Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8462 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2016 goodADVICE HOME IMPROVEMENT? IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE by Patrick Schurr | Contributor PART ONE: AVOIDTHE DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES PITCH! Be cautious when a salesperson appears at your door uninvited. Two very common sales pitches often associated with home improvement scams are: • The salesperson “was in your neighborhood and noticed that you needed siding, storm windows or some other improvement.” • The salesperson “just did some work in your neighborhood” and has “extra building supplies that would be just enough to repave your driveway or reshingle your roof.” Both come-ons are red flags. Businesses that do a particular kind of home repair do not generally cruise neighborhoods to knock on doors, looking for houses that need them. This would not be a very efficient way to find business. And while most contractors will put up a sign in the yard where they are working to try and win some neighborhood business, they are not likely to go door-to-door selling leftover materials. They are more likely to use the leftovers on the next real job. Home improvement scams often flourish in the wake of disasters, especially violent storms like those we have experienced recently in Plano and North Texas. Some legitimate repair specialists may work door-to-door in these circumstances but so do con artists. PARTTWO: KNOWYOUR CONTRACTOR Take time to choose the person who will work on your home. It is a good idea to choose a contractor with an established physical address. It is common for people in construction to use cell phones, but you should be sure you can find anyone who has done work on your house, in case problems arise. The best policy is to get bids from more than one person for any work you are going to have done on your house. Get the bids in writing and look for details about exactly what will be done. Seek references. If you are hiring the kind of worker who must be licensed by the state (such as an electrician), contact the licensing agency to check the person's credentials and inquire about complaints. PARTTHREE: GET IT INWRITING Most home repair and remodeling work is performed pursuant to a written contract between the homeowner and the contractor. Legitimate businesses will usually insist on having a contract for their own protection, and a well-written contract should protect the homeowner, too. DO NOT sign a contract with blanks in it. It happens: the blanks get filled in later, and the new terms are not likely to be in your favor. DO NOT sign a contract until you have carefully read and understood every word of it. Sometimes it can be difficult to get “The best policy is to get bids from more than one person for any work you are going to have done on your house. Get the bids in writing and look for details about exactly what will be done. " - Patrick Schurr, Scheef & Stone, LLP Follow these guidelines to protect yourself from crooked contractors and/or shoddy repairs.