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Atlanta-HomeReports.com
Tips for Consumers Considering Tackling Home Improvement
Projects
This 2008 Summer Season:
Picking
the right siding contractor for your home:
Link to Atlanta-HomeReports.com Preferred Siding Contractors
List
Picking the right siding product for
your home:
Siding
Ratings and Reports:
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Atlanta-HomeReports.com
would like to remind ALL homeowners of these three simple
rules in receiving the most value for their home improvement
dollar:
1. Check Out
the Contractors Being Considering Through the Georgia Secretary
of State Corporation's Website: CLICK
HERE -
To visit the Georgia Secretary of State Corporation's Website to
run a search on the contractor you're considering. Take
special note of the length of time they've been in business and
whether or not they've had to open and close their doors on a
regular basis to avoid lawsuits or having to support customers.!
2. Check the
contractor's references thoroughly:
Many contractors that have been around a good while actually
have long term customers who are so proud of the contractor's
work that they invite some of the contractor's prospective
customers to come over and experience the contractor's work
first hand. Be sure to ask the contractor you're
considering if they have any examples of their work in the
immediate area.
If the
contractors being considering have been around long enough -
this should be an easy task. If not, this could be a
strong indication to the homeowner that something is amiss.
3. Always get
at least three competing bids from local contractors.
While the lowest price doesn't always make any home
improvement contractor the best candidate for the home
improvement project at hand, it is a strong indication of the
company's strength and how willing they are to earn your
business.
IMPORTANT
NOTE:
CONTRACTORS REQUIRING DEPOSITS FROM HOMEOWNERS:
If a
contractor asks a homeowner for a deposit - this is NOT
necessarily a bad thing. There are many valid reasons for
the best contractors in Atlanta to regularly ask homeowners for
deposits on home improvement projects. Here are some of
them:
1. When a
contractor pays cash for materials, it often keeps project costs
low - and the contractor can pass those savings along to the
homeowner.
2. The
contractor may be so good and so heavily sought after - that his
resources may have become strained by the large number of jobs
they have going on in the field.
3. No
contractors can afford to be stiffed by dishonest homeowners -
and there are quite a few of them out there. These days,
profit margins are typically slim and the numbers of home
improvement jobs are on the decrease. A contractor that
gets stiffed by two or three homeowners could experience
devastating effects.
CONSEQUENTLY:
Contractors
who don't require a deposit to perform home improvement jobs may
very well be desperate enough to do anything to get your
business. This is generally NOT the right
contractor for your home improvement needs. It usually
indicates a high level of desperacy on behalf of the
contractor and signifies the company's downfall is within the
near future.
BEST
ADVICE ON HOME IMPROVEMENT DEPOSITS
When giving a
contractor a deposit for a home improvement project, only after
you've checked them with the Georgia Secretary of State's office
and checked their references thoroughly - should you even
consider giving them the deposit they request. But
when doing so, always insist on issuing the deposit at the time
the building materials are being delivered.
This method
has actually become customary within the home improvement
industry these days. The homeowner should simply refuse to
hand over one, without getting the other in return. This
is also the point that the contract should be signed between the
homeowner and the contractor's Sales Representative or Project
Manager.
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