How to find a good General Contractor

[Melonie McCallum]

Hello. I have recently attempted to find a General Contractor on Thumb Tack. I was careful to read the reviews and thought I had found one. The contractor was pleasant, patient and answered all of my newby questions. I then sought my financing and the lender asked for my general contractor's license and liability insurance (which my contractor said that he had). After not hearing from the contractor after two days of unanswered calls, I contacted the state licensure board only to find that the contractor had a license but did not file statement of taxes; therefore, his company no longer has an active license. What should be my next step in finding a good contractor? How much should I look to pay him to oversee my project? Any one have referrals for Atlanta, GA?