May 28, 2008 11:26 am US/Eastern
Safe Contracting Simplified
CORAL GABLES (CBS4) ―
Remodeling your home can be noisy, messy and overwhelming. For Coral Gables homeowner Luis Bared, hiring the right contractors meant trusting them with remodeling his front and back yard.
"I did some homework. I don't hire people off the street," said Bared.
That homework brought him to servicemagic.com, a website which connects homeowners with what it considers reliable contractors and service professionals. To be listed on the site, they pay referral fees.
But that company advertises that it is now going an extra step forward -- make that ten extra steps.
Servicemagic.com claims it conducts a ten point screening process.
"Which includes verification of state-level licensing, general liability insurance, and we run a background check on the business," said CEO Craig Smith.
We checked out the site and found out they only check licensing at the state level, not at the local level.
Even service Magic's CEO urges, "it's still important that the professional produces a copy of their insurance and verification of their license."
Omar Cabrera knows home improvement. He manages the pro desk at the Pinecrest Home Depot. He says that a criminal background check would be very important.
"If they can go to that extent, it would be incredibly instrumental," said Cabrera.
Most home improvement companies, like Lowes and Home Depot, do background checks on their own contractors, and knowing that is important to Cabrera.
"If you can find one that doesn't have a record, that would be the way to go," said Cabrera.
Other tips that might save you the hassle - get a minimum of three bids, check contractor's licensing and insurance, don't forget to check with your local building department for complaints and what projects they've successfully completed. And last, ask the company to provide you with a list of previous clients -- and call them yourself.
And remember -- know what your home is worth before putting more money into it. With the market the way it is, it might be smarter to just move on.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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