No one expects contractors to work for free. On the other hand, your Spidey sense should start to tingle if you're asked for a high down payment before you start working. With or without those regulations, you should expect to disburse an advance of between 10 and 25 percent of the total project cost. Always get a minimum of three bids—in fact, the more offers you receive, better.
Separate each offer based on the cost of materials and the cost of labor. This will help you tremendously when comparing each contractor. Never tell a contractor that you are the only one making an offer for a job, because that gives them too much power. You must make them believe that you are considering hiring many contractors to be held to account for their offer.
I have been a licensed contractor in New York for 10 years. I deal very well with Home Depot because of the veteran discount they offer us, which also greatly reduces customer material. I ask you to detail the material and give me a detailed receipt. I also ask the customer to do the same anywhere they want.
Once done, we both compared and opted for the cheapest one. For some reason, Veterans Discount always wins. I needed to tear off the carpet and place it on artificial wood, with an approximate value of 1800 square feet. They had the prices and all that, but they wanted 100% up front.
Literally, we were going to receive a quote from them, but that prepayment business wasn't working. Excellent video, every word is 100% true. In my experience (a top-to-bottom remodel of a duplex), first-rate (read expensive) contractors give you a very professional and detailed estimate, but then again, you're paying a VERY HIGH price. Like a company manager, part of a contractor's skill must be to hire good people, and the contractor who shrugs his shoulders to apologize for bad subcontractors is placing the blame on hers.
So, if you see your contractor acting cruelly to your equipment, not only is it the right thing for the workers, but also the best thing for your project is to replace the contractor with a person who is better made up of people. If you can't get along with a contractor's employee, it's the contractor's job, not yours, to resolve the dispute. Now, your contract may stipulate that the contractor will go to town to get the right permits, and that's okay, but if they tell you that the permits are a theft of money, look for a new contractor. This theory seems completely false to me, because the contractor has a contractor's license and works with many other clients.
So, while searching for the perfect contractor can be challenging, knowing this list of bad contractors can save you from costly mistakes. Beware of contractors who offer discounts if you pay them in cash or if you don't present a receipt; this is a common practice among fraudulent contractors. Simply put, a contractor sets their own schedules and these schedules not only determine how quickly the project is completed, but they also reflect the contractor's overall professionalism and commitment to the project. If you hired your contractor through one of these companies, you may be able to replace your contractor without modifying your contract too much. You'll learn real-world wisdom about hiring and dealing with contractors, and you'll have free access to a contractor agreement that can help you avoid some of the obstacles that many other investors face.
I don't trust contractors to buy materials for me, because in the past I have had problems with contractors using what was left over from previous jobs or buying materials cheaper than they had ordered, which stole my money.
