The costs of owning a home adds up quickly – mortgages, taxes, insurance, etc., so it’s no surprise that homeowners regularly balk at the price tag associated with maintenance and improvements. While we intuitively understand that we didn’t just pay our handyman $100 for an hour of work because he was extorting us, we tend to forget that we’re paying that premium for the time our handyman spent perfecting his craft. To be sure, $100 an hour is well worth the price if your professional is truly an expert in their field, but it would be infuriating to pay that same $100 an hour to a novice who took three hours and failed to do it right. This article will briefly discuss how to identify professionals that are worth paying top dollar.
A commonsense method to find the best professionals is to simply ask your friends. Like the king’s taste tester, they’ve already found out if their handyman’s services are poison. If your neighbors can’t stop praising their plumber at your barbeque, it would be worthwhile to call that plumber the next time you need work done. The truth is that a true professional will have a very long list of clients who will vouch for the quality of their work; there is nothing wrong with asking your contractor for references. Conversely, a sub-par contractor simply won’t have strong references to give you.
In a similar vein, there is nothing wrong with asking for pictures and video of your contractor’s previous work. It’s a fair assumption that masters of a craft are proud of their work product; they’ve certainly kept a record of their excellence to show off.
Once you find a potential professional to work on your home, do your homework. You didn’t buy your home without checking into it, and you shouldn’t hire someone to work on your home without looking into them. Search the internet for their permits, licenses, and work history; if your prospect isn’t what they claim to be, the internet will probably let you know.
Finally, closed mouths don’t get fed; talk to your contractor about your expectations. No matter what happens, everyone is better off after an honest conversation. Perhaps your expectations are unrealistic, and the contractor can make a compelling argument to that end. It’s also possible that your contractor didn’t fully understand your expectations and will appreciate clarification beforehand over negative reviews after-the-fact. Communication is always important.
At the Chernov Team we understand that knowledge is power, and knowledge about how to find the very best people to work on your home is powerful knowledge indeed. At the Chernov Team we know that whoever comes to the table most prepared leaves with the most, and the Chernov Team always leaves the table with the most.