Hiring Contractors /Multiple Bids

[Brian Glasspoole]

Hello Everyone, 

One thing that might help someone on a rehab or flip investment is to try to always get 3 separate estimates for any medium/large projects. I am an ex contractor and county inspector. I have seen grossly over priced proposals from unscrupulous contractors over three times a fairly priced estimate. 

One additional way to help quality assurance is to insist on a building permit if the is anything other than minor work involved. Your local city/county building department will have permit requirements on their website, but will most likely perform inspections on non required items if you purchase a permit and request that they inspect the item in question if you are uncertain of the quality/code compliance of the work.  

Another item to check is if the contractor actually has a license. State contractor laws vary greatly. Some states such as WA do not require a written test, only to pay a monetary fee to the state and get a small insurance policy/bond. CA requires contractors take a written proficiency test for their respective trade.