subject: How To Find A Contractor Near You In 15 Seconds [print this page] You have been planning that renovation for a long, long time. The right moment has come. You are ready to proceed.
But how to find the best contractor who does the highest quality job and charges an affordable rate?
A nearby contractor is your first choice. In most cases a pro located a mile away would charge you less than the one 20 miles away.
This article is solely devoted to finding a contractor located as close to your place as possible.
An obvious best and fastest choice is the Internet. All major search engines offer local results. You just need to enter a correct keyword combination. And the most important keyword should be your ZIP, or area code, or city, or address. Such a search would produce a list of contractors, with the nearest on top.
You could further widen your search by entering a very short description of your particular project or problem. For example:
general renovation contractor, IL 60014 - produces results near Chicago, IL 60014
kitchen renovation 48150 - produces results near Livonia, MI 48150
also try:
water heater plumber, 735 N Madison St, Rockford, IL
leaking basement FL 33444
electrician, m6s3j3 - produces results in Toronto, ON, Canada
install switch electrician toronto, on - Canadians should use "pages from Canada" search with .CA extension. For example: Google.ca
More search tips:
To narrow search try the exact wording or phrase first. Put double quotes around keywords then add zip code without quotes. You will only get results in your area containing these exact words in that exact order without any change.
If it doesn't work, widen your search by entering keywords that may be a part of the contractor title or words that describe a trade.
Then try advanced search tools.
Keywords are not case sensitive. But correct spelling is a must. The exact word order is not essential, yet it could be helpful.
Do not include commonly used words, like 'the', 'a', 'and', 'in', 'for', etc. Search engines ignore them. You could also use simpler and shorter words like 'install' instead of 'installation', 'wire' instead of 'wiring', singular instead of plural.
Local business results is another great search tool. When entering your address or zip code together with keywords, Google would usually display a map and list of business closest to you on that map.
Get more details on each particular business by clicking "More", read reviews or visit the contractor's website.
Copy and paste eight to ten contractors you like. Your next step is calling them, choosing few that you like, ask for references, licenses, rates and invite for an estimate.
