3. Finding The Right Contractor -Part II

Finding The Right Contractor -Part II

In this post, Finding The Right Contractor -Part II we will continue where we left off in the previous post. So I have developed the most amazing way how to find a keeper of a contractor to flip houses.

So I have interviewed about 6 contractors on site. I will pick 3 most memorable ones and use them as a case study on how to get for a good fair and honest contractor.

Contractor 1: Mr “I-think-I-am-smarter-than-you”. (ITIASTY)

So I meet ITIASTY on site! He asks what I want to be done and what my budget is. (RED FLAG 1) Whenever they ask what your budget is, be careful. It doesn’t mean they are a con artist but keep your guard up.

I tell him my budget was 70K No more! After I show him the house and tell him what I want to be done he goes “uhghmmmmmhmmm i donnknooooooow… it will be really tight”.

Then here is the secret weapon I use! I get into small chit chat with him and we start talking about the house. I “happen” to mention I would be making about 120K in profit on this flip.

Within 1 minute he goes “OK here is what I can do… the house will be about 100K to do”.  It is just a lot of work.

So from cutting it close to 70K to 100K after I told him what my profits are.

Does he think I am stupid?! I am NASA for poop’s sake!!

So the verdict! Whenever they ask you what your budget is… what does that matter? I ask you to do a certain thing use specific materials. How much it costs is set. Your labor and cost of materials. It has nothing to do with how much I can spend.

Thank you.. yeah.. tempting.. but no! Get lost!!

Contractor 2: Mr “WTF?!”.

This guy!! He was a number. The best name I can think of for this one is “What Dee Actual FOK!?”

So I walk this bozo around. Same procedure as before. So I tell him what I want to be done… like clockwork … the same thing. “hmm no sure man, will get really tight but we will see”. He asks for my budget. I say 70K no more. I tell him later after some chatting and talking prices.. ok ok what if I buy materials. He goes “OHHH you will buy materials!! OK let me see what I can do”.

Next day I get this quote from him.

Wait.. recap before I show you the quote.

He thinks my budget is 70K for labor alone and I will provide materials. It was a misunderstanding. I simply meant ok 70K is close for everything, but how much would it be if I get the materials ( me expecting him to say something like 40K as it is a quote for labor alone. If 70K is cutting it close for materials and labor what is labor alone then?) Get it? But he thinks “ohh so I have 70K to fill up on labour alone)

ok ready?

At first, I thought, wow, good quote!! Then I looked closely. Yup, he fell for my honesty “check” trap!

This ..^@*@ MotherBitcher just filled my 70K limit with bull crap just to play me for as much as he could!! Look at the itemized breakdown of the quote.

DUDE!!!

Kitchen Cabinet installation 3.4K?! Dude, you push the friggin cabinets against the wall, make sure they are level and bam!

Demo 8K? roof 10K?! It is not THAT big of a roof!

Yeah GET your ass out of my face.. wait.. that didn’t sound right…

Yeah, you failed miserably dude. Go scam some other foreigner. You shit!

And Let There Be Dave!

Dave did everything right. He didn’t ask me for my budget, he included a TON of extra work like completely do heavy landscaping and a whole lot of other extras it is not the point of mentioning.

Just look at this quote.

Yeah dave. Welcome to the family. You will from now on be WeBuyHousesInConnecticut’s official contractor! You rock!

So What Does All This Mean?

Here is how I see it. You can either force a dishonest crook into a corner with contracts and constant supervision to make sure he will have no opportunity to scam you.. sure…

OR…

you can simply find an honest contractor that is against his person to scam you!

My method does just that. It filters all these crooks and lets the good ones through. Is this method foolproof? Of course not. But it is a damn good method I tell you!

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