Are you thinking of hiring a general contractor? Your Landlord Tutor is a general contractor as well! So if you need general contracting services, here are the things to look for in a general contractor to take charge of your property renovations.
Why You Need a General Contractor
Now maybe some of you don’t need it. Perhaps your properties are brand new, and you don’t need to work on them. But in the city of Boston, getting a good property or one with good value will require some renovations.
You may have heard that general contractors sometimes aren’t responsive, are very expensive, or their guys don’t show up on time. Sometimes the costs go over budget, or the project goes over the timeline.
So how do you resolve that when picking out your general contractor?
What to Consider When Hiring a General Contractor
Here are some things you should consider when picking a general contractor to take charge of the work needed for your property.
1. Find a reputable general contractor.
When trying to find a general contractor, talk with several contractors. Check their references, go online, find some reviews, and even call up their former clients.
The key is finding someone you’re comfortable working with who will give you the service you need. You are probably spending a lot of money on it, so don’t just call one person who might claim someone is the best person in the world to do your work.
2. See their work in general.
If they know that they specialize in a certain area, go talk to the building inspectors even. Talking with them is a great approach to finding out how general contractors do their job.
If you’re new to the world of general contracting or just curious about the effect a change or delay can have on the process, ask them if they can provide a timeline. What happens if there are changes or delays? Do they get penalized at all?
The answers you get will give you an idea of how they approach their work and help you determine if they are the kind of service providers you want to work with.
3. Ask about their team.
How many people are they working with, subcontractors versus employees? You have to know this because they can control employees.
Most contractors use subs that are in their own world. When issues happen, they are not liable for it, and they are just going to pass that buck.
Furthermore, typical contractors bill by the hour. Many rookie contractors have never worked on a home improvement project before, so they have no idea how long it will take or how many people they need on their team.
You want a team that remains engaged throughout the entire renovation project to ensure that you finish on time and save money in the process.
How Your Landlord Tutor Can Help
Among my many certifications, I am also a general contractor. I can guide you through selecting one and looking through a renovation: seeing what you need to do, and looking at the numbers with you.
And if you’re in the city of Boston, I might be able to help you out because, at my property management company, we manage properties that we do general contracting on.
We only provide general contracting services for properties under our management. This allows us to control the timeline and the cost to know that the work will get done because we will be liable for more than just the renovation project.
The Landlord Tutor Promise
If you or anyone else you know is looking for help with renovations and guidance on selecting a general contractor, join the Landlord Tutor community and sign up here.
