Home Improvement: Finding the Best Contractor

Home improvement contractors play a key role in many home sales. Sellers may need to do some significant repairs to ready their home for market; buyers oftentimes want to customize or renovate their new purchase as soon as they close. Jorgen Wouters of our sister site, WalletPop, offers some valuable advice when hiring the contractor you plan to trust with your home improvement wishes and dreams.

As Spring finally approaches and homeowners around the nation begin to contemplate home improvement projects, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to choose contractors with care to avoid getting scammed.

According to the BBB, the home improvement industry regularly ranks among the top five sources of complaints year after year. Construction and home improvement scams also placed third among the top 10 consumer complaints reported to the Illinois Consumer Protection Division in 2010.

To avoid hiring a sub-standard contractor, the BBB advises consumers to be suspicious of handymen who show up at your door, advertise in local newspapers, or put fliers in your mailbox offering a variety of services at bargain-basement prices.