What to ask potential general contractors

[Ryan Moore]

What are some of the key questions to ask potential general contractors of your rehab flip?

[Laura Stevenson]

On a higher level: ask him how long his subs have been working for him? Does he have task specific subs or guys who just "do it all"? Is he going to handle any necessary permitting? Is he actually a licensed contractor? How do he traditionally structure payment plans? If permits are involved agree that he has to pass inspection before you make a payment for that task.  Just because he installed HVAC doesn't mean it's passed inspection yet. Does he want any money up front? etc. 

Remember to think of every single tiny detail and discuss it up front.  Things that initially come to my mind: who is going to select finishes (paint color, carpet color, etc), landscaping, no parking in the grass (we had one contractor get his truck stuck in a front yard, who is going to buy light fixtures (are you picking them out or the contractor) (we generally never leave those selections up to the contractor), tile selection, grout color, which pattern do you want for the tile (we had a guy run tiles the wrong direction before)

This maybe more detail than you wanted but these are things we have forgotten in the past. 

Let me know if you have any more specific questions.  - Laura