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Exclusive to eLocal Blog-Off Experts
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Interpreting Home Estimates Awards
“Most Insightful”
Jody Costello of Contractors From Hell had the most insightful comment:
“For homeowners, interpreting and comparing estimates is the biggest challenge they face because more often than not, they have no idea what’s really included in those estimates. They make assumptions based on a lack of knowledge on how each contractor is bidding out the project, if they are including materials, specific work summary and a detailed spec sheet.
Unfortunately, these are grey areas to a homeowner who will skim over important details – or lack thereof – and get to the bottom line pricing. Which, should they go with that alone will surely get them in trouble when they discover unexpected work or materials aren’t in the bid and change orders begin flying.
With proposals, it’s necessary to conduct an exhaustive proposal review to ensure the proposals actually have apple-to-apple information. Proposals that are not clear, complete and uniform cannot be compared. Period. The price of a proposal has no meaning if you don’t know what’s included. And therein lies the problem; homeowners more often than not, simply don’t take the time needed to do this.”
We like Jody’s comment because she points out two problems which can lead to misunderstood estimates: a homeowner’s lack of experience and an estimator’s lack of clarity. Being aware of these challenges will lead to a better experience for both parties.