Does anybody have a contractor for home renovations that they can recommend? I'm in the process of purchasing my first home and the type of loan I'm using allows for renovations to be funded into the loan. The problem is the contractor I select has to be approved by the bank and needs to be fully licensed and insured. Do you any of guys in the Philly/SNJ/De area have anyone you can recommend? I've tried Angie's List and had no luck, so I'm giving this a shot. Thx

 

Just a thought, but maybe the bank can give you a list of their approved contractors and you can get a couple different estimates?

 

Surprised you get nothing through Angie's List, not sure how it work, but maybe expand the area that you're searching in. Also you might be able to get something from your insurance company.

Also talk to your RE. Some TV channels have lists on their website, I've also heard yellow pages advertising approved contractors on their website.

 

That was my idea too. My mortgage consultant gave me two and neither of them have contacted me back.

Well I shouldn't say that I got nothing from Angie's List, I contacted 3 contractors from there. Of the 3 I spoke with, 2 were too expensive and the other one never got back to me. I'm gonna look thru the yellow pages now... Thx

 

Talk to friends, relatives and associates. You want references from people you know and trust.

 

When I was looking at older homes closer to work, I was going to go this route (because they wouldn't qualify for an FHA loan for one reason or the other). I wanted my dad to do the work (as he does residential construction for a living and I would save on labor ), but I didn't have the money to pay for all the work out of pocket to then be reimbursed by the mortgage company (otherwise why would I be doing a 203k?, lol)...and I wasn't sure the likelihood of finding a contractor I was comfortable with that would do all the work up front and THEN get paid via the mortgage company. I'm sure they're out there...but I bet they charge a premium!!

Soo..I chickened out.

 

Yeah man... this process is brutal. I should have closed on this house at least 30 days ago. But I can't find anyone willing to agree to these terms. I wish I would checked more into this type of loan before going all in on it. I'm really regretting this one...

 

These guys were great - not sure how far they go for work. Worth a look. http://www.innovativeremodel.com/

 

What are you needing to get done and how much do you think it should cost vs how much the quotes were?

Did you get any quotes on the work BEFORE you made your offer or closed? Something tells me you underestimated the costs of the repairs/upgrades and now you are just looking for someone to do the work for what you'd like it to cost rather than what it generally costs.

 

Thanks... I'll look into them.

I'm trying to figure what brought you to your conclusion??? Are you speaking from personal experiences? Because I clearly stated what my situation was, nothing more nothing less. I'm doing a 203k loan (If your not familiar google it) in which I need an estimate off repairs from a Certified and Licensed Contractor before closing. I got an estimate that I was going to go with but it turns out the contractor was not registered to work in Philly. I simply was asking did anyone know of one... Because I did not. But since I first posted this, my contractor got registered for Philly so I'm good now. Thx

 

If you reread what you posted, it wasn't really clear what stage in the process you were in. You just mentioned that the two contractors you got quotes from were too expensive.

Anyway, glad things got worked out and good luck.