What experiences have you had when bringing a contractor to inspect a house with you?

[Jordan Archer]

Hey BP,

I want to know if people have had good experiences bringing a contractor out to look at a property for the first time.

I'm really interested in bringing one so they can give me an estimate for repair value.

Do they want a fee for looking, or will they do it for free with the hopes that you'll hire them?

Thanks!

Jordan

[Mike Gallus]

Hey Jordan... I am a contractor and time is money. Repeat business from a client who I have done work for in the past warrants a no monetary visit. My advice to you is to take plenty of pictures of the projects you wish to address, email them to your potential contractor, and they should be able to ballpark some numbers for you. Later in the negotiation process, he/she will be less likely to charge a fee to further explore what needs to be done first hand. Beware of the guy/gal who can stop by anytime... this usually means they are not working or they sub out most of the work.