6 LEGITIMATE Tips to Help You Hire a Roofing Contractor

Written by Posted On Friday, 11 January 2019 15:00

There’s no telling when a listing or your own home is going to need some roofing repairs, and it’s a pretty well-known fact throughout the real estate market that sellers will try to avoid roofing repairs prior to closing.

But when you need a roofer it can also be a lot more complicated than just Googling your nearest contractors in your area, and that’s manly because no two roofing contractors are ever alike.

We’ve been really fortunate enough to have partnered up with one of the best roofing companies in the entire Memphis, Tennessee area to help collaborate with us on this list of 6 tips in terms of getting homeowners to their best roofing option.

Always make sure they have insurance

It’s always one of the first questions you should be asking your potential hires, and this includes confirming they have workers’ compensation as well as liability insurance. There’s no shame in asking to see these certificates for authenticity, and then actually confirming that authenticity with their insurance carrier.

When you do this step first with any and all of your roofing options then you can ensure that everyone you’re thinking of working with is on the same playing field, which will help you more readily justify their prices and much more.

Go Local!

It’s always best to hire a company that is from your local area, and of course this also includes companies that have a good reputation in your local area. There are a lot of ways to really distinguish companies that are more established than others, and in the roofing industry making this distinction is a crucial part of the hiring process.

The reasons for this is because when your hire a roofing company you’re always going to get a pretty significant time on your warranty, anywhere up to 20 years or even more depending on the type of roof you install. You’re going to want to ensure that you hire a company that isn’t going to run out of business within the time of your warranty, and the best bet in these cases are the roofing companies that have stood the test of time.

Consider more than price

Price isn’t everything, we all know this, but when it comes to some expensive home renovations it can sometimes feel like a good idea to go with the company that is a little bit cheaper. It’s no secret that the roofing industry has some competition with people who do work on the side or even just work out of pick-up trucks and hang outside of Home Depot waiting for someone to say, You’re Hired!

Even certified roofing companies will sometimes drive down the entire marketplace because they are operating without all of the licensures and proper insurance that they really need to be legitimate hiring option.

When it comes down to it you’re going to ultimately get the product or service that you pay for, and many times when homeowners do go for their cheapest options they end up paying more in the long run because of future repairs to fix the original work.

Stay away from storm chasers

The entire door-knocking technique is common in certain parts of the United States, especially areas that suffer from serious hail storms, tornadoes or any other natural disaster that causes serious roof damage across a broad area. If a storm that does create a lot of roof damage occurs in your area then you are more than likely going to get an employee of one of these roofing companies telling, “We were in your neighborhood…”

You’re always going to be much better off hiring a roofing company through a referral or with some testimonial from a client of theirs that is totally satisfied by the work the contractor did for them in the past.

If you are interested in hiring a company that knocks on your door then all the power to you, but make sure you call up your real estate agent or your insurance company and see if they would recommend them too.

Also don’t be pressured into signing any kind of letter of intent because your home has storm damage, because this ultimately is a forceful sales tactic. You always can talk to other contractors and take your time reviewing them before you sign your letter of intent.

Get your quotes/details in writing

As the homeowner you are always going to be the one that’s in control of the job that’s being done on your property, which is why it is usually recommended to pay your roofing company after you are completely satisfied with the job that’s been done. It’s also best to set up your payment plans with the contractor before any of the work is even started. That way both parties are on the same page throughout the entire process of the repair.

Which comes to another big point within this tip: the duration of the job. It’s always smart to get an estimate on how long the job will take when you are in the hiring process, but of course this will include some intricate information about the contractor. Some of this information includes how large their crew is and typically how much they can complete day-by-day.

Always maintain communication 

Just like with any kind of business partnership, you’re going to want to make sure your roofing contractor has good communication skills. This means you’ll want to take into consideration if they return your calls, if they send in the documentation your request promptly, and if they generally follow through with what they say they’re going to do.

Communication is always something that is paramount to every business operation, so it’s a red flag if they don’t communicate well, and vice versa it’s a good omen if they are very reliable with communicating with you!

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