job, so be sure you feel that you can talk openly and
honestly about any concerns you may have before and during the process. Ideally it would be someone that can make any
decision required without checking with anyone "higher up". If you feel intimidated, you may get walked on and that leads
to problems! The bigger his/her title, the better chance of getting things done, and ideally you deal with the owner.
There are other
things, but if you check out the above items you will be well on your way to getting an excellent project for a fair price.
Probably not the cheapest price, but a price that's fair for the work being done. My belief is that a deal is only
a good deal if it is good for both parties. If a Contractor bids too cheap, he isn't going to be willing to
go that extra step to be sure the job is done right, and if it's too high you probably won't get your moneys worth.
I price my jobs based on what I know it will cost to do your job
so that you receive the quality & satisfaction you expect, and I have a happy client when I'm done.
I WILL ONLY SELL YOU FRESH OATS!!
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