With the current economic climate, the construction industry is in a very precarious state. For consumers, the perception in the remodel, retrofit and home improvement market is that now is the absolute best time to buy due to prices being so low. Cheap prices mean it’s the best time to make a construction deal, right? While in some cases this perception may be correct, consumers need to remember the saying that “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

As a consumer of construction services, ask yourself these very important questions:

If you answer yes to any of these questions, sadly, in many instances (more than you can imagine) you would be right.

Businesses have been hit hard with the recession and contractors have not been immune. Many Contractors today are falling by the wayside and going out of business – sometimes in the middle of projects, in fact. But going out of business isn’t always the only thing they’re doing; some of the more questionable contractors out there are busy taking their customers and projects down with them.

Watch the news. How many times have you seen a news story about a shady contractor that left a homeowner high and dry? Property owners all over the country are finding themselves with liens placed on their homes or businesses by suppliers who want to be paid and often times to clear up the lien, the homeowner will end up paying twice. There are thousands of situations where consumers find out too late that their contractor didn’t have adequate insurance coverage and they have been exposed to liability and personal injury from workers and outright negligence on their construction projects. Moreover, contractors trying to stay in business are taking shortcuts and using untrained and underpaid staff to avoid paying higher wages for the skilled workers most construction projects demand.

When times were better economically, solid, legitimate and ethical contractors never charged more than the job was worth. Margins in the industry have always been competitive – even in the good times. There has always been stiff, quality competition. But how can a project be cheaper today than it was two years ago considering inflation, tax increases, material costs, skyrocketing insurance and fuel costs? Cheap should often be a red flag, especially when it comes to the construction industry.
Consumers need to think about where the discounts are coming from and realize that most likely, the discount is coming straight out of the quality of their project.

With so many desperate contractors seeking to develop some type of cash flow to keep themselves going, they’re often using the project themselves to stay afloat.

There are countless ways a contractor can burn a consumer; far too many to list here. But as a home or business owner looking to hire a contractor for a job, there are some things you can do to help avoid headaches and financial issues caused by so much desperation going on in the industry right now.

Don’t get burned, just get smart.

The bottom line? Don’t gamble your investment away on someone you just don’t know…someone that over-promises, under-delivers and looks desperate. Trust your instincts but back them up with facts. And if you do happen to get involved with the wrong contractor (which statistics say happens over 45% of the time) make sure you turn them into the appropriate agencies so they will not have the opportunity to cheat anyone else.

Request a Free Report
Click here to request your free copy of “How to make a Successful Construction Investment” today! Save thousands of dollars and a lot of heartache by reading this small report before hiring a contractor.