If you are thinking that it may be better to remodel rather than sell your Salt Lake City home in this current market, like most of us you will probably look for someone to do the work.   Glossy fliers and online ads promote contractors and handymen who can take on your job. There are lots of good contractors and handymen out there, but hiring a bad one can turn your life into an absolute nightmare.  Doing your homework first can save you time, money and plenty of headaches.

There are hundreds of stories of home improvement projects by contractors that have gone terribly bad.  You know, the one about the contractor that got paid up front and left town without doing the job. Would you want to hire a plumber with a rap sheet for assault, forgery or drugs? What about an electrician caught stealing over and over, or a carpenter who's a sex offender?

The Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing investigates cases like these daily.  The division issues more than a dozen citations a week, 700 a year, to licensed contractors who mess up and to people without a license who just pretend they are qualified.  According to the DOPL director Davis Stanley,   "There has always been, and there always will be, that group of people out there who are preying on the homeowners".

You would think that the licensing division would weed out all the bad seeds for you, but what you might not know is there is no state law requiring contractors to go through background checks.  If DOPL finds out about a contractor's criminal record, it can put restrictions on a license or revoke it.

So how can you make sure that the job you hire a contractor to do will be done and done right?  As in everything in life there is no sure thing but there are a number of steps that can help protect you from unscrupulous contractors.

1.       Check out the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing to insure that they are licensed.

2.       Check out the Buyers Beware list at the Utah Division of Consumer Protection site

3.       Get customer references from recent jobs, call them to find out if they're happy, and maybe see the work for yourself.

4.       Get three bids. Don't automatically pick the lowest price.

5.       Never pay for the full job up front!  Agree to pay for the work as it is done.

6.       Get an accurate description of the agreed work to be done and how much it will cost.

7.       Both parties need to sign a written contract describing the details of the work to be done.

Know that there are MANY reputable and professional contractors in the Salt Lake City area that do an incredible job for their clients.  There is a substantial cost in doing legitimate business and common sense indicates you get what you pay for.  What is the saying out there? . . . the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten . . .

For more helpful tips and information on real estate in Utah, go to the Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Resource Center.  Search for your dream home in Salt Lake City Utah, go to www.BuySaltLakeHomes.com