How to know if a contractor is legit?

[Anthony Robinson]

So I'm here looking out for my dad.(82 year old dude)

He needs to repair the stucco on his commercial building(16 unit Apartment complex) for the fist and second floor on the apartment complex.  He contacted the first Contractor he found on the internet and they quoted him a total of 95k for the job to complete.  

Ive had no experience with contractors in my life, but I did ask them for reviews or if they have had  any projects done locally.  They are on Angieslist(which I dont know how reliable this site is), and they only contain 1 review.  It is a positive review, however for this company to be in the business for 15 years, and only 1 REVIEW total online scares me. They could be legit and maybe its a word of mouth type of business and I could be worrying about nothing.

I'm just curious to see what BP thinks, I just want to look out for family and make sure he is making the right decision. 

I apologize if this was hard to read, I am not the best writer and thank you in advanced!

[Michael Garofalo]

@Anthony Robinson you absolutely need to do a bit more due diligence and find some alternative options (try and find at least 2-3 total options), especially if you are going to spend close to $100k. I would never hire a contractor with just one review, typically the best way to find reliable ones is to get a referral from someone else you trust (real estate lawyer, CPA, property manager etc) and then vet them yourself more extensively. Look on better business bureau, google their name and read reviews there and on yelp (plus thumbtack, Angieslist if applicable), ask for past client referrals and photos of their work if you can't get that information easily online.

I invest out of state and work with every type of contractor under the sun. Most of them I've never met in person, but that really doesn't matter when the level of trust is there and each party has demonstrated a track record of following through on their word (i.e. the contractor on delivering a good product and me as the customer ensuring I am paying them quickly and always treating them with respect). 

PM me if you'd like to discuss more but you need to be very careful when selecting someone for such a large project.