reputation...we hired one for the basement that was recommended by some friends. He did work for our parents and now for us. People like him are difficult to find.
On the other hand, we had a recommended contractor for the landscaping (recommended by a pro) that was a total headache....over a year into the project and she is still not done...it will finally be done this week...hopefully

I want to know that what I'm going to end up with is done well and to my satisfaction, so Reputation/Reviews got my vote. You can't have everything. I've learned that this trade tends not to communicate well unless in person so it helps to be very clear and precise about expectations if that's really important. For example, if they say they will be there at 8:00 am, tell them to text if it changes to 10:00am.

Wow there is a clear winner on this poll!

Im actually shocked on the result of this poll. Great poll!

It is very interesting that consumers say it is reputation and reviews, which I agree wholeheartedly with, but the reality is that the actual decisions (at least in our area) are made based on price first and then by other factors.

Business is changing with online reviews and social media being at the consumers fingertips. Your business could either greatly benefit or suffer.

True,,online reviews are not very reliable..that is why I prefer to talk to the people I know and ask for referrals.

I can tell you what a big turn off is after my experience getting bids for a new deck, pergola and privacy fencing. A project of approximately $20,000.00

Even though I liked how this contractor initially presented his company, his ideas, the amount of time he spent with me and the amount of options he presented to me, he kept making the same comment as an excuse for his delays in getting me a solid bid. (5 weeks after the fact and escalating to the owner of the company) "Well, you're not a paying customer, so of course you understand I had to prioritize you behind paying customers."

Hmmm. Well, you know what? I'm never going to be a paying customer with that attitude. I got bids from several other contractors within 1-2 weeks of speaking with them with far more detail than a single dollar figure in an email. I'm going to go with one of the contractors that was a bit more welcoming of new business, specifically MY business. I'm certain they'd be happy to incorporate his ideas into their plans. Evidently my deck is more insignificant than I imagined and if I didn't just jump and say "I want YOU" without seeing real numbers, I'm not worthy of Mr. Elite.

n247080 - Yikes I am sorry you had a bad experience! Hopefully you got your deck with another company and it went smoothly.

Hello this is Gord with Pahlbod Homes, I recently found out some of the reviews are manufactured(fake). There are people who are getting paid to make fake comments on the internet. Best is to speak to the contractor and check for legitimate references. Best is t9 walk through a recent home they have completed and chat up with the owners.

The person who was looking for the deck quote above needs to note the money the deck contractor is looking to make is probably less than 5k of the 20k. This 25% margin is real if there are no delays and the money is paid on time. It's just a small contract. You should not get offended if the contractor is late with his quote. If the guy is busy that's usually a good sign. But then I am a builder and make mistakes in hiring contractors all the time. I am hiring contractor all the time, probably have deals with over a 100 contractors a year. Some 5% create all the issues. The rest of them are pretty good if they have been introduced by builder friends.

For the MOST important, it would have to be the second one ( experience) as without that, forget building a house even ! Otherwise all are important factors when hiring someone, plus make sure they are trust worthy in regards to costs on paper, look for hidden costs or even places ( documentation wise) where you may have been double charged for materials.

I've hired contractors three times to work on my home. Two of those times were a nightmare, due to unbelievable delays, bad communication between foreman and workers and lame excuses for mistakes. It was exhausting, infuriating and frustrating, and had I known their reputations beforehand, I never would have hired them (this was before online reviews were so easily available). The experiences were so bad, I swore I'd NEVER hire a contractor again at any price, and just tackle whatever projects I could, on my own. Heaven help me if I need a new roof or something major done, because the thought of having to hire another contractor makes me break out in a cold sweat. So yes, reputation is absolutely KEY.

@momof5x experience is very important, I agree!

I disagree an years of experience having that much weight on your decision. I always say when I hear someone use the line that they have been doing something for 20 years as a sales pitch you should run not walk away.

It does not mean they had been doing int right for 20 years.

Besides the obvious of asking for references and licenses look at their work in person. Pictures do not show quality of work. If they don't have someone answering their phone and are difficult to get ahold of they will be even harder when there is an issue.

Look for an educated, trained person that is going to actually be there when the work is done. If they are going to drop off a bunch of illegals that don't speak english after selling you the job don't hire them. People have to understand in other countries they do not have the laws and regulations we have here so doing it the supposed old world way will be a disaster. Also if they can't read and understand instruction how can they do the work properly??

Skilled educated labor is difficult to find.

Reputation is important, but so is communication. POOR COMMUNICATION was the number one complaint I heard from clients back when I was designing home renovations. It's not always a matter of "speedy communication" as the poll option suggested. What's the expression? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Sometimes a simple heads up goes miles.

• The contractor needs to be honest.

• The contractor needs to communicate if there is a change/problem on a job (not able to make it to the jobsite today, a design element won't work after all, etc.).

• The contractor needs to accept responsibility if a screw-up is actually his company's fault.

• Listening is the often forgotten communication skill. Someone who doesn't hear the designer or the clients because he thinks he already has all the answers is going to be a problem.

In three years at my previous job, I worked with nine or ten construction companies. I had to recommend them because of my then-employer (a certain big-box home improvement store...). But of the whole bunch, there were only two that I would have trusted to my own home.

""An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Sometimes a simple heads up goes miles." - YES!