Tips for finding the right General Contractor

[Luke Terry]

Over the summer I've gone through lots of headaches trying to find and manage the right contractors.

Here are some tips that have worked for me that I thought I'd pass on:

1. Find a project manager - I have a full time job and no contracting experience, so of course I should have known I was going to whiff on hiring a contractor and properly evaluating them during a project.  Through my real estate agent I was able to find a project manager who I pay for each project and is responsible to establish the initial scope of work, hire the contractor, and manage the contractor's performance over the course of the project. 

2. Use city registered contractors - Most if not all cities have a registered general contractor list that you can google.  I had about a 15% interest rate by texting them, explaining what I was doing and that I had found them through the city registry.  After doing a preliminary interview I then had my project manager meet them to interview them at their job site and then to meet at my property to provide a quote.  These sites could be an effective way to find a project manager as well.

3. Fall is a great time to find contractors - with the summer slowing down, busy contractors may have openings now that you don't get during the spring and summer.  By establishing good relationships and projects now, you can be a priority for them for the upcoming year when things get more busy.