10 Things to Look for When Hiring a Home Services Contractor

10 Things to Look for When Hiring a Home Services Contractor

1. Look for Locally Operated

The Internet is full of what the trades refer to as lead generators. These are companies that present themselves as local businesses who are nothing more than marketing companies designed to either sell you a service and subcontract it to a local company or take your information and sell it to one or more local contractors who will contact you and attempt to sell you the job (think Anji or Houzz). Keep in mind that often multiple contractors pay for the same lead so you may be contacted by several companies. We suggest you work to make sure the company you hire is the company who does the work unless you know ahead of time who they are going to subcontract the work to.

2. Look for Locally Owned

Locally operated does not mean locally owned. This is mostly a matter of personal preference, but we encourage homeowners to buy from locally owned companies. This keeps your money in your community. Some home service companies that appear to be local are owned by large corporations headquartered in cities far away. These large corporations report to stockholders and usually have much higher overheads than their local competitors. They can sometimes be more pushy and less willing to negotiate prices. Their buying power my allow them to buy products for less than their competitors, but they do not always pass that savings on to you.

3. Look for Companies That Both Install and Service Their Work

Some companies like the idea of doing installations only. They move from house to house replacing roofs or installing heating and cooling systems. They are not interested in service after the sale. Even if they are little less expensive than the next guy, ask yourself what you will do if you need service after the sale. Will they stand behind their warranty if something goes wrong? They may want you to find someone else for service after the sale, but you will find that other companies are often not overly eager to honor warranties on work they did not perform.

4. Look for Companies with a Good Online Reputation

While not true 100% of the time, a good online reputation today is synonymous with positive Google reviews. Check Google and other review sites such as Yelp or the Better Business Bureau to see what other people are saying about their experiences with this company. The NextDoor app or a local Reddit Community is also a great place to get honest feedback on a business. Pay close attention to the dates of each review. Are the reviews getting better or worse over time?

5. Look for the Most Experience

It is natural to be attracted to the oldest company available. Do not equivocate age with experience. If a company has been around for more than twenty years, it is likely that the original employees have since retired or moved on. Who replaced them? Are the current employees experienced and skilled? How are they trained? Do they have experience doing the specific service you need. It is okay to check the qualifications of the people with which you work. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and expect that you will have to interpret the answers. Some certifications can be claimed by a company even if only one employee in the company has it. Does your specific installer or service technician have experience and training from reputable licensing agencies (such as NATE, the EPA, or a state licensing agency) 

6. Insist on Up Front Pricing

While a slight matter of semantics, up front pricing and flat rate pricing are not the same thing. Up front pricing is just that. The contractor quotes you a price up front with the intention of charging that price and nothing else at the end of the job. Flat Rate Pricing is slightly different. Flat Rate Pricing is based on the tasks necessary to do the job. Flat Rate Pricing is usually quoted up front but is not always directly based on the cost of the materials and the cost of the labor to do the job.

For example, Flat Rate pricing may quote you a price to replace a faucet. It does not matter if the work is done in five minutes or five hours, the rate is the same. When the technician is green and is learning on the job, you will win out versus a time-and-material arrangement. When the technician is experienced and efficient, you can lose against a time-and-material arrangement.

Flat Rate Pricing is usually always Up Front Pricing, but Up Front Pricing is not always the same as Flat Rate Pricing.

We recommend you work with companies that will quote you a price for the job up front as opposed to by-the-hour. You do not want to be in a situation where the technician is working slowly or inefficiently while on your dime.

7. Choose a Company that Respect You, Your Home, and Your Time

Not all companies care about you, your home, and your time. Give preference to the companies that treat you well on the phone, use shoe covers or floor protection to protect your home, and are willing to work with your schedule. Flexible scheduling is not always practical if you cannot be available during their standard working hours, but don’t let them make you change your plans unless it is an emergency on your part.

8. Choose a Company That is Involved in Your Community

As an extension of the suggestion above to choose local, we encourage homeowners to give preference to companies that are involved in the community. Companies that are involved in their communities typically share a portion of their profits on local organizations and strive to better the lives of the people around them. Look for local sporting team sponsorships, donations to local non-profit agencies, and involvement in community parades and festivals.

9. Choose a Company with Good Customer Service

How well are you treated by the company? Do they answer the phone when you need them, and  do they respond to voice mail messages, text messages, and e-mails? If the company ignores you as a potential customer, they may very well ignore you as an actual customer. A good company will treat everyone with respect and honor regardless of whether they buy a product or service.

10. Look for Companies with Product Specific Training and Certifications.

Looking a bit further than just experience, give preference to the companies that offer product-specific training to their employees. Lennox, Carrier, and Daikin are all brands of heating and cooling equipment. Delta, Bradford White, and Bosch are all brands of plumbing equipment. While some skills carry over from brand-to-brand, you, as a homeowner, are much more likely to get better service from a technician who is specifically trained by the by the manufacturer on the equipment you own.