Remodeler beware: After they hire you, this consumer type wants more than they agreed to pay for. Nine of their attributes: 1. They see remodeling as a commodity and don’t differentiate between contractors/proposals.
2. They don’t like to provide large deposits. They expect the contractor to finance all or most of the job until final payment.
3. They lie to you and think it’s just fine to do so. This often leaves them wary and concerned that you will lie to them as well, which makes them suspicious in all their interactions with you and your team.
4. They don’t like discussing change orders, won’t pay for change orders at acceptance, or will try to negotiate the change order price at final payment.
5. After your company starts the job, they ask your team for free services or items. If you give in, they will continue in their attempts. They are also likely to forget about the free stuff when you want to charge them for any extras or change orders.
6. They will dispute your payment schedule, make scheduled progress payments late, and delay your final payment as long as they can.
7. They often find some way to blackmail you into reducing the final price.
8. They are not loyal. They will only hire you again if you have the lowest bid.
9. They will refer others who also buy on price and will coach them on your company’s weaknesses.
—Shawn McCadden is a former remodeler and a co-founder of the Residential Design/Build Institute. He now consults with remodelers. [email protected]
