10 Things to Know Before You Buy
1. Is your contractor licensed and insured?
This is your first level protection as a homeowner and an indication that your contractor
is a professional.
2. Can they provide references?
If a contractor’s work product is high quality, they will gladly provide you with
examples of their work and happy customer testimonials.
3. Do they carry multiple product lines and offerings?
Some product lines perform better than others in given situations and no one product
can meet every customer requirement. A lack of product options may mean that a customer
has to compromise some of their needs unnecessarily.
4. Do they offer multiple “Buy Now!” incentives or other discounts?
Consumers are often faced with this unfortunate reality in today’s home improvement
marketplace. Contractors will artificially inflate their prices to allow enough
profit to offer deadline incentives to secure a contract. It begs the question:
If you had signed the contract as it was originally quoted, how much were you overcharged?
5. Are the products you are considering for purchase covered by a lifetime warranty?
Quality products come standard with comprehensive warranties. Consumers should request
written copies of warranty documentation.
6. Does the contractor require that both the Husband and Wife are present for the
estimate?
One adult is all that should be required to deliver an estimate and answer product
questions. Requiring that both adults are present for an estimate is a common requirement
of the high-pressure sales approach.
7. What type of payment types do they accept and is there a financing option?
Be very wary of cash only requirements for payment. Your level of buyer security
is greatly diminished with cash transactions. Professional contractors should offer
their clientele multiple payment options: Cash, Check, Credit Card, or Financing.
Financing is a nice option when combined with some of the “Same as Cash” terms available
today.
8. Are their products certified by a 3rd party organization?
NFRC and AAMA are the two main 3rd party certification organizations that validate
window performance claims. Without their stamp of approval, the validity of certain
performance claims can be questionable.
9. Are there any specific HOA (Home Owners Associations) guidelines and bylaws that
mandate what type of materials can be used and what architectural style they must
comply with?
This question is actually aimed at the homeowner/customer, but will help you immeasurably
when it comes time to make decisions about your improvements and the timeliness
in which they can be undertaken.
10. Have you educated yourself?
The homeowner/customer will always be their own best advocate and educating oneself
is the only surefire way to sort through what information is accurate and what is
not. There are a several good sources of unbiased information available today that
can assist homeowners in making good decisions.