How to Find a Trustworthy Contractor
When you are a property manager, you need to be working with a trustworthy contractor. In fact, contractors in Burbank are some of the people that you need to have on a speed dial. Most top Los Angeles property management companies have contractors on their payroll.
Finding a trustworthy contractor is not easy. When you eventually find the right person, you may never have to search for qualified maintenance support again. You need a trustworthy contractor that can do your job perfectly at the first attempt whether you are watching over him or not.
In this article, you will learn of different strategies you can use to find a trustworthy contractor you can work with.
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Get Recommendations
The best way to find a contractor you can trust is through recommendations. If your goal is to find the best contractor, you need to talk to other property managers, landlords, real estate agents, as well as other people and professionals that regularly use the services of contractors.
Ask your friends. They may have used the services of a good contractor in the past and can recommend him to you. Ask for a recommendation from friends who have used the services of a contractor in the past.
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Neighborhood Review Websites
You can get recommendations from a website such as Nextdoor.com and yelp.com. These two sites, as well as other popular review websites, can help you read reviews from people who made use of contractors in your area in the past. You can also get several leads, phone numbers and contract address from these review sites.
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Online Classified Services (Craigslist)
You can also get a good contractor from online classifieds such as Craigslist. Make sure you search for a contractor in your area. Post your job and ensure you screen the applicants. Be careful of scammer when you are using online classifieds.
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Screen Contractors
You need to ensure you screen contractors thoroughly before you agree to make use of their services. Don’t sign any contract until you have screened a contractor and verify his claims. You also need to ask him some important questions such as:
- Years of experience in the business
- His references
- Kind of works he has done before
- Complaints against him
- His price
- Estimated time for completion of work
Ideally, you need to screen more than one contractor. You can make your decision after you have screened several contractors. This will help you to hire the right person.
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Schedule a Meeting
It is important you meet a contractor face-to-face before you hire him for your important projects. A face-to-face meeting will reveal a lot about a contractor. You can figure out the type of person he is from his attitude and answers to the questions you will ask him.
Make sure you ask all the questions you want to ask during this meeting. If you like him, you can sign a contract after the meeting. However, don’t sign the contract right away. Take some time to think about it before you sign.
Final Thought
Finding a trustworthy contractor can be hard. However, it is something that you need to do as a property manager. When you find a trustworthy contractor, you need to build a working relationship with such contractor. This will make your property management business easier.
