Find a Contractor: The Red Flags You Don't Want to See

If you're looking to find a contractor, you need to be as concerned with avoiding a scam as you are finding a company that will do the job for a good price. Not unusually, these two concepts will be at odds with each other. This is why any expert in the field will tell a homeowner that simply going with the lowest bid is rarely a good idea. Especially if that bid is far lower than the average. But an extremely low bid is not the only red flag in the business. Here are some others you should watch out for. If you see them, you may want to consider going with another company.

Door to Door Sales

This isn't the 1950s. Door to door sales is a dead concept, and homeowners rarely take kindly to salesman showing up at the house anymore. While obviously true when it comes to encyclopedias and vacuum cleaners, the stigma is not quite so strong when it comes to homeowners who want to find a contractor. Why this should be so is a mystery, especially when this is probably the last type of business you want to find on your doorstep. A construction company shouldn't be trolling the neighborhood looking for broken things to fix. When you're ready to hire someone, go through the proper channels.

Payment Up Front

In many states, it is illegal to require a customer to pay for the work in advance. If you're trying to find a contractor, a company that insists on being paid up front is a red flag. That's not to say that the company can't require anything before work begins. Many—even most—legitimate companies will require a down payment of some kind, especially on large jobs. These jobs could take weeks or months to complete, and until completion the crew is working out of pocket. This includes gathering and paying for materials. If you're expected to pay more than 30% of the total cost on signing the contract, however, you should look elsewhere.

No Guarantee

No matter how honest the company you're working with seems, it is a mistake to accept a guarantee in anything but written form. It doesn't matter if you've read a thousand glowing reviews and went to high school with the foreman's brother. If you want a guarantee (and you do), you want it in writing. If they refuse to put it in the contract prior to starting the job, make sure they don't start the job at all.