How to Choose
A Home Improvement Remodeling Contractor
How Do You Know
a Good Contractor
From a Bad Contractor?
There are over 800,000 contractors in the U.S.
According to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, more than 800,000 businesses and individuals in the United States call themselves Home Improvement Contractors or Handymen.
Be Careful! There is a 50% Failure Rate with contractors.
According to the Small Business Administration over half of all new businesses fail within the first 3 years*.
Home Improvements are Ranked #1 in Consumer Complaints
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry cited a 2006 consumer study that listed the home improvement industry as number one in consumer complaints.
There is a Lot to Consider When Choosing a Contractor
Sheila Adkins, director of public affairs for the Council of the Better Business Bureau, says there are three main reasons for the flood of complaints:
1. Homeowners select contractors based on price alone.
2. Homeowners don't get all the details written into the contract before signing it.
3. Homeowners get duped by contractors that make promises that won't be kept.
Complaints against home improvement/home repair contractors are among the most common consumer complaints received by the Better Business Bureau. Considering how lucrative the business is, there is little wonder. Americans spent over $200 billion in 2005 on home remodeling/home repair projects, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Complaints to the BBB concern a wide range of problems including:
1. Incomplete Job Performance
2. Confusion over Contract Terms
3. Poor Workmanship
4. Over-charging on Change Orders
5. Unethical Sales Tactics
6. In some cases, Home Foreclosures
This is Your Home, Your Money, and Your Future...
Invest Wisely & Choose Wisely!!!
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*Source: "Survival and Longevity in the Business Employment Dynamics Database"
by Amy E. Knaup