Everyone is interested in getting a good deal, but sometimes a good deal is really a bad one. Such is the case with a cheap painting contractor. You may want to accept the lowest bid on your house painting job but in truth, you should run from this contractor quickly. Consider the following before accepting the lowest painting contractor bid for your next job.

What Does the Bid Really Cover?

As you are looking at bids, you should see that most bids come in relatively close to one another. When there is one that is drastically different from the rest, you should become suspicious of what you are really getting for the money. The cost of the materials, tools and labor are not going to vary that much from one contractor to the next. If a contractor is submitting a bid that is drastically low, the first thought that should enter your mind is Where are they cutting costs? Remember the old saying,You get what you pay for.

Insurance

A contractor should carry insurance, enough insurance to cover the property that is he is working as well as the workers that are working with him. This insurance is not cheap, the premiums are high because contractor work is considered high risk. For contractors to bid extremely low, to underbid their competitors, they will opt to not carry insurance. If the contractor is not carrying insurance that can leave you holding the bag should something go wrong, such as a worker getting hurt or if the job is not done correctly.

Helpers

Who will be working on your house? Cheap contractors often use cheap labor, which includes illegal aliens and day laborers. These people are not professional house painting contractors and their work will show it, this goes back to the previous point of you get what you pay for. Moreover, illegal immigrants and day laborers likely will not be covered by worker’s comp again going back to a previous point that you could end up paying through the nose for this cheap bid.

Warranty

As with most things you pay for, you want to make sure that there is a warranty of some sort in place. If the contractor is bidding low you should ask what type of warranty they offer for their work. Keep in mind that bids that are drastically low are probably just barely covering the cost to the contractor to do the job the first time. This means if they have to come back and fix anything, they are going to in a rush to get it done.

You need to know what type of warranty do they offer and exactly what does that warranty cover? The industry standard is 5 years, if they are offering you the 5 year warranty take the time to read exactly what their warranty covers. Never assume that just because you are getting the standard 5 years it will cover everything that most 5 year warranties cover.

How Long Have They Been In Business?

Not that a contractor that has only been in business for a year is not as good as the contractor that has been doing this for 10 years… but you want to verify the length of time they have been in business. Sometimes it can be a sign of a contractor that moves around a lot in an attempt to avoid honoring warranties. The recommendation is to only work with contractors that have been in the area for about 10 years. Ten years gives contractors enough time to establish a reputation and offer you a list of clients that were satisfied to contact. A good contractor should be able to offer you about 25 people to contact. That is if they work full time.

The Real Cost

Yes, the bid may appear to be low, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that is all the job is going to cost you. Some contractors expect you to pay an upfront deposit, keep in mind that this is not a standard practice and if they are asking for one you should be wary. Most often the deposit is asked for to help the contractor buy the materials that are needed to do the job. The contractor should have the money to buy the materials they need to do the job. There is also the risk that the contractor may take the deposit and disappear.

Conclusion

House painting contractors can save you a lot of time and money while making your home look fabulous. However, when a contractor is offering to do the job for subpar wages you should be a bit concerned. This is an important decision and a poor house painting job is something you might have to live with for a very long time.

Learn more about Roswell Painting Contractors. Stop by Nicky Taylor’s site where you can find out all about Roswell House Painters and what it can do for you.