Is Your Contractor a Storm Chaser?

Is your Houston Area Remodeling Contractor a storm chaser? Storm chasers are bad news for your home; they often leave jobs unfinished, overcharge you, or do such terrible work it needs to be completely redone.

Read on to learn four surefire ways to catch a “storm chaser” contractor and what a reputable Houston area remodeling contractor will do instead.

Your home has been damaged by a historical storm and you just want to get it fixed quick. We understand. You love your home and want life normal again. No matter how upsetting it is, you should always follow the proper guidelines for finding a good contractor.

So what are storm chasers?

“Storm Chasers” are contractors who come to town after a storm has wrecked an area. They go to effected neighborhoods promising great fixes fast for an up-front price.

They’ll often leave jobs unfinished to start on another, or their finished work is so horrible it needs to be completely redone. This leaves you with a feeling of betrayal, wasted money, and wasted time – not to mention, a huge mess!

Imagine finding out your already expensive rebuild is going cost more to fix the problems of your last Houston remodeling contractor. This is exactly the kind of situation you can expect from a storm chaser.

Don’t allow yourself to get fooled by a storm chaser. Read on below to learn how to identify and avoid them.

A Houston resident sustained large amounts of damage to his roof after a harsh hail storm.

He was so eager to get his home repaired that he didn’t think twice when a couple of storm chasers showed up at his front door. They told him they’d give him a rebate on his $1,500 deductible if he handed over his $4,800 insurance check.

One problem: Texas state law disallows contractors to pay deductibles or offer rebates on them.

A good contractor will never offer to pay your deductible because they know the law.

Storm chasers don’t always need a storm to inflict real damage. A former hardware store owner from New York City said scammers would tell-all as they shopped his store. Their scam was simple. They’d go door-to-door telling homeowners they needed to realign their chimney.

Experienced homeowners could tell it was a con, but inexperienced homeowners often thought the storm chasers were legitimate. They’d be out of serious money before they discovered they’d been conned. This is a lesson no one wants to learn the hard way.

As the name implies storm chasers “chase” the next storm-affected area for people to con. One week they’ll be Houston. The next, who knows where. If your contractor has an out-of-state plate on their truck then you may be working with a storm chaser.

A reputable Houston area remodeling contractor will have a brick and mortar office you can visit, with real people you can call to answer your questions and concerns.

You may be working with a storm chaser if all their online reviews are either entirely bad or absolutely perfect. It may sound crazy that perfect reviews could be a red flag, but it’s true. Always be skeptical of 100% perfect reviews. No Houston-area remodeling contractor gets 100% good reviews 100% of the time.

If you see nothing but perfect notes, they could have been paid for by the contractor. Take it with a grain of salt.

A great Houston area contractor not only has a few bad reviews mixed in with the good, they’ll be up-front about what the bad reviews are about and how they fixed them.

Our vision is to create a Houston remodeling company known throughout the Greater Houston community and recognized as an industry leader. Our goal is to be seen as a remodeling contractor that exceeds clients’ needs and expectations while nurturing our employees’ growth and pride in their organization. We are committed to excellence and aspire to lead, exceed expectations, and constantly work to improve our services. Call us today at 713-532-1100!