If your only criterion for hiring a contractor is price, good luck.

Can it be a criteria - yes certainly.  But it should never be THE criteria.  I also do not buy anything at Walmart....Why?  That box of detergent actually costs a lot more than you think.  If staffers are underpaid, they don't contribute to the system as much. If you spend $100 dollars at a locally owned shop according to the 3/50 project - $68 returns to the community.  For a big-box store that goes down to $43.  For an online store - ZERO, ZIPPO. 

What does that do for you, the consumer...nothing at first...but it impacts your bottom line later in the form of business.  Becuase if people are making money, they spend it.  As people feel wealthier, they will start to hire and that will lead to more work for you.  Can you imagine if everyone did that what a boost it would be for the local economy?

There is no free ride - ANYWHERE - not even in a big-box discount store. 

My husband is a retired custom home builder who often lost jobs to a lower bidder. Many times the homeowner would call months later to ask if he could come and fix something the contractor had done. Nope - not taking that liability.

Once, believe it or not, the roofing metal was crooked. That's what happens if the roof isn't squared to begin with!

Tom,

There are a lot issues here.  I agree that you need to pay for quality.  I have also paid top dollar at times and still cut crap.  I also understand a lot of cost goes into overhead and such things as insurance if you hire a good contractor, which sometimes a good handy man can do the job without that overhead.  On the other hand if you go the cheap route there are risk with no insurance and less accountability.  

Another big issue is most of us do not fully understand the details of what you do, the difference in quality, the other factors so it is hard to judge what is a good and fair price to get quality work.

Comparing apples to oranges, that is the question, thanks for the post!

Hi Tom, its always worth the extra $350 to get a contractor who will do the job Right the first time.  Its good that your client recognized the long term savings of hiring a trusted contractor.

Hello Tom~ It has been my experience that you get what you pay for.  If you want quality, reliable work, sometimes you have to pay for it!

Hi Tom, it is the same for us Realtors.  We are independant contractors and the sellers that go with the low "bid" usually end up getting a discount job.

Dear Tom,

My preference is to do a job only once and then not look at it again for at least the expected life span of the repair.

Great post and congrats on the feature!  You bet, there can be so many variables.  Today, I'm working to use my own roofer, vs. the roofer that the seller wants to use.  I know I can trust my roofer to do the job right, even though his bid might be a bit higher.  Have a great weekend!

Thanks for the post Tom.

Same goes for home stagers. The cheapest stager in town will not deliver the same quality result or service as a professional who:

• Knows what they're doing.
• Values their own time so they don't give it away.
• Values their abilities and knows that the home seller and agent will make far more return on their services than they will and therefore are not embarassed to charge what they're worth.

The price question is usually what most people ask when calling for a home inspection. It really boggles my mind how the decision on inspection of such a big investment can be often made on price alone.