The diligent maintenance of your home is perfectly natural, as you want to keep your most important investment in top condition for many years. A common home improvement project is painting. You may choose to do the job yourself or wonder, “Should I hire a painter near me?”

A homeowner like you will do anything to keep your house in tip-top shape. The same goes for good painting contractors – they always deliver the best job. They take care of your home as if it were their own. They begin by inspecting your home for physical damage. Then, they thoroughly prepare the surface before painting. No job is too big or too small for these professionals, as they will always be happy to take the opportunity to make any home brand new.

A good painting contractor is skilled, experienced, honest, reliable, hardworking, and conscientious. Thus, choose a professional painting contractor who will have the same regard for your home as theirs. Here are the tips to ensure you’ll hire a good and reputable painting contractor in your area:

Go for a good house painter referral.

While many people go straight to the Internet to find painters, it’s probably better to request referrals first from anyone you know and trust. They can be your friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers. Ask them whether they hired a painting contractor in the last six months.

If your friends, neighbors, etc., recently hired a contractor, they should share their experiences about working with them. Don’t hesitate to ask if you could visit their homes to inspect the work in person. Then discuss the contractor’s quality of job, level of service, professional behavior, etc.

It’s best to end your discussion with the question, “Would you hire this contractor again?” If they are happy with the contractors’ job, it’s sure that they will hire them again for their next painting project.

Search for painters online.

If you cannot find a good recommendation from anyone you know, go online to look for painters in your area. The following are excellent sources for finding good and reputable painters:

• Yelp – Many people go to Yelp first for finding local services, such as residential painting. It’s a top site dedicated to presenting genuine and unbiased customer reviews.
• Google Business – The reviews usually appear next to a company’s business profile in search results and on Google Maps. It is also an excellent source of genuine and unbiased reviews and ratings.
• Angi (formerly Angie’s List) – You can find verified and genuine customer reviews and ratings in various categories.
• Houzz – It presents over 1.5 million qualified home professionals and tailors your search to your preferences and location.
• Better Business Bureau – On the BBB website, customers can file complaints against the companies and demand a reasonable resolution from them, such as a refund, a repair, or a replacement. Then they give those companies a review and a rating. As you look for a painting contractor on BBB, find the one who has resolved most of the complaints against them. You’ll also be able to see if the contractor is BBB accredited or not.
• Social media sites – Like many other businesses, painting companies also are likely to have pages and accounts on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, which attract a wider audience. Look for the customers’ comments, reviews, ratings, and visitor posts, which can also help determine whether this contractor is worthy of your consideration.

Get an estimate.

Once you have an excellent referral or find good painters online, you’ll want to get an estimate for your property. Your home has specific square footage, floor plan, and other design elements from other houses, so you’ll want the estimate to be precise based on your home.

The golden rule is to request an estimate from three to five contractors on your list. This is for comparison purposes. It’s better to have them do a walkthrough of your home, get details on your home’s square footage, see photos of your interior and exterior, etc. After they visit your home, they will send you the estimate. Comparing different contractors’ estimates will give you a good idea of how much you will pay for their services. It would help if you considered a contractor who charges reasonably.

Make sure the painters are licensed and insured.

In California, all contractors should have a valid license. You can ask the painters for their license numbers or look for them on their company websites. If you’re still on the fence, you can refer to the California Contractors State License Board to confirm whether the painters you’re considering carry a valid license.

Also, seriously consider painters who are insured. Most customers prefer a contractor with general liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance, as these insurances ensure they will not be held responsible for any damage caused by the painting crew.

Get a detailed contract.

The contract you will receive should include critical information: name, address, office, contact details, and license number. Ensure that the contract clearly defines what is and is not included in the job.

Hire a superior paint contractor to refresh your property.

The good thing about repainting your property is that you don’t have to do the difficult (and often tedious) work yourself. You only have to do diligent research to hire a painter near me who treats your home like they do theirs.

Custom Painting, Inc. has been in business for over 40 years. We have a team of experienced and detail-oriented painters who understand how important your home is to you and will treat it with respect and care it deserves. Contact us today for a free estimate!