When it is time to paint your home or your business it is best to hire a professional painting contractor for the best results. Too many people have tried to paint their structures without the help of a professional only to end up wasting more time, energy, and money than they would have if they would have merely hired a painter in the first place. Sometimes hiring a professional can be a little scary because you never know who you are getting into business with, but if you follow these great tips, you can find the perfect contractor every time.
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Tip One: Look For Experience
Since your home, or business is such a huge investment, it is not a bad idea to take the time and seek out the painting contractors that have been in business for a long time. Anybody that provides a service for a living should know exactly what they are doing. From concrete pumping services to SEO services each and every person that you hire should have at least a few years of experience doing what you are hiring them for. When it comes to painting services, make sure that you do your research and see that the contractor has been doing it for at least 5 years. Otherwise, you might end up with somebody that knows as much about painting as you do.
Tip Two: Check References
Because of the way that technology is evolving rapidly, it is hard for a company to hide anywhere. Most every company that is in business has some sort of reputation online. If you know how to use a search engine, you are already halfway towards finding out what you need to know to hire the best fit for you. Go online and do a simple search to see what other people that have worked with your prospective painting contractor and see what they have to say about them and the way they do business. Remember, a couple of bad reviews don’t mean anything at all. However, if they have several bad reviews and there is a pattern within them that all say that the company or person does bad work, then you should bounce to the next person. It is not worth it to hire somebody that has a proven track record for bad work.
Tip Three: Customer Service Skills
One of the biggest ways to find a great painting contractor is to give them a call and talk with them. It only takes a few minutes to see whether or not they will make time to talk with you and hear your needs, or if they will brush you off and try to rush you into a sale. Even if the contractor is busy, they should always take the time to hear what your goals are and know what you want. If they are busy at the time that you call them, give them a chance to call you back when they have time. It is well worth the extra time to have a discussion with them and see how they treat you in a conversation.
- Do they listen?
- Are they attentive to your needs?
- Do they have an understanding of what you expect of them?
If they pay attention to details, they immediately want to hear what you have to say and engage with you without trying to arm wrestle you into a sale, you may have found yourself a great candidate. Keep their number so when you decide you can have it handy.
Tip Four: Look For Quality Equipment
When they come to your home and are ready to talk numbers and details, pay attention to the type of vehicle they pull up in. Of course, most painting contractors will have probably have weathered vehicles with paint all over them, but look deeper into the picture. Look at the tires of the vehicle. Do they look safe? What about the windshield and other windows? Are they full of cracks or are they obstructed? You can tell a lot about a contractor by the way that they maintain their equipment. If they are the kind of contractor that will put off changing worn-out tires or fixing cracked windshields they may not be the type of contractor that you want. If you notice that their vehicle is in disrepair, much of the equipment that they will use to paint your home could be in the same shape.
Tip Five: Verify A Valid Contractor’s License
This might be the most important tip. Whenever you hire a worker to work on your home you run the risk of something happening. Whether it is an injury or property damage, or damage to a neighbor’s home there is a risk. If it happens when they are working on your home and they do not have an up-to-date contractor’s license, you could be held liable for anything that happens. Although you most likely will have homeowners insurance, however, if one of your contractor’s laborers falls off of your roof and breaks a bunch of bones will you have enough insurance to cover it? Contractors must have at least a million dollars coverage in order to operate successfully without worrying about damages that they can’t cover. If your homeowner’s policy only covers $300K, what happens if the damage is upwards of $500K? You have to cover the difference. Be wise when you hire a contractor and make sure that they are covered sufficiently in case something happens.
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