Should I hire a contractor off of Craigslist?

[Alex M.]

Would you hire a contractor off of Craigslist? What if you did not know many contractors in the area and were just getting started? If you would, what would your process look like? What would you be looking for during the interview?

I'm in need of a good quality, licensed and insured GC in the Philadelphia area who can handle a rehab of a small SFR, and am considering posting a request on CL. I plan to schedule a number of interviews with contractors who respond, and would set up the interview on site in order to walk the property with them, generate a sense of competition around price and enable them to provide me with a quote and SOW.

Has anybody used this approach? What are the pros and cons? Are there better ways, other than standing outside Home Depot at 6am, to find a good GC?