All Forum Posts by: Page Trip

Hello,

Recently I found some contractors on Thumbtack and asked them for a quote. I had about 8-9 different contractors visit my home to give me a quote. One of the contractors clearly took advantage of me not knowing anything about roof fixing and gave me a quote of $1000 for something that costs $100-$150. Every other contractor confirmed it too. The $1000 quote they gave was to put silicone around 9 nails on the roof.

I wrote a review stating the same. Also mentioned that if someone is looking to hire them then they should get a second opinion. Initially he tried to call me and threatened saying that they have my address. When I stopped taking their calls he sent me an SMS asking me to take down the reviews or they will sue me with defamation. The text also said something to the extent of "we have your address".

No where in my review I stated that I hired them. I only said that their intentions seemed to take advantage of my ignorance in roof repairing matters and it seemed that they were out to cheat me.

I definitely don't want to deal with lawyers for such a trivial issue. I can delete the review but what is the point of reviews if we can't leave negative reviews? Can a business really sue someone for writing a negative review?

P.S.: The name of the business is Exteriors Dr (in case I end up deleting the review).

P.P.S.: I would genuinely like to know if my review (or any part of review) is defaming the company. If yes, then I can edit the review without going into specifics.

Screenshot of review: 

Screenshot of message from contractor: 

We just bought our first home and are in the process of closing the loan (WA state). So currently we need to decide and choose home owners insurance so we can finalize the escrow details. I got quotes from multiple insurance companies, most of them the usual big names (Geico, Progressive, All State etc). Then I came across an article about Hippo and got a quote from them as well. Hippo's quote although not the cheapest, is on a lower end of the spectrum and offers better coverage than most. Hippo also threw in a lot of extras such as equipment breakdown (Covers the cost of repair or replacement for pretty much everything in your home that uses electric power, in the event of electrical or mechanical breakdown with deductible of only $500), coverage for home office equipment etc. However, I probably wont start a claim for a broken fridge or stove, it is good to know that I have these coverages. 

Has anyone made claims with these guys? I can't seem to find many reviews as they are pretty new. Anyone here had experience with them? Is there a catch? Also, your experiences with rates, customer service etc.

Thanks for your time.

Thank you very much Sherif. I have not looked at past 10 year appreciation but, for example, a similar floor-plan home (square footage lower by 40sqft but plot size bigger by 1000 sqft) which is 2 houses down got sold for 620K last year. I don't think the homes would have appreciated by 20% in 1 year. I could be wrong??? I think another issue is the trust. Our agent always hurries us through the tours and while we were touring yesterday she was on multiple phone calls during the showing. So feel that she might not be putting in her 100%.  This is our third agent and every agent has some issues (our first agent forgot to take appointment for a home). I feel like every agent is so busy due to the demand that they are unable to give their 100%. But it is a huge deal for us since this is our first home and we are putting in close to 3/4th million dollars. With offer review date so close, I am completely confused. We love the home but we are afraid we might be losing all our savings.

 Thank you for your response. This will be our starter home but we probably will stay here for a long time unless we have to move out of the country. We have cash to pay for the difference if it does not appraise, but we don't want to be in that position. I switched 3 agents until now and none of them in Seattle seem to care about buyers. With so much demand they are leaving it to us to make the decisions as its frustrating. 

We are trying to buy a SFH in a highly competitive Seattle market where every home is being sold for more than list price. We are prepared to offer more than asking but how do we determine the point at which it becomes more of a risk than investment? We worked with three different agents and all of them ended up saying that "it is worth what someone is willing to pay". This statement is true but it is true only under current conditions.

For example, we are interested in a 650K SFH and it has garnered a lot of interest. We might have to compete with more than 10 offers. We really like the house and are willing to go way above asking. My agent says that we should be prepared to pay up to 750K if we want to get the home. We have no problem with that price as long as it is the "right-ish" price. I know its hard to pin on a "right" price. My agent says that 750K is a right price since there is so much demand and less supply. He also says that there is a slight chance that the appraisal might come in 10-15K lower. Then how is 750K a good price? One of our primary goals is to build equity. I am afraid if we overpay by a lot then we will end up not building equity.

When I look on Redfin (I know. I know. Its not the most accurate tool), most of the similar homes nearby consistently have a Redfin estimate of 670K - 700K. However, when this particular home came on the market, it was listed at 650K with a Redfin estimate of 680K. Within 5 days the Redfin estimate has shot up to 735K. So I am not really sure how to evaluate such a listing.

- A pricing analysis based on recent sales in the neighborhood indicated that the home is worth between 690K - 720K

- The home is mostly original inside (1987 built) so the higher price is not due to any upgrades.

- Generally well maintained home without any major issues.

Thanks for your time.