How to Save Money When Hiring a Contractor for Your East Santa Cruz Home

Maybe you've just bought an East Santa Cruz home, or maybe you've lived there for years. Chances are, at some point, you're going to want to hire a contractor to work on something, and when you do, these tips should help you get more bang for your buck:

• Shop around. Get quotes from a variety of contractors, and look for the best value offer.
• Have the contractors who quote you split their material and labor costs - that way, if necessary, you can find your own materials at discount stores or from clearance sales, and save on the material cost.
• Make the job as easy as possible for your contractor. If you can, let them use your water or power, and let them know at the start of the quote process that you aim to do that - if you don't, they'll just add the cost of providing their own, and a markup, to your quote.
• Consider doing some of the prep work for them - for instance, if you're retiling, remove the old tiles yourself, or if you're fitting new kitchen units, do the demolition and removal of the old units yourself.
• Never pay upfront, always get a detailed breakdown of quotes, and pay based on work completed. It may be rare, but it's not unheard of for contractors to disappear with deposits or even full payments if the going gets tough!
• Don't assume that the cheapest quote is going to cost you the least - shoddy workmanship that needs to be repaired or replaced later can land up costing you more than a decent job by a reputable company. Ask for references, and check up on them, to make sure you're getting a good deal, both in terms of money, and on quality.
• Make sure that whether you buy them yourself, or your contractor does, good quality materials are used. Even the greatest contractor or artisan can't be expected to deliver top notch results when working with substandard materials.
• Never skimp on the cost of hiring a licensed, qualified plumbers or electricians. Some general building is suitable for DIY, or even cutting corners as far as cost goes, but if something goes wrong with plumbing or electrical work, it could mean disaster.
• Last but certainly not least, keep track of the work. Horror stories abound of home owners leaving a contractor unsupervised, only to return home to utter disaster.

East Santa Cruz homes, like any other, need a little sprucing up once in a while, and if you follow these tips, you should save some money hiring a contractor, but still get high quality work. Remember, you're going to have to live with it for a couple of years to come - or pay to have it fixed.

Learn more about the author, Gregg Rio, and other subjects at propertyinsantacruz.com and cacoastalhome.com.

Make sure you get hiring a contractor, and managing the work right first time, and you'll save a bundle in the long term.

Gregg Rio is a Santa Cruz Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) who specializes in East Santa Cruz homes. He has been active in Santa Cruz real estate and seniors issues for 20 years.