Servicetrades.com is committed to providing the best Construction / Real Estate site on the net. Our mission is to work with local Professionals, Vendors and Contractors to provide quick direct access to the services you need. Unlike other web sites that are in the business of selling leads, we match you to the right service professional, without becoming a "middleman." These other sites promise back ground checks on licensed contractors who join their memberships; we empower you the client with tools to verify our members’ status at state levels.

Don’t be fooled by our competition’s 10 point background checks, which offer a false sense of security. Often times they don’t have the resources or will to continuously update records on all contractors. Or the background checks themselves do not include the people who matter most: the workers in the field, the people who actually come to your home or business. Background checks on company owners are fine but NO ONE Claims to Verify Employee’s backgrounds, But don’t misunderstand we are all for Background checks, just not for empty promises. Our members after all, in all likelihood are the same you would find on their site and in the phone book and on the flyers that come to your door, maybe even the same ones you see on T.V. or hear on the Radio.

Another difference is that we at Servicetrades.com feel that the Contractors or Service Professionals deserve to have their Advertising money pay off every time…period. We won’t sell them Leads to a job only to see that out of ten leads sold not one gets awarded the project and we wont charge more for Larger Ads only to hide the smaller ones because they didn’t pay as much. We won’t pollute the Environment with Millions of tons of paper each year with an out dated way of getting the word out. Or set up a “ratings” system that can be manipulated to give the impression that one company is better than the next.

The simple fact is that there are companies that are run better than others, but one needs to practice due diligence in selecting a particular service professional, and not base this important decision on a “Five Star” rating or a fancy Ad. Word of mouth is still the best way to find a professional, it doesn’t guarantee the outcome, but it does lend some credibility for the service. But what happens if there isn’t someone you know you can ask? Chances are you ask more people until you either give up or get a favorable opinion.

Here are some tips when it comes to selecting a Contractor: Check his/her License, make certain that it’s valid and that they carry a Workers’ Comp policy. Usually it will come up with a state verification. Next, Meet with them; go to their shop or store or office before you have them come see the work in question. Make sure to be as detailed as possible in describing what you want to accomplish and check the bid to see if the request was properly understood. The work scope should be prepared neatly, very specific and just as importantly submitted in a timely manner, late proposals are usually the first sign of a over extended contractor.

Then ask if you can meet at one of the local job sites that the company is currently working on, one that shares some similarities with your project. see if he (or she) says, “Let me check with the owner/ Property manager first” this is always a good sign where applicable (some jobs are so big it wouldn’t make a difference if you pop up and there are so many interest involved that don’t care to be “bothered” with that question). Another thing don’t be alarmed if the contractor works from home, Many contractors indeed many Businesses are run from a home office, don’t feel bad if your not invited over if this is the case. But do be suspicious if the only address given to you is a P.O Box this doesn’t fly with most contractors’ state license boards and it shouldn’t fly with you.

This section of the site is entitled “About us” yet all I’ve managed to do is write about the competition, well the point is: we are different. Part of what makes us unique is; what we ask of you. Not to conduct business as usual, what it’s been has to change; no more opening the phone book to find the prettiest ad and saying “yep, that’s the one!” From now on look for some actual Photos of their work, check the license for your selves, read bio’s and Full profiles of the people we let in our homes and trust with our investments, let’s meet with a few Contractor’s and get different opinions, Ask for references And let’s read the contracts carefully. Ask a bunch of questions and pay progress payments only after each milestone has been met. Do this, and you’ll likely have a contractor you can refer to someone.

We at servicetrades.com are passionate about what we do; this web site is founded by a general contractor in collaboration with his team of successful Architects, commercial property owners and sub-contractors. Not software developers or corporate firms that are interested only in the numbers. Our insight in what works comes from real hands on experience in this field, though Blood, sweat and sometimes tears we’ve seen and done most of it. But our experience in the construction field is only part of what makes us special, knowing is important but listening is key. One can learn more about contracting from the client than from a craftsman. (Especially if the craftsman is running around shirt less and still wears a mullet) The web site as it stands is the first release and there are big plans in the coming months, features too ambitious for our debut, and no less revolutionary.

I invite all of you, Home owners and contractors to get involved; give us your feedback, there’s a link at the bottom of the page entitled “contact us.” E-mail your questions and comments; write your own definition for any particular category put your company name and if selected we’ll post it for awhile. We currently do not have enough members to have a live call in service but we know that will soon change. I’m writing this by the way about one month before the release. We intentionally set up a system in where any member can cancel for any reason at any time; we understand that we must earn our clients business everyday, and we will strive to meet the expectations of our members and the public for which we serve, through innovation and clear communication.

ServiceTrades.com