Angie's List: Have You Used it to find a Contractor? Thoughts?

[Joshua Dorkin]

I'm having a horribly difficult time finding contractors for a large project I need completed at my home. One of three red flags appear when I contact one:

a) They come and never follow up with an actual bid - over 50% of the contractors who have come to see the full task.
b) Their bids take much longer to return then promised. If you can't return a bid on time, how are you going to be able to complete a large project in any kind of reasonable amount of time?
c) Their bids are incomplete or include several areas where markups are excessive (eg. bid came in that included gutter work that was 2x the bid of all other bids on that part of the job).

So - I'm running out of patience - fast - and need to get this job done in the next 2 months.

Which leads me to Angie's List. Have any of you used this site to screen contractors (looking for a GC)? What are your thoughts?

[Nick J.]

It boggles my mind to imagine that the leader of BP nation is having trouble finding anyone to work for him.

Do these guys not know you're the head honcho in charge around these parts? Geesh!

In all reality, I've never used Angies list. I find it sooooo hard to trust even sourcing companies like that because the contractors are paying them to be advertised, you know some of those amazingly kind worded reviews can't possibly all homeowners.

There was a similar service I used years ago to find a plumber. I was chatting with the guy who came out. Apparently they pay upwards of $75 for the lead and they don't get all the jobs they pay for with the leads so they certainly need to mark stuff up just to break even is what I was hearing.

Hopefully someone else will be able to chime in and give more assistance. Good luck.

[Jon Holdman]

I have used Angies List, with mixed results. Their contractors tend to be "retail". Their bids are higher and they're aimed at homeowners rather than fix-and-flippers.

I've had bids for the same job vary by more than a factor of three. For example, for the same work, I've had plumber bids of over $9000, about $8000, and $2,700. For a job to relocate my furnace and hot water heater into a crawlspace, I had bids of $7,000 and $1,100.

[Mike Welch]

I used Angie's List extensively on a restoration of a home I bought in Tucson. As I haven't lived in that town for ten years, I had only word of mouth and other sources such as Yelp to find contractors. About half of the contractors I used on the project came from Angie's List. It pointed me to a great house painter, a remarkable handyman, and an HVAC contractor who was slightly below the going rates. I also found a glazing company that was a pleasure to deal with and a cleaning company that did a very decent job.

Many of the contractors I dealt with from the site cared very much about their online reputation and tended to work harder to ensure I was totally satisfied as they wanted a continuation of their good reviews.

Angie's List definitely presents its own 'micro list' of vendors that is not exhaustive of any city's contractor resources. Contractors on the 'A' list will strive to keep their reputations intact as it becomes a primary source of leads for them.

It was very helpful for me in doing a 4-day restoration of a home in a city where I did not have a stable of contractors I'd worked with previously. It is also a very inexpensive subscription and, given the cost of the services I was seeking, was well worth the investment.

[Joshua Dorkin]

Nick - I try not to flash the BP card -- though maybe I need to start.

Jon - thanks. I know I've asked you before, but if you have any recos on GCs who can do a patio/overhang (the roof is supported by 5 posts on the patio, so I need someone beyond the concrete people to take responsibility for it not falling while being replaced). Let me know.

[Joshua Dorkin]

Mike - That's great to hear. Thanks! Any other reviews?

[Nick J.]

Originally posted by Joshua Dorkin:
Nick - I try not to flash the BP card -- though maybe I need to start.

See what happens when you dont

[Joshua Dorkin]

Yeah . . . I'm going to see if it makes a difference going forward.

[Ann Bellamy]

Supposedly contractors can't pay to get on Angie's list. I don't think there is a way to know if that's true or not.

My next door neighbor found an excellent plumber using Angie's list. He gave an estimate over the phone for a small job, after hearing the homeowner's description, said he'd be there between 4 and 5PM, showed up at 4:30, did the job in a little over an hour, and charged exactly what he said. At $200 for a little over an hour's work, it's not the cheapest, but in NH and MA, getting a plumber at ALL is a big deal. So my neighbor was very satisfied.

You could give it a try - and I'd use the BP card. And then if he does a good job, figure out how to send him more business.

[Joshua Dorkin]

Thanks Ann. I suppose I don't like to "flaunt" the BP status, but I guess I really need to. I suppose a great recommendation from me could likely drive a lot of business, so why not use my "influence" to get things done. Thanks guys for putting things into perspective.

Still hoping for more reviews of Angie's List, as well . . .

[James Vermillion]

I have had terrible luck using Angie's List, but I think the biggest problem is the fact that it is not highly used in my area, therefore there are few reviews on any contractors.

[Don Hines]

Use the BP card. You have earned it!!
Don

[Alison M.]

Angie's List is probably as good a resource as any to pre-screen contractors. I would steer clear though of the daily offers - I bought one and had a terrible time with the contractor because he was overwhelmed with responses and couldn't cope. This was for work on my own house, of course :-).

[Stacy Nettinga]

Josh, if you are still looking, PM me with some project details and I will try to find one through one of my contractor websites. I will warn you, he will not be the cheapest, but he will be insured and reputable.

As far as Angie's List, I don't know how that works. I think a homeowner has to make a recommendation. I don't think contractors, or anyone for that matter, can "advertise" there, so to me it would be a good source.

[Mike Welch]

One great thing about Angie's List is the care they take to ensure that their system is not gamed.

For example, NY Times recently had an article exploring how Yelp was being manipulated by unscrupulous organizations seeking to undermine their competition by posting fake, yet highly negative reviews.

Angie's List only allows for reviews by consumers of the contractors. They also screen each individual posting to ensure that fake posts do not get through.

That said, it is clear that some contractors care deeply about their Angie's List profile, while the majority have no idea what it is, or why they should care. This latter group might contain some of the best value contractors in your area.

[Brian Sharwood]

You're probably located in the U.S. but in Canada we have HomeStars.com (full disclosure -I work there) which is a free version of what Angies List does. We also verify review to ensure a job is performed by the contractor. The site works in the U.S. but we started in Canada, so we're much bigger up here. Hopefully we'll have reviews in your location soon.

[Account Closed]

Angies list is hit or miss for me. I have hired ppl there that have sucked, I suspect from having huge number of proposals since they are no. 1 on Angies list.

On the other hand my brother hired an architect a few years ago off there and I use her to this day! She designed a number stadiums like the Baltimore Ravens stadium when she was a working stiff at a blood sucking corporate architectural firm. Now shes independent and has used Angies List to her advantage. Shes great,I think Angies List is good for smaller ppl like that.

[Emy S.]

I've used servicemagic.com on a couple of instances and found it pretty good for a list of contractors. In all cases, I was able to hear from a couple of local guys within 24 hours. Though for these were for my own home repairs (not rehab bids), many of the contractors I've come across said they've worked with investors. The company was pretty good about follow up too in case I wasn't pleased with some of the bids that were submitted, and they provided more contractors who could reach me.

[George P.]

a friend had account with them and gave me a few names, but they never panned out.

what i do is the following:

let's say i need windows (like i do at the moment). I called a window wholesaler/distributor and asked them to give me 3-4 contractors. they do, i call them and work with them.

i did that for brick work, gutters/siding, windows, sprinklers, you name it.

works every time and i get great contractors.

[Purnell C.]

Angies list was a miss for me but I have found a great plumber and electrician on yelp.

[Ned Overton]

Go to contractortalk dot com and read the threads about the solicitous nature of Angies List as stated by contractors throughout the US.
Josh- I'll pm with a contact in Denver.

[Jim Ingersoll]

Angies list is ok and so is servicemagic. I think one of the best ways though is old-fashion networking and referrals. Ask other rehabbers who they use and what they like and don't like about their contractors. Of course, always check insurance and licensure documenation.

We have had a really busy summer and had to add some extra sub-contractors this summer. Been pretty happy with the new ones.

Jim

[Mike Nelson]

Jim - is there a way that I can get in touch with you? We are in the same market and I would really like someone to talk to that has experience.

[Greg P.]

I've used Angie's list and interviewed about 6 high repped contractors. All were very overpriced. The contractors I use now are from referrals or referrals from local hard money lenders. Give the hard money guys a shot!

[Joshua Dorkin]

Update: I just canceled my membership to Angie's List. I used the site to try and find a GC and handyman and failed in both endeavors. The one contractor who ended up giving me a bid as a result of the site threw me a bid over 50% higher than the others that I ended up with, and despite repeatedly requesting a breakdown of his bid, I got nothing.

Ultimately, I ended up finding the contractor who is presently tearing up my back patio through ServiceMagic, which I've had a lot of positive results with. I found my handyman via a friend's recommendation.

[Jackeline Petrucci]

Joshua, all those stories sound familiar to me. I guess it is always hard to find good contractors. I did try Angie List but didn't have much luck with it but what did work for me was going to commercial buildings and talk with the contractors on site.