With the recent Nashville tornado strike and the threat of tornados constantly looming in the Midwest and beyond, your home, memories, and loved ones could be at risk from these terrible storm systems. You may think that once the tornado has passed and the damage has been done that nothing worse could happen to you, but you would be wrong. Even in these tough times where people have lost their homes and businesses, there are still predators looking to take advantage of the times and make a quick buck off of people affected by these horrible tragedies. If your home or business has suffered any damage from a tornado or natural disaster in the Nashville area, contact the expert team here at Hantel Kitchens & Baths today. If you are looking to hire a contractor or repair company, make sure that you do these four simple steps to help protect yourself.
Do Some Basic Research on the Company
The first thing that you need to do is to establish if the company in question has a permanent business address and what their reputation is. You can quickly do this with a Google search and a quick dive into their website. If you can easily find their location on both their website and via Google, the company is at the very least a legitimate business. While you are on Google, do a quick search of their reviews to see what other people have been saying. It is to be expected that you will find one or two lackluster reviews for even the best company, but if you notice that a business has two stars or less constantly, you should probably continue the search.
Always Ask for References
If you know anyone in your area that you trust or have seen the work done on their home or business, ask them for a recommendation. People that care about you will always be a great source of information and are oftentimes the most reliable sources of information we can find. Your friends and family won’t steer you wrong, and if they experienced any issues in their rebuilding or renovations, they will tell you about them. If you don’t know anyone who can give you a recommendation, we recommend that you review google reviews thoroughly.
NEVER Pay Cash Upfront
Many of these con artists will promise you an extremely low price, with the caveat that they will need to be paid in cash upfront in order to buy materials and pay for labor. If a contractor you are thinking about using has asked you for cash upfront do yourself a favor and find a new contractor. The amount of cases we have seen where people have paid upfront only to have their contractor run off without doing any work or do a subpar job has been alarming. Remember that many contractors are motivated by money, and you can keep your project on track and retain much of your leverage in negotiations by having payment due upon the completion of the job.
Insist on a Complete and Clearly Written Contract
Once you have chosen a contractor or a repair company, make sure that you ensure that have a contract and that you read the contract thoroughly. You need to know the expectations listed, the price quoted, and the timeline of the project in order to make sure that your home or business is taken care of on the agreed-upon terms.
No one can stop the devastation of a tornado — but a fly-by-night contractor is one disaster that you can prevent. If you are looking for the best and most reliable contractors and builders in Tennessee, look no further than Hantel Kitchens & Baths. Our expert design, build, and installation teams will make sure that you get the home or business update that you always dreamed of for the price and timeline that works for you. Contact our team to start rebuilding today.