The big mistakes people make finding a repair person or contractor online

September 27, 2022

By Kim Komando

Home repairs can be tricky and expensive. Have you ever replaced your water heater? Or even worse, your roof? It can cost thousands of dollars. That doesn’t feel great on your wallet.

To make the ordeal even more stressful, you are tasked with finding a seasoned pro to handle a very pricey repair on your home. These people are typically strangers. How do you know you are choosing the right one?

Enter our sponsor, Angi. The solution to your problems. Read on to see the biggest mistakes people make when finding a contractor online and how Angi can solve those common issues for you.

But first, what is Angi?

Angi is the place to find everything for your home. It’s like your personal home expert. Angi is a service that helps match you with contractors and repair pros to take the stress out of finding the right fit for those services.

There are over 230,000 pros in Angi’s network, which is growing daily. Finding the right person for the job is simple with the Angi app.

Now, onto the mistakes to avoid.

Mistake #1: Relying on Yelp reviews

When we need to find a restaurant or a hair salon, we look at Yelp to see what other people say. The problem with this is Yelp reviews can be faked. In fact, they often are. So looking for contractors on Yelp can lead to hiring someone who is woefully underprepared, and you may not get the best results.

With Angi, only real customers who have interacted with the pros you’re considering are eligible to leave a review. You’ll find real reviews of professionals from other people like you — not bots or fakes. That means you can be confident in your choice.

Mistake #2: Googling for a tradesperson

You can Google anything, right? Scammers know this and exploit it. One tactic really works to fool you if you’re looking for someone to, say, fix your plumbing or give you a quote for landscaping. The scammer creates an ad posing as a professional. He or she then patiently gains your trust before they steal your money.

Angi eliminates the need to search for random repair guys on Google. Researching, finding, and hiring pros directly through the Angi app is easy. There are hundreds of thousands of pros available. You can connect with local pros for your specific project in just a few taps in the Angi app. When you find the right person, schedule your service.

Mistake #3: Hiring the first pro you find

We all have moments where we lack patience. If you need a project done fast, you may be tempted to hire the first contractor you come across. This can lead to some big regrets. You should always take time to thoroughly vet the pro you are looking to hire, no matter where you’re looking to find options.

Contact several and request quotes so you can price compare. Take the time to read reviews and look at final project photos to ensure you will get the best results.

Angi saves you time by putting the information of thousands of real professionals at your fingertips. Search reviews, request quotes and book your home improvement project all in one place.

Its free app is the easiest way to find the right contractors through Angi. It’s available for both iOS and Android.