How to select a contractor – while staying off TV!

Before undertaking a project, be it remodel or new construction, following these steps will minimize the risks associated with hiring the wrong person.  All too often we see homeowners on TV that were taken advantage of.  Or we see nightly news segments showing yet another unscrupulous contractor and how they took  someone’s hard earned money.  Follow these steps to reduce the chance that this happens to you.

Step 1: Run Background Checks.  The state of Oklahoma has a free resource online for performing background checks.  All you need is a name and you can see if they have any disputes, charge offs, lawsuits, bankruptcies, felonies, foreclosures, etc…  As mentioned above, you are about to write some rather large checks and hand them to someone you just met.  How ethical are they in their financial and personal dealings?  If they are not paying their bills with your money, you could have the privilege of paying for your materials twice!  (By the way – when you run mine, my middle initial is not L or W, nor have I ever been married to Patsy in Rodgers county!)

Here’s the link:  http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/casesearch.asp

• If your browser blocks the link, go to : www.oscn.net
• Then select “Court Dockets” on the top menu tab
• Then select “Search Dockets” in the left column.  Input their name (try different versions “Charles/Chuck”) and see what you get.
• If you feel uncomfortable with the results – move on – there are many contractors in this state!

Step 2: Check for Liens.  Oklahoma County provides a central location for recording liens.  Having a lien may not be a bad thing, as a lien is attached to property when someone takes out a loan – it is the collateral for the loan.  And some lenders or lien holders will fail to release a lien until they are asked by the borrower to do so, so the information learned from this sight may not tell the full story.  You can see, however, is a contractor or company is heavily burdened with loans or being levied with tax liens.  Tax lines indicate they may not be paying their financial obligations and could be a red flag for that contractor.

Here’s the link:  https://www.okcc.online/#

• In the middle of the screen, select “UCC SEARCH”.
• If your browser blocks the link, copy and paste the address above.
• Try various spellings of the name you are searching: Chuck vs Charles, Individuals name, company name, etc.
• Generally the less info you enter, the more search results you will receive.
• To see the type of document shown in the results, use the definition table at the bottom of this page:
  • • https://www.oklahomacounty.org/elected-offices/county-clerk
• If you feel uncomfortable with the results – move on – there are many contractors in this state!

Step 3: Check for General Liability Insurance. This is different than Workers Comp – WC protects the worker that gets injured on a job – if you are hiring a one-man-show, he may not need WC.  But if you are having someone work on your home, legitimate contractors will carry General Liability insurance.  The next part to this question is “How Much”?  The standard $300,000 does not go too far in some homes.  How much is your home worth, including the contents?  We carry $2 million just for that reason.  But asking for the contractors insurance provides a strong screening tool – if someone is paying the money for insurance, they usually aren’t working for tonight’s beer or drug money!

Step 4: RESEARCH!  Can’t stress this enough – research your potential vendors and see what comes up.

• When they say they have completed thousands of jobs – ask “what kind”?  Many countertop companies complete new counter installations in 1 day – so they could have thousands of 1 day jobs in their portfolio.  A real remodel, however can take weeks or months.  How many of these projects have they completed?  Do they pull off and leave homeowners hanging for days on end?  Do they have trouble getting sub contractors to show up?  Very important to know what kind of jobs they are claiming.
• Check online resources – although I’m not a fan of the “Pay to Play” websites, they can provide insight into negative experiences.  Check HOUZZ, Yelp, Angies, Google, and Facebook.  If someone has a positive experience, it’s rare that they post a review.  If it was unpleasant however – they like to let others know.
• How good are the reviews?  Are they real?  You can buy reviews….when someone states “they are a great company” or “really good group of people”, did that reviewer really have a remodel done?  Read for details that show it was a real remodel done for a real homeowner by a real contractor!

Step 5: Ask Questions when interviewing candidates. The answers will help you decide how comfortable you might be in working with this company.

Bottom Line: Don’t get in a hurry – ask lots of questions – research well.  And don’t show up on TV!