Whom to hire for what project

Everyday we talk to home owners and contractors about various things that go on within projects they have done on their house.  So, you could say we get both sides of the story.  Home owners are pretty good at choosing what contractor they need for each project.  For example, a home owner might have some leaky pipes that need to be fixed.  The obvious would be that they'd need a plumber, yes.  Now the next scenario would be that a home owner is getting new bathroom sink with granite counter-tops put in.  So, that would mean that a home owner would need a plumber, a carpenter, and a stone tiler, to do the job, right? Well, yes and no, the home owner could do all that work and running around, OR they could just hire a General Contractor to carry out the project.  The California State Licensing Board points out that a General Contractor, can carry out a project "requiring in its construction the use of at least two unrelated building trades or crafts; however, framing or carpentry projects may be performed without limitation."  Which means General Contractors can do basically do any wood work alone but do need to sub contract/hire other areas of expertise in which they are not licensed for.  There is one small stipulation to this.  The General Contractor can hold another license that is for the a specialty area, in other words they can have multiple licenses to show that they can do work in other specialty areas.  So, the moral of the story is to hire a General Contractor any time you are doing more than two types of work.  If you have any questions in regards to this post leave it below in the comments section.

 RMC TEAM

*note* this only pertains to California Contracting law.  May be applicable in other states too.

Update on the RMC Website

So, we've made it back from another successful home show.  We saw a lot of familiar faces and met a ton of new people who delighted to hear what we've been working on.  The best part about the Vacaville Home Show was the weather was excellent.  Sunny days all weekend long.  And, because of the weather the show had a massive turnout which resulted in another large RMC following.

As for our anticipated launch date for the new RMC website, we're still on for May 1st.  The local California based company Hathway Tech (www.wearehathway.com) has been doing a stellar job on making our vision come to life.  We know you've been waiting so, just a like kids at Christmas time, RMC is just around the corner.  Any questions: info@ratemycontrator.com

TEAM RMC

P.S. CLICK HERE to view pics of RMC's Home Show.  And be sure to "Like" to get the latest updates and be entered to win prizes

Negotiation Strategies for Home Owners

The topic of negotiation may make a lot of people cringe or feel uncomfortable.  It could almost be considered to be in the same category as confrontation, which a lot of people resent.  Negotiation is an art, and just like any other skill it can be perfected.  Contractors use negotiation everyday within there scope of daily work, which means they are pretty good at it too.  This should not be something to discourage you from trying to negotiate with contractors because you have the upper hand on the final outcome.  This is because you make the decision on who gets your cash/check for the project.

People are always willing to negotiate for something they want especially when it’s for something that is scarce.  What this means is contractors want the business of homeowners and are willing to negotiate to get the project.  This means only good things for you as a homeowner, a bit of a discount when booking the job with the contractor.  However, a small drawback to this idea would be that if a contractor is in high demand then negotiating price might be a little difficult but not impossible.

There are a few strategies one can use to help sway the outcome to benefit you, the homeowner.  First, when the contractor comes out to your house make it a point (only if he asks) that you’re going to receive other bids even if he’s the last person to come out.  This will at the very least physiologically put the contractor in the mind set of giving you a great price for the work you want completed.  Once the contractor has come up with a price you have the upper hand to asking for more value if need be. 

Here are 3 proven negotiation tactics that will get you more value out of your contractor:

                  1)      Create a win-win situation

Example: Bill the contractor gives you an estimate for a room addition.  He quotes you for $9000 dollars.  You say that the price is too high.  He says the price is set.  You come back and ask him to throw in a small fence for your yard for the $9000.  He acknowledges and agrees to the terms.    

2)      Create a win-win situation

Most of the time contractors give the homeowner a final total for all the labor and materials included.  Contractors don’t like to break the bid up into separate amounts, but if you politely ask for it to be broken down you can help justify your budget and maybe do some of the work yourself to save money.

3)      Create a win-win situation

Supplying materials can also get you money off the job.  Believe it or not contractors always say they get the best prices on things but they too mark it up to make a profit on there investment too.  If your able to get the price of materials from the contractor than you may want to consider on using your own materials if it cost lower for you.

Can you lend a hand?

Last week after returning from our last home show we learned alot about what you (our readers and followers) wanted to see in our website content.  Many people want something that is easy to use, free, and rich with content. These can all be accomplished but over time will need more detailed input to make it work.  After about of week of discussing on what exactly to do we choose to do a bit more research on what makes you tick.  We've put together a brief 10 question survey directed towards each of our readers.  Below you'll find the appropriate link to which you can click. 

Home Owners: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YVWSWTP

Home Improvement Contractors: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MPG789N