Posts Tagged ‘Improvement’
Finding the right home improvement company to update or renovate your home doesn’t have to be a stressful and disheartening process. Yet most homeowners have no idea where to start because they are bombarded with bad press about contractors who are dishonest, inexperienced and downright unreliable. Homeowners today are wary of who they can trust.
Home Improvement Complaints and Scams:
“With lower-rate mortgages tempting homeowners to trade up to a bigger house, or to refinance and expand or repair their existing home, we’re finding that construction and home improvement activity is way up, and with it is the number of complaints in those areas,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Edwin R. Rodriguez. (Consumer Affairs, January 2006)
“Home improvement complaints rank as the top consumer complaint in Connecticut and elsewhere across the country,” Rodriguez said. “While home improvements themselves can be expensive, any problems that arise often cost consumers thousands more to fix. Unfortunately, there have been many cases where a homeowner is left with a huge problem and has no financial means of getting it repaired.” (Consumer Affairs, June 2006)
Basic scams usually do not occur with accredited companies, so make sure the company you use is licensed. “The law requires home improvement contractors to register and follow certain procedures for a reason, to protect homeowners,” Rodriguez said. “This includes complying with state laws that assure consumers a level of financial protection.” (Consumer Affairs, June 2006)
Be Wary of Certain Sales Tactic:
According to the National Consumer Law Center at consumerlaw.org, unscrupulous contractors mostly target senior citizens. Do not fall into the trap of the following sales tactics that take advantage of homeowners:
• “Bait and Switch” – offers low prices for installed items like windows and home siding, and then tells the homeowner the item is out of stock and can only be replaced with a high-priced substitute.
• Misrepresent the urgency of a needed repair.
• Claim the item is more expensive than advertised because it has to be “custom made” to fit the home.
• Misrepresent that the consumer is receiving a discount because the home is selected to model the repair when, in reality, the consumer is paying market price or more.
• Misrepresent the energy savings, health benefits and value added to the home.
• Misrepresent the terms on which financing is likely to be arranged.
Practices to Follow for Finding the Right Contractor:
If you hire a contractor with a license and a good reputation (such as the Home Remodelers Group®), you are guaranteed to avoid unfinished work, financial wrongdoing and fraud.
The National Consumer Law Center has a list of suggestions for homeowners looking for a home improvement company:
• Do not hire an unknown contractor that solicits business by knocking on your door. Deal with companies recommended by friends or reputable building supply stores.
• Before agreeing to hire any home improvement contractor, get a second estimate for the same work from another contractor.
• Get references for the contractor and speak to those references. Ask about satisfaction and any problems that arose.
• Look at other work performed by the same contractor.
• Many states require contractors to be licensed and/or bonded. Check with the state licensing body to see if the contractor you are considering is licensed.
• Get a written contract describing explicit specifications of the work, the price (including details of any financing or credit terms), the responsibility for cleaning up, and the hourly rate for any added work. Ask for guarantees and other promises to be made in writing.
• If the written documents are different from oral promises, do not sign them.
• A 3-day right-to-cancel applies to door-to-door sales and home improvement loans even after the papers have been signed.
• Do not allow a contractor to begin work until financial arrangements to pay for the work are complete.
• Do not agree to pay the final payment until the project is finished.
• Do not consolidate other debts with a home improvement loan.
• If problems with a contractor or home improvement lender arise, get help from a lawyer or housing counselor immediately.
Take Care of Your Home:
The Home Remodelers Group® has been in business since 1964 and there is a simple reason for our longevity. We take great pride in helping our customers beautify their homes, we enjoy our work and we want our customers to be happy with their homes. The Home Remodelers Goup® is licensed and insured so you can feel secure when working with us. Before you sign any contract, we provide a written estimate and detailed information on the scope of the project. You’ll know exactly what you are getting before we do anything. We do this to provide our customers with peace of mind. We have survived in this business because we focus on customer satisfaction, attention to customer service and offer quality products at a fair price.
Think of your home like a child that needs a doctor. You would take your child to a licensed and professional doctor, not someone that comes to your door. So make sure your home receives the care it deserves by hiring experienced and well-accredited home improvement professionals.
For more information visit http://www.homeremodelersgroup.com/?source=articles
DIY home improvement projects, both large and small, are happening in everybodyâs neighborhood each and every weekend. So rather than put off your own home improvement for another six months why donât you just dust off the hammer and saw, get your creative juices flowing and get into your project today.
If you are a novice at home improvement DIY style then you can become initiated in the âdo it yourselfâ way by initially tackling a small project, one that does not involve a great deal of skill based knowledge. Say, for example, you have just relocated and you are not too impressed with the previous occupantâs color scheme throughout the house – you can start your home improvement career by heading down to your local paint shop, load yourself up with brushes, paint, turpentine and a few ground cover sheets â turn up the music and go crazy on the walls. A painting project is one that does not involve buying or hiring expensive equipment but the end result can be quite spectacular, particularly if you have combined colors well.
If you intend to paint the interior of your home first then it is a good idea to have a family discussion to hear everyoneâs suggestion regarding the proposed color scheme. The childrenâs views are important particularly if you are going to paint their rooms because if you just went ahead and used the colors you like without consulting them it could cause major grief. Just imagine how impressed your sports jock 16-year-old son would react if he came home from practice to find that you had painted his sanctum a mixture of purples and pinks. Remember everyone has an opinion about colors and the object is to reach a consensus together.
The saying goes that âa change is as good as a holidayâ and having a freshly painted home certainly makes the rooms feel fresh and revitalized. At the completion of the project you will end up with a great sense of satisfaction and probably a dash of motivation to start you on the road to your next DIY home improvement project.
Easy Ideas For Outside The Home
Other relatively inexpensive home improvement DIY projects can de done to the external areas of the home. You may think that it is time to upgrade your backyard area but donât actually know what to do. So the best move in this situation is to borrow a few books from your local library or look online at how some of the more elegant and expensive properties have structured their backyards. For instance, you could really add some interesting features like building a fountain or installing some benches around the perimeter of the garden. You may even decide to take on a bigger home improvement DIY project and build your own gazebo in your backyard. If the garden is in need of a general spruce-up then maybe something as simple as clearing away bushes and trees can make a marked difference to the appearance of your backyard.
Give a little thought on what you can do to improve the appearance and features of your home and grounds and then visit your local handyman store or go on line for some advice and guidance to ensure your home improvement DIY project is a roaring success.
Usually, money availed upon loan is invested as per purposes. Changing trend has changed the taste of people. People change their tastes every other hour. Some are even keen to make improvement in their home in some year. And home improvement takes a good amount of money in addition that is everyone finds hard to arrange. For Unsecured Home Improvement Loans are made available for all class of the borrowing people. These loans are obtained without any sort of pledging placing.
The amount you will be allowed to borrow will really depend on the lender select and your repayment capability. You will also be assessed on criteria such as your income, your spending and your credit rating in certain cases. Some of the lenders even limit amounts depending on what to use your home improvement loan for.
Before you start for unsecured home improvement loans, make sure your credit score is as good as it can possibly be. Next, when getting home improvement loans, try to search for the one with a low fixed rate. Variable rates tend to change quite often and thus cost people more money in the end.
Also, when searching for home improvement loans, look into the one that will get you the cash when you need it. Some lenders take an awfully long time to provide you the money you are asking for.
Home improvement reflects the style and standard of living and hence it is one of the most common parts. If you are planning to remodel or redesigning your home then you better seek advice of an expert. There are innumerable sites of different experts available on different websites. There are many factors to consider when you search for a lender to get the home improvement loans from.
Lastly, when looking for unsecured home improvement loans, search for the ones with the best deals. Some lenders offer no appraisal fees and no lender fees. This will in turn save you a bit of money.