Getting ready to sell your home often entails lining up contractors to make home repairs. A cracked window needs to be replaced, the exterior needs to be painted, and the driveway needs to be resealed. After a purchase contract is in place and the inspection is complete, you may find that the buyer wants you to fix a cracked bathtub and a non-functioning pool light. As a buyer, few homes are purchased without plans for work to be done. Whether adding a patio cover or replacing lighting fixtures, you will want to hire experts to get the job done.
Go to your agent for referrals. An experienced agent has dealt with every type of repair and has a list of repair people whom she would and would not recommend. Your agent is an excellent source but should never be your only source.
As a buyer or seller, you are responsible for vetting the service people whom you invite into your home. While an agent recommendation is highly valuable, it remains your responsibility to use all available resources to check out service people before you hire them to work on your home. Here are tips for checking them out:
- Every state has licensing requirements, and each is different. In some states, landscapers need to be licensed, and in other states, they are unregulated. The same holds true for most other service people. In nearly all states, plumbers and electricians must be licensed, although requirements to obtain a license differ. In states that do not require licensing for plumbers, such as Kansas, there are usually county and town regulations in place. Check the licensing requirement in your state and then check the service person’s license.
Never hire an unlicensed service person where a license is required. First, the service person is working without following the rules of his profession, and you should doubt his integrity. Second, without the bond that accompanies the license, you are without an important monetary recovery source if the work is done poorly or not done at all.
- Go online and search social media, such as Facebook and Nextdoor, and business review sites, such as Yelp and Google Business, to find out what other people are saying. Within fifteen minutes, you should be able to get a good understanding of how people value your contractor.
- Check your state and county government sites. Is the contractor’s company in good standing with the Secretary of State? Are there lawsuits pending in the county? Is the contractor’s home in foreclosure?
Agents want a smooth escrow period as much as you do. In an effort to facilitate this, some agents will step out of bounds and make recommendations that they believe are helpful. Some agents have your best interests at heart and have worked for years with service professionals who never let them down. There are also agents who have non-ethical motives to recommend a friend, family member, or service person who cuts them a deal for every referral. Some agents make recommendations out of an inflated opinion of their own breadth of knowledge. A good agent’s advice is always worth taking and can be a first step in gathering a list of contractors. However, an agent’s advice should never be the only step.
