How to Find a Contractor

  Here comes the dreaded and most complicated task as a homeowner! Hiring a contractor! This can be a pleasant or the worst experience getting a project completed. Look for the signs, both good and bad, that you can watch for when you're interviewing any home improvement contractors, from roofers to foundation repairers.

Go Ahead Signs

There is no guarantee when hiring, but this should give you confidence.
Do they have a good reputation the industry or your community.
The best way is to ask friends and neighbors to recommend good contractors, but a more reliable source of referrals is other people in the trades: a trades person that you have used or love will know someone. An your local home improvement shop may suggest a contractor.
When someone that you trust reccommends a contractor they have seen there work. If they are willing to put their reputations on the line by vouching for him, they must have liked what they saw.
Is the owner or contractor performimg the bid going to do the work or will he use a crew or subs? How will he find the subcontractors or this crew of people he is dropping off? I don't like just anybody in or around my house! As most people are that way!
Is this a local that has grown up in this community or have they moved around the country serveral times? This could be a sign of whether they will be around if you need to call them. Their list of references is a mile long. Even terrible contractors have had a few happy clients along the way or have family members who can play the part when you call.

Yellow light

All the signs may not look good, but think through your decision. Think twice about hiring them unless every other indicator looks terrific.
How did he arrive in a rusted-out jalopy or a over priced sports car. A bucket of bolts that leaves an oil slick in your driveway doesn't bode well for the attention to detail or fiscal stability of the person driving it. If he drive a over priced sports car could mean that he is all about profits, such as cutting corners or low grade materials. What you are looking for is clean and well maintained. Painted-on or Vinyl signs are better than magnetic ones, which are cheap and temporary.
He wants cash. Even if you don't care that he's skipping on paying his taxes by taking cash, consider what other costs he may be cutting - like licensing fees, insurance bills and skilled crew members.
He doesn't provide a cell number. Sure, you might find the rare contractor who has someone (probably his spouse) manning his business line. But for the most part, the only way to quickly get hold of a tradesman is by cell phone. If he doesn't want to give out that number, it isn't because he's conserving his minutes - he doesn't want to be reachable.

Red light

If you see any of these signs, don't hire the guy - even if you've had good luck working with him before. He wants to skip the permit - or have you apply for it. Any major improvement project legally requires a building permit, which means that inspectors will check the work. If a contractor wants to go without a permit, it means he'd rather not have anyone looking over his shoulder (other than you, but let's face it, you don't know what to look for).
If he wants you to apply for the permit yourself, it could be because he doesn't have the necessary state licensing - and it means you'd be the middleman between the inspector and contractor instead of letting them work things out directly.
He solicits business door to door. A paving contractor rings your bell to say he just did a job in the neighborhood, has extra materials and will cut you a rock-bottom deal if he can work on yours that afternoon. Sounds great, right?
Trouble is, you have no idea who he is or if he's going to do the job right. And if that new pavement starts cracking three weeks later, you'll never get him back to repair the damage.
He seems sleazy. Ultimately, you have to feel comfortable letting this person into your home. Clearly, you're not going to hand your house keys to someone who flips a cigarette butt into your azaleas or leers at your 16-year-old daughter.
But if he doesn't look you straight in the eye or you just have a gut feeling that something might be amiss, go ahead and cross him off your list. Nowadays, thankfully, there are plenty of contractors available to do the job.