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    Simplified Guide For Hiring Contractors
    Simplified Guide For Hiring Contractors
    Simplified Guide For Hiring Contractors
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    Simplified Guide For Hiring Contractors

    By Greg Vanden Berge

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Contractor secrets like these are usually taken to the grave and wouldn't ever be revealed. These secrets can provide property owners with valuable negotiating tools that contractor's desperately don't want you to have.

    You can't negotiate effectively, if you don't understand your opponent.

    In this book you'll learn how to negotiate effectively with contractors, compare estimates and find contractors. This book provides you with plenty of tips on how to sort through the professionals to find the real winners.

    Contractor's Personalities

    In recent years, human behavior and psychology have played an important role in construction job sales. Contractors like myself are starting to study and learn more about different personalities.

    Some of this information is priceless and if you're looking for a good contractor, you need to understand how to communicate and interact with them effectively. Hiring the wrong contractor isn't just going to cost you a lot of money or waste your time, it's going to create other problems that you might not be aware of.

    There's a section in this book that talks about conflicting personalities and how you can avoid dealing with them. If you're an arrogant person, there's a good chance that you're not going to get along with another arrogant person.

    If you're someone who can't make decisions and you're not interested in someone forcing you to make them, you'll need to avoid hiring an aggressive contractor. Aggressive contractors can force their clients into accepting unnecessary change orders and creating a hostile working environment.

    In the book you'll find personalities that don't work well with other personalities and this by itself, could be worth 10 times the actual amount you're actually paying for this book.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGreg Vanden Berge
    Release dateApr 28, 2011
    ISBN9781458088093
    Simplified Guide For Hiring Contractors
    Author

    Greg Vanden Berge

    Born, raised and still living in Southern California, United States of America. I don't know if I would consider myself to be another typical high school dropout, but in the 11th grade I took and passed a high school equivalency test that allowed me to leave school one year early. From then on it was the school of hard knocks and when I finally figured out this wasn't going to work, became a student of life. I have over 35 years of experience building, remodeling and repairing apartments, condominiums, residential homes and commercial as well as industrial properties. My interests are history, psychology, business, construction, gardening and thoroughly enjoy sharing the things I've learned with anyone willing to listen. There is nothing better than spending time with friends and family having a wonderful meal, a few beers and intelligent conversation.

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      Book preview

      Simplified Guide For Hiring Contractors - Greg Vanden Berge

      Simplified Guide For Hiring Contractors

      By Greg Vanden Berge

      Published by Greg Vanden Berge at Smashwords

      Copyright 2012 Greg Vanden Berge

      Revised on February, 8 2012

      Greg's Books

      Home Buyers Checklist

      How To Build Strait Stairs

      501 Contractor Tips

      Simplified Stair Building

      Guide For Hiring Contractors

      Simplified Bracket Stair Building

      Simplified Tile Floor Installation

      Simplified House Inspection Checklist

      Simplified Home Inspections

      http://gregvandenberge.com

      Disclaimer

      Greg Vanden Berge, and its owners, agents and employees, make no warranty respecting the accuracy or currency of any information in the content or pages of this book or any source document referenced herein or linked to herein. Use of this book is conditioned on the user's understanding and agreement that we shall not be liable, on any theory whatsoever, including but not limited to negligence, for any damages attributable to that use.

      In no event shall Greg Vanden Berge, its owners, agents or employees be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken by in reliance on any content created by Greg Vanden Berge or other individuals, companies, corporations or parties. Greg Vanden Berge and its affiliates, agents, owners and employees shall not be liable to you or anyone else for any damages, including without limitation, consequential, special, incidental, indirect, or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

      Your use of this book and all related rights and obligations, shall be governed by the laws of the United States of America, as if your use was a contract wholly entered into and wholly performed within the United Sates of America. Any legal action or proceeding with respect to this book or any matter related thereto may be brought exclusively in the courts of the United States of America. By using this book, you agree generally and unconditionally to the jurisdiction of the aforesaid courts and irrevocably waive any objection to such jurisdiction and venue.

      Do not copy or distribute this book. This manual contains materials protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

      Table of Contents

      About the Author

      Introduction

      What Should You Look For?

      Should You Be Your Own Contractor?

      Project Preparation

      Shopping for Contractors

      Conflicting Personalities

      Selecting a Contractor

      Negotiating

      Signing the Contract

      Managing the Project

      Resolving Disputes

      Contractor Tricks

      Conclusion

      7 Questions to Ask Your Contractor

      Questions And Answers

      About the Author

      Where do I start… I finally get to talk about myself. Before I build myself up and do something remarkable, I would like to thank you for your support. Every book that's purchased, allows my family to eat another meal or put 1 gallon of gas in my truck. As long as gas stays below $5.00 dollars per gallon.

      I started working in construction when I was a teenager and it wasn't long before I was a journeyman carpenter, building homes with my father who also worked with his father. By the time I was 25 years old, I had enough experience to build an entire house, on my own.

      They didn’t look as good as some of the other homes being built, but I was well on my way to becoming a master home builder. This was also the year I received my contractor’s license and became a General Building Contractor.

      I couldn't wait to start doing work on my own and within a few months after receiving my contractor’s license, I was advertising in our local mailer. The phone started ringing and I finally received my first job. Compliments of a custom home builder who didn't build the home properly.

      Before long, I found myself building room additions, remodeling homes and of course fixing the damage from inexperienced contractors and do-it-yourselfers. Remember the old saying, you can pay me now or pay me later, you heard from your parents.

      Well I was the one getting paid later.

      The 30 years I've spent working in construction, has taught me a lot about building and the 24 years I spent as a contractor, taught me a lot about people. In this book, you get the best of both worlds. My construction experience has provided me with the knowledge and my skills as a writer will put everything into proper perspective.

      I've seen almost every scam take place before my eyes or read about them in the newspapers. I’ve worked with talented, efficient, pleasant, moral, dependable, honest people and I’ve worked with their opposites.

      I've met and worked with Christian contractors who convinced me, they were some of the sweetest people, on the planet. Until there was a problem and their evil little horns popped out of their head and showed us who they really were.

      I've worked with aggressive contractors who enjoyed pushing everyone around and taking advantage of everyone they possibly could. They would even brag about their last victims with some type of sick pride.

      I've dealt with arrogant contractors who convince their clients that they're doing them a favor, by working on their project. They create the same illusion for their subcontractors and other workers. Once, I heard a General Contractor tell me, you can make more money with your pencil, than you ever could with your tools.

      It's not just the contractors or the construction laborers that I've learned from, I've worked for some of the worst homeowners, project managers and professionals, on the planet. Some of them gave a totally new meaning to the word jerk and I’m being kind.

      I've worked for carpenters, laborers, foreman’s, superintendents, project managers, owners, property management companies, real estate professionals, lawyers, lenders, doctors, business owners, contractors and almost any other type of professional you could imagine.

      I've been involved in almost every phase of construction.

      Yes, I do believe, my experience makes me one of the most qualified people to provide anyone who's interested, in hiring a contractor, a few things to think about.

      Believe it or not, you're going to get it straight from the horse’s mouth.

      Introduction

      You're probably wondering why a contractor would reveal any secrets, to the opposite side or why anyone would write another book on how to hire a contractor, when there are already plenty of them, on the market today?

      Do we really need another book on hiring contractors?

      I believe we do, because I’m not entirely happy with the books available on the market today, about hiring contractors.

      Most non fiction writers try to create better products and organize information more efficiently, for their readers.

      If the newer books are better, it won’t be long before the older ones get replaced.

      By sharing my knowledge as a contractor and some of the problems I've had in the past, with my readers, I think I can eliminate some of their concerns. I believe I can even solve some of their problems, before they ever happen.

      I want to teach you how to avoid problems and hire good contractors you work well with. Good contractors you'll build a lifelong relationship with.

      Simply by providing you with a little information about contractors I've worked with in the past, you should be able to visualize in your mind, the exact type of contractor you need to hire.

      It isn’t always going to be easy and it will require a little extra time, but it will be worth it, in the end.

      What Should You Look For?

      1. Honesty

      You've probably heard the saying, opposites attract, but I don't think it's entirely true, when it comes to honesty. Honesty is always the best policy and if you even get the slightest inkling you’re in the presence of a liar, don’t even think about hiring them.

      2. Reliability

      My father told me a long time ago, I should finish everything on schedule and show up on time. The last thing you want to deal with is a contractor who can't seem to show up on time or complete their work, in a timely manner.

      3. Experience

      I don't know if this is the most important item on

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