The time old issue, of how do you find a good contractor in your area. Well, there are the basics you can look for.
You can use certifications from various trusted organizations like the BBB, ACCA, and RSES. Regarding the BBB, they have a new rating scheme that is an excellent help. Look for companies meeting there A+ rating. If they claim to have it, you can use this link to verify and see there rating for your self.
Another way is word of mouth from friends and family. If a friend or family member has had a good experience, it’s a great starting place.
A new and upcoming method is all the online rating sites. Now these get tricky for two reasons.
- No company can keep up with every single rating company out there.
- Competitors are know and do post negative comments with the intentions of scaring you away from there competition.
With this in mind, some sites do things better then others. If your willing to pay, Angie’s List is a great place to look.
Other sites tend to be more hit and miss. Sites like yelp.com are better then some as they allow you to see the history of the reviewer. Not always a perfect measure but it’s again, better then some.
Here’s an example of a yelp site. As you can see, the stars don’t really help things much. If your going this route you really need to spend time reading the articles and only taking into the articles you trust.
Bottom line, there isn’t a single method for picking a great contractor. You need to take a lot into consideration. If I had to pick just one to use, I would go with the BBB rating system first. It has the right idea and let’s you know what the company is like when there is a problem. If they check out there, then I would turn to my friends or lastly these review sites.
