Increase Your Chances of Hiring a Quality Professional.

Do you ever get frustrated with not being able to find a consistent, quality service for the needs of your home? Are you unsure about how to go about hiring a reliable professional to serve your home? I’m sure many of you can share your money’s worth of poor experiences! These experiences probably range anywhere from not showing up, to doing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage, just because the professional had no proper training.

In this short article, I have several steps that can help you reduce those chances of having a poor experience again! Not all of the suggestions I present may seem convenient. Most of these do require some research, money or time involved. Believe me, I’d rather spend a little more time, money, or research than to experience frustration or loss of money.

Here are some great avenues to aid in finding an experienced, qualified professional.

1. A great starting point is to ask your neighbors which professionals they’ve used. Personally, this is where I would start my research. Ask them how often they’ve used them and what they liked about them. This may take time and initiation, but it is well worth it!
   
   
2. Check several consumer watchdogs such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the Chamber of Commerce, or Angie’s List. Angie’s List does charge a fee to join, but it is worth it to find a quality professional and see the reviews of past customers. Not all of the companies have good reviews. The ones that have mostly ‘A’ grades are nearly always a good bet.
   
   
3. Always verify workers compensation and liability insurance when you receive a quote. It takes very little effort for a company to provide proof of insurance. All they have to do is make a short phone call to have one sent to you. Did you know for most insured contractors, North Carolina requires insurance certification to be sent directly from the insurer as opposed to the contractor? This extra measure prevents fraud.
   
   
4. Ask the professional for customer references who have had similar work performed to the job your are considering. Just because a professional is good at carpet cleaning, doesn’t mean he is good at tile & grout cleaning also.
   
   
5. If you choose to do comparison shopping, it should be based on reputation, reliability, experience, and price ‘value’, not just the lowest price of all proposals presented. The lowest price can sometimes end up being the most expensive.
   
   
6. Choose a well-known and reputable company who you’ll be able to easily contact in the future for problems or other jobs. Check out the address of the professional and see how long they have been in the area.