As a homeowner, you’ll inevitably have to call a plumber to deal with plumbing problems at some stage. It’s one of the ‘pleasures’ of owning property! Choosing the right contractor can feel a little overwhelming, but it is always important that you take swift action to remedy problems, or even ask a contractor to mitigate an issue before it arises. So here is a quick guide to help you select a plumber.
- When seeking a quote, be clear on what you need. You can’t obtain comparable estimates if each plumber is asked to price a slightly different job. Always get a minimum of three quotes.
- There’s no set price for plumbing work. A plumber will charge what they think is reasonable for the work requested, so don’t expect identical pricing.
- Should you accept the lowest price? That will depend. The cheapest isn’t necessarily the best. Arguably, you’re best served by hiring the individual who listened to your issues, asked questions, and communicated their solutions clearly.
- Ask for each plumber’s license number. Texas has license obligations for plumbers and varying abilities according to license type.
- Be very careful of unlicensed plumbers. If you take the risk, there’s a much greater likelihood you’ll have problems, and your insurance company will show zero leniency. Run an online check of each plumber’s license number to validate it.
- A license isn’t the end of the paperwork. Plumbers must hold appropriate insurance cover, too. Ask for details of their public liability insurance – this will cover any breakages, accidents, or injuries incurred on your property.
- Did you know that not all plumbers are equal? Here’s the deal: Some can work on gas supply, and others will be qualified in handling drainage and roof plumbing issues. These tasks are all separate skills above and beyond traditional home plumbing.
- Many plumbers work hard and will take on routine jobs on weekends. If they offer to come to your non-urgent job on a Sunday, check they’re not going to charge additional fees.
Need a Plumber? Electrician? Roofer? Landscaper?
When you need a plumber, who do you turn to? How about a roofer? Or an electrician? Or a handyman? Or a landscaper? Whether you’re buying or selling a home, you’ll often find yourself in need of knowledgeable, reliable contractors and licensed tradesmen. Sometimes you need someone to service your HVAC system like professionals from T.E. Spall & Son, sometimes you want to remodel your entire kitchen, whatever your need, turn to your local real estate agent. Because of the nature of our business, we deal with all types of vendors on a regular basis. Whether it’s getting a home ready for sale or checking off the items on a repair amendment, we work closely with hundreds of vendors in all types of trades. And now that Texas real estate contracts require all repairs to be done by a licensed person (or someone who is commercially employed in such trades if the work does not require a license), it is even more important to make sure you’re hiring the person best suited to the job.
I Need a Plumber, But Are Your Recommendations Trustworthy?
When we recommend someone to you, we are putting our reputation on the line. If the plumber we recommend does terrible work, you wouldn’t trust us again. If our electrician gouges you on price, why would you come back to us for real estate advice? You might want to contact the Electrician in Frankston for help with your appliances. We spend a lot of time culling our vendor list and we often remove people who we don’t feel are giving our clients the best service and prices. Each of our recommendations come from experience – agents in our office have used them, one of our clients recommended them to us, or they have an excellent reputation in our industry. The same idea applies to those that have gained a bad reputation. We want our clients to be happy, so we work hard to find the best vendors out there. Here are experts and professionals and their website where you can get help for plumbing issues. Your realtor can recommend a few companies that can help you with drain cleaning and other home repair services.
There are some who worry about kickbacks or price markups when someone is recommending a vendor (or any service for that matter). First, it’s against the law, and second, our reputation is too important to us to endanger it for a couple of extra bucks. Our politicians may think it’s okay, but we certainly don’t. The plumbers and electricians and various tradespeople we recommend are solid people who we chose because we know they will get the job done and treat our clients the way we want them to be treated.
So when you need a plumber from plumbing services for sewer line repairs or you’re looking for someone to fix a few items around the house or you’re looking to prepare your house for sale or you’re selling and have a repair amendment sitting in front of you that needs to be taken care of, call your real estate agent and ask them for some advice. With carefully vetted contacts, your agent is a wealth of knowledge and will be more than happy to help as they work to earn your future business. Good luck with those repairs and let us know if you need any help!
image courtesy of jarrodlombardo