Thanks Stering. Most people I deal with are good guys. The reason I ask how long a job will take is to find out how much they are earning per hour. But also to get them thinking in those terms. This is especially important when your beginning because of the lack of expereince. But as you get more expereienced then it helps to evaluate their experience level. Nowadays I have crews that work for me full time but also have independents that do turnkey work. Normally I never check their work before I pay them and I only pay when I have been faxed an Invoice. Almost always the guys I use, I have used multiple times and when there are problems they take care of them. I have never doc’ed anyone but I have fired many contractors. A contractor that does good work, fixes problems, sends invoices is worth their weight in gold…
I am in process of interviewing rehabbers. What kind of questions and due deligence do I need to do in order to ensure qualified candidates?
I also believe in having them sign release of liability, performance quarantee (or you charge them for delay days after deadline etc.). Please share some tips.
It depends on what type of rehab, and what your knowledge level is. Give me some feedback and I will give you my 2cents worth. There are some universal rules I normally follow such as.
1 Don’t pay contractor in advance!!! If he needs material either buy it yourself or have it delivered.
2 When interviewing ask how he would do it, Don’t talk just listen. This is a mistake I used to make I would do all the talking and never really found out if they knew what they were talking about.
I ask them how long the job will take and how many people. They might say 3 people 3 days. Sometime later I ask them how much they want for the job. if they say 900 for the job then that equates to 100 p/day. This is a good rule of thumb.
I ask them how many times they have done a specific job. For example I wont hire a roofer that hasn’t done over a 100 roofs.
I ask them what tools they have. Guys that are used to getting the job done, usually own every tool under the sun.
If it’s a specific issue let me know
Remember a guy that specializes in one thing can usually do the job cheaper and more likely to do it corrctly than someone who does everything.
Great advice ray, But check their referances and do the carry insurance and what kind. Also if I get doc pay for being a day or two late you will not get me back for more work, Being 2 weeks or more is a different story.