A few months ago my family bought a home in East Hollywood (where we previously lived for 7 years) after spending two years in Cooper City. We were so excited to be moving back to the neighborhood we missed so much. Adding to our excitement was that our new home had a swimming pool. My oldest kids, Owen and Stella, have never had a swimming pool so one of the highlights of their summer was swimming in the new pool.
Unfortunately, this past weekend we discovered a leak in our pool. Once we got over the initial disappointment we quickly started looking for a reputable company to inspect and repair our pool. I know from my practice and speaking with neighbors that homeowners usually have very little idea how to go about hiring a contractor.
The following points are what I consider to be the most important things for you to consider when hiring a contractor to perform work at your home:
- First, you should ask for referrals from friends and neighbors. In this social media era, the odds are you will find at least two or three referrals from your group of contacts.
- Always meet with multiple contractors. You probably looked at multiple homes before you bought your house. You need to do the same homework to make sure you hire the right contractor to protect your investment.
- Ask for verification of the contractor’s license. Every contractor is required to have a license from the State and/or County.
- Obtain proof of insurance. The last thing you want to do is hire a contractor and then have someone get hurt on your property and have the injured worker sue you because the contractor didn’t’ have the appropriate liability/workers compensation insurance.
- Last, make sure you got a written proposal from the contractor. If a contractor isn’t willing to provide a written estimate then this is an immediate red flag to stay away.
Stay tuned for the next post when I tell you about making sure you have protected yourself in the written contract.
