Choosing The Right Roofer In Wilmington NC
If you’re searching for a roofing company in Wilmington NC, here is everything you need to know about choosing the right roofing company. If you search online, you will find that there are hundreds of roofing companies and all of those companies claim to be the best in the business. While there are many reliable companies, finding one can be a challenging task due to a lot of individuals or businesses posing as roofing companies without having any experience in the field. Here is what you need to know in order to choose roofers you can trust in Wilmington NC.
First and foremost, you need to find a number of roofing companies. Ask your neighbors, co-workers or family members or your business associates for recommendations. Search online and find reliable companies operating in your area. Check the local newspapers and you should be able to find at least a dozen companies in your area. Once you have a good list of companies, it is time to dig further and find more about the companies.
The first thing you need to do is search for their name online. It will help you discover several customer reviews about each company. In case you are unable to find customer reviews for the company, it typically means that they are new in the business. Experts recommend avoiding new companies in this business.
What happens is that most of these companies offer a warranty of 15 to 25 years on the roof. However, they will have to honor the warranty only if they still exist after 20 years. They are scammers and they close down their business after a few years in order to avoid honoring the warranty they have given to the homeowners. However, they do not leave the business. They start another company under a new name and continue scamming the customers. This is why experts recommend hiring a company that has at least 5 to 10 years of experience in this business.
Once you have made sure that the company has been active in this industry for at least 5 to 10 years, it is time to ask for estimates. Don’t accept any bids on the phone. Ask the companies to visit the site and give a written proposal. One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they simply jump at the lowest bid. It is also a tactic employed by scammers as they try to get customers by bidding low but there are a lot of hidden charges. Their estimates are not complete and they usually do not give estimates in writing.
Ideally, estimates from reliable and experienced companies in this business should be within 15 to 20% of each other. If you are satisfied with all the other details such as reputation of the company, their experience in preparing the type of roof you have as well as their customer ratings, it might be fine to choose the lowest bidder. Also, you should never make any kind of payment upfront. Make the full and final payment only when you are satisfied with the work.
Overall, there are a number of roofing companies working in Wilmington NC but it does not mean that you could go out and choose the first company you come across. Keep the above mentioned tips in mind in order to get the most value for your money when choosing a roofing company.