Painting Contractors - How Do You Choose The Best Contractors?

Real Estate Agents and Investors need to hire all types of home improvement contractors. What is the best way to select you contractors?. The following article shares some of the best tips.

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 Painting Contractors  - How Do You Choose The Best Contractors?

Many people choose to hire a painting contractor instead of doing the work themselves.  Painting your own home is not something everyone can do.  Most people simply do not have the ability or time to do the job right.  This leads to choosing a painting contractor.  It is important to choose a good painting contractor so that you can ensure the job will be done professionally.

Key Points of a Good Painting Contractor

Painting contractors are not all the same.  You have to understand that painting a house is a complex job that not every painter can undertake.  You want your home to look good when the job is finished and that means you need to learn the key things to look for in painting contractors.

Key points to consider:

• attention to detail
• ability to handle different types of jobs
• sticks to schedule
• friendly and easy to work with

A good painting contractor will show great attention to detail.  When painting a house details are important.  You want someone who will cut in areas cleanly, handle trim with delicacy, and respect the surrounding areas enough to keep them clean and avoid getting painting all over.

Someone who has experience with different types of painting jobs will have well rounded skills, which translate into the type of skills you need in a painting contractor.  Experience is the key to a good paint job.

Painting is time consuming, but that does not mean it should drag on and on.  You want a painter who can stick to a schedule and stay on task. 

Since the paint job will take a while to complete you will be around the contractor a lot.  It is important that you feel you can develop a good working relationship with your contractor so that there is no stress or tension between you.

Now that you know what to look for in painting contractor, it is now time to learn how to find the right contractor for your job.

Start your Search with Reliable Resources

There are many ways you can get names of painting contractors, but the best places are sources you can trust.  You want to find a good contractor and a trusted source will help you do that easily and fast.

• Better Business Bureau: The BBB keeps records about each company, which include consumer complaints.  You can easily spot a contractor who may not be right from the information you get from the BBB.
• Referrals: You can ask friends and family if they know of a good painting contractor. 
• Be proactive: If you spot a recently painted house and like the work then simply stop and inquire about who did the work.  You can find some great contractors through this method because you know firsthand about the quality of their work.
• Local paint store: Many painting contractors will buy supplies from the local paint store. 
• Online: You can search the term ‘painting contractor' and find a nice selection of contractors.  You may even find reviews of different contractors written by customers, which can be really helpful in determining if the contractor is right for you.

Once you have some contractors in mind it is time to meet with them and start getting bids.

Meet with the Painting Contractors

You should aim to get 3 bids.  This will give you options without overwhelming you.  During the meeting, you should cover some important topics:

• Ask for documentation for training certificates, degrees, licenses, and insurance coverage.  You should try to get copies so you can check them out later.
• Get a portfolio of their work.  Look over the portfolio with the contractor.  Do not be afraid to ask questions.  Look at everything about the jobs they have done.  Check for houses similar to yours and be sure to check out the workspace for cleanliness.
• Get references.  Do not be afraid to ask for references.  A good contractor will not hesitate to provide you with references who can attest to their work performance.

If you have been pleased with the contractor, you can go through the project.  Make sure you have all the details to provide them.  You should explain the job, the size of the house, any special details and talk about the colors you would like. 

Get a written bid and warranty, if offered.  Thank the contractor for their time and let them know when to expect to hear from you. 

After meeting with all your chosen contractors, you can review the bids and make your decision.  Compare the offers and go over all the information.  Choose the contractor that suits your needs the best.

Once you make your choice you will meet with the contractor again to finalize the contract and get started on the project.  If you followed all the advice then you should end up with a great contractor who does a superb job.