You have a roof that leaks, a step that has cracked, or a bathroom that needs to come out to the studs. You need to hire someone, and the usual starting point, a page of star ratings, tells you less than you would like. A rating can be bought, can be sunk by one bad week, and cannot be checked from your kitchen table.
This is the short version of vetting: five things you can confirm in about five minutes before you pick up the phone, then a few things to listen for once you do. It rests on the same idea as the rankings on this site. Judge a business by what it puts in public and by whether you can actually reach it. PicksByTown does not collect customer reviews, and the checks below do not depend on them.
If you want the long version, with license lookup links by state and a sample payment schedule, read How to find a good contractor without getting burned. This page is the one to use when you have a leak and an afternoon.
Reviews are a starting point, not a verdict
Use reviews for one thing: patterns in what people complain about. Communication that stopped, a bill that grew, work that was never finished. Those are worth knowing. The star count itself is not, because you have no way to tell which reviews came from real customers of this particular company.
Once you have skimmed for patterns, close the tab. The useful information comes from a license database, an insurance agent, two past customers, and a ten-minute phone call.
The five-minute checklist
- Get the license or registration number and look it up yourself. Most states in our coverage area license plumbers, electricians and HVAC contractors at the state level, and most register or license home improvement contractors. A few leave certain trades to the city or county; Pennsylvania and New York, for example, have no statewide plumbing license. Ask for the number, then check it on the state's own lookup site instead of accepting a photo of a card. Our licensed contractor vs. handyman guide explains what each credential lets someone do.
- Ask for proof of insurance, sent by the insurer. General liability at minimum, and workers' compensation if they have employees. A certificate that arrives from the agent's office with your name on it as certificate holder is worth far more than a photocopy handed over from the truck. A contractor who says "I'll send it later" and never does has answered the question.
- Confirm the business is reachable. Call the number on the website. Does it ring to a person, or to a voicemail that gets returned the same day? Does the address exist? Is the website current, with the services you need listed on it? This is the same test our ranking pages apply, and it predicts a lot about what the job will feel like.
- Ask for two recent customers and call them. Recent means the last few months, not the best job they ever did. Ask three questions: Did the work start when promised? Did the final bill match the estimate? Would you hire them again for something bigger? Listen for hesitation.
- Get the estimate in writing, with the scope broken out. Labor, materials, timeline, and who handles demolition and disposal. A number in a text message is not an estimate. If the contractor will not put it on paper, you already know how change orders will go.
The phone call that matters
You will learn more in ten minutes on the phone than in an hour of scrolling. Here is what to listen for.
When you describe the project, does the contractor ask questions or start quoting? Questions mean they are thinking about your house. An instant number means they are quoting a template.
Ask what the trickiest part of your job is likely to be. A competent contractor will name something specific, such as access, matching existing materials, or what might be behind the wall. Someone who says "nothing, easy job" has not thought about it.
Ask how they handle problems when they come up, because on any job of size they will. You want to hear that they stop, call you, explain the options and the cost, and put the change in writing. You do not want to hear that they will "take care of it."
Pay attention to how they talk about past jobs. People who are good at this work can describe something they would do differently. People who blame every problem on the homeowner or the last trade are telling you how your job will end.
Signs that should end the conversation
- They will not give a license number, or they say the job does not need one when your state's lookup says it does.
- They push you to sign today, or seem offended that you are asking questions at all.
- They ask for full payment up front. Several states cap deposits; Maryland limits a home improvement deposit to one third of the price, and Pennsylvania does the same on jobs over $5,000.
- They offer a cash discount in exchange for skipping the contract.
- Their estimate is far below the others with no explanation of what was left out.
- You could not get them on the phone before you hired them. It will not get easier after.
Compare the same job, not the same price
Once two or three contractors have passed the checklist, put the written estimates side by side and check that they describe the same job. Same materials, same scope, same handling of disposal and permits. A contractor who came in lower but left out haul-away is quoting a different project, and the difference will show up on the final bill.
Ask each one what the warranty covers and for how long, and get that in writing too. Vague warranty answers on the phone become no warranty at all six months later.
Put it in an email before you sign
Send a short email that summarizes what you understood: the scope, the start date, the expected finish, the total, the payment schedule, and how changes will be handled. Ask them to reply confirming it. Several states in our coverage area already require a written contract for home improvement work above a small dollar amount, often with a short cancellation window after you receive your copy; check your state's rule, and use it.
Five minutes of checking, one honest phone call, and one email cover most of what goes wrong between homeowners and contractors. When you are ready to start calling, our general contractors and plumbers directories list businesses whose websites and contact details have already been checked, town by town.