The Changing Landscape of Our Industry
Home repair and renovation projects are seemingly more daunting then ever when it comes to finding a good contractor, especially in the home owner’s insurance claim repair realm. With a swarm of service providers and contractors in the market, getting your home fixed is seemingly just a phone call away. But is it? Today we are discussing the changing landscape of home repair services.
From my perspective, gone are the days when “contractors were “standing by” to bid your project”. And although the market is saturated with dozens of unheard-of contractors that promise exceptional services - getting a return phone call can be difficult. One of the causes of this (and there are a few) from my perspective is lack of qualified labor. There are many opinions about the causes of that which I will set aside for future discussion. Let’s just say, that currently, it’s more difficult to get work done and get it done correctly and timely, in the home repair field. It’s even more challenging from my side of the conversation as a contractor that provides these services because I want to help you fix your home, it’s how I make my living and we struggle to find good employees.
My advice is patience and a different perspective. At Rescue Restoration we try to mitigate the un-livable circumstances to give you use of your home while you are waiting for our crew to show up to take care of the repairs. For example…you have a leak under your kitchen sink and the cabinet is gone, then let’s set up a temp sink and some temporary countertop to allow you to feed your family while your cabinets are on order. It’s a bit more work and requires some thinking outside the box but it’s a solution to an upsetting problem.
Another piece of advice is patience….ha ha…see what I did there? Talk to you insurance company to see what companies they might recommend, talk to family and friends for referrals, check out social media sites for ideas, verify licensing of contractors on the Washington State Labor and Industries website. And finally, call contractors and make appointments (it make take a few weeks!) for them to see what you need done, and get on their waiting list if necessary. It takes time, but the end result of hiring a quality contracting company in the long run does pay off.