Should You Allow a contractor to Work while you are not at Home

You are living in Portland, Oregon and you hired a contractor in summer for a painting project. At the same time, your kids are insisting on traveling to Miami, Florida for vacations.

You trust the contractor and give him your house keys. You go away with your family for a trip. Well, you have made the biggest mistake in life! This is the worst decision made by you. You must not allow a contractor to work while you are not home. Otherwise, you are in all sorts of trouble.

On the other hand, you must hire a home inspector who will be present the entire time. The agent would also be responsible for protecting the valuables. Yes, this will cost you extra money, but this kind of deal is not expensive when it comes to the protection of your property from shady contractors.

When you don’t have a home inspector at your home while you are away, then your property is in danger. Recently, one man posing as a contractor used people’s homes to record sex videos and run a prostitution racket! The undercover video that the customers found when looking at their security footage led to the arrest of the man by the police, however, the damage was done.

Surely, you don’t want something like this in your house right. There is another story about a shady contractor who was hired in Sacramento, California by a family. The family went to Houston to enjoy their vacations. The family did not hire a home inspector, which we think was a mistake. Anyway, when they left to Houston, the contractor along with his crew stored weapons including handguns and assault rifles in the basement of the house.

All this was recorded on the security cameras installed at hidden places in the home. When the homeowner came back, he played the tape and was stunned at what was done to his property. He came to know that the contractor used his property for manufacturing methamphetamine!

So, the homeowner contacted the local police who arrived at the house a few moments later. Upon seeing the footage, the police said that this is not just merely a case of drug use, these criminals could have easily burned down the poor man’s home!

Of course the homeowner then gave police the contractor’s office address so that they can raid the place and arrest him along with his affiliates, but who knows if they were able to nab him or not.

Anyway, this is something very alarming for homeowners – it is extremely risky to put your life and the life of your family in danger.

In conclusion, you should never allow a contractor to work while you are on vacation. You should have a checklist with you that help you hire a professional, licensed, and insured contractor with many years of experience in the market and fame among the customers. If you are looking for such a contractor, contact Brian Erik Jamison today to schedule your appointment.

How to Spot a Shady Contractor

As a painting contractor in Portland, Oregon, Brian Erik Jamison warns people to beware of untrustworthy contractors. It has become an epidemic in the US of shady house contractors giving the prestigious ones a bad name.

Many innocent people need work done on their house, but often, they end up being badly scammed by contractors. Such contractors vanish like ghosts with the clients’ money – leaving sloppy/fraudulent jobs behind.

Brian Erik Jamison prides himself on honest communication and quality work with his clients in Portland, Oregon. The painting lifestyle has become near and dear to his heart. As Johnson said: “I always feel the pain of losing jobs to shady contractors, and have seen the frustration and pain in customers when they hire me to come in and fix damage done by shady contractors.”

To protect you from such shady contractors, in this article, we give you some tips that will not only help you spot a bad contractor but will also keep you from getting conned. Read on!

If a contractor comes to you unsolicited seeking for business, he might be fishy. In this regard, just ignore those who knock on your door and give you an offer. Good contractors are busy and do not need to go door to doo. It is important that you do proper homework on contractors in your town/area.

You need to ask him a question – it must be something that you already know the answer to! So, if the contractor answers you differently, then he is a sketchy contractor. Ding a red flag right away!

We are living in a digital age. Almost all companies in different industries have business websites to attract people and turn them into customers. While there are many classy contractors and companies that offer exceptional services, there exist deceitful contractors – such people have now stepped into the online world as well.

One of our clients, Beth Harrison, told us a horrible story about how she was scammed online. Mrs. Harrison looked for a painting contractor online, she reviewed a number of websites and finally selected one of them.

“I found a website that claimed to offer excellent painting service in Portland, Oregon. I filled the form online and made the payment via my credit card. They said they will send a technician to for a preliminary check. I waited for two weeks but no one came to my house. I filed a report against the company with the sheriff’s office. The contractor was eventually arrested and charged with fraud by a police unit, caught through an online bust” – said Mrs. Harrison.

So, you must be aware of such sketchy contractors. Also, you need to do some research. There are official, authentic, and sophisticated websites where you can look for contractors. Using websites like Yelp, you can check if there are any complaints about the contractor.

Another important thing you need to do is checking your cities board of contractors site online to ensure he is reputable. Then you can determine whether the contractor is insured and/or licensed.

Lastly, a good contractor usually does not want cash or the payment up front. However, after hiring a contractor, you need to give him a reasonable down payment and/or payments that are based on the schedule. Good luck! 

3 ways to Spot a bad Painting Contractor

It’s extremely bothersome when you have absolutely no knowledge of what’s going on – particularly when it involves your home, time, and money. When you hire a bad painting contractor, it is as though you ask a lazy person with no interest in running to participate in the marathon and win the race. It’s crazy and foolish, isn’t it? Such contractors are really slow and they really don’t tell you their plan.

You can search Google for a lot of stories in which contractors damage the property. Last week, a married couple came to our office, in Portland, Oregon. They asked us for the painting job and Brian Erik Jamison – our company’s lead contractor assisted them, gave them a full-fledged plan, cost estimation, etc.

The couple told us that they purchased a 5000 square foot house, which was built in 2011. The house was for sale and the entire interior was painted with a non-neutral yellow color. They said they didn’t like the paint because it was disgusting to look at. Therefore, they wanted to paint the entire interior of the house before they could move in.

So, they looked for a painting contractor in the neighborhood. After talking to a few contractors, they finally hired one. They made an agreement with the contractor about all walls, ceilings, and touchups, etc. Further, the couple told us that the quality of the job was very poor. All rooms looked so bad – it seemed like the painting job was done without taping against the trim. Similarly, the lines were very imprecise and sloppy. There was paint on their cabinets, doors, floors, etc.

When they complained to the contractor, he said he was not responsible for the mess. They got worried and told the contractor to give them their money back because the job done was not up to the mark. The contractor refused. The husband then had some quarrel with the contractor – which got serious. The contractor and his team attacked them – caused injuries to the wife and husband, and did damage to the property. Next day, they complained to the police.

The police took the matter in their hands and made a couple of attempts to arrest the contractor. They raided the contractor’s place several times but he wasn’t there. A few days later, at midnight, the contractor along with a bunch of junkies broke into their house and started yelling at them. They had baseball bats with which they started damaging the interior, demanding extra money. Continuing the story, the couple told Brian Erik Jamison that the situation worsened day-by-day. “We begged the police to set up an undercover sting operation and arrest the contractor, but they couldn't find them!” – said the couple.

Brian Erik Jamison, one of the most prestigious paint contractor in Portland, Oregon gave the couple a few tips about spotting a bad contractor!

    1. Lack of a clear contract

If you are not clear about what a contract says – don’t agree to it. It is important that contracts are defined clearly and have an accurately written scope of work. The contract is something very valuable because it will hold the contractor accountable for the painting job. Therefore, you must ensure it is according to your needs or requirements. If you think there is something odd, then ask about it. Likewise, if you don’t like the terms, it is better to find another contractor.

    2. Vague Payment terms

Your money is an important part of the contract. So, you must ensure to set clear objectives. Your painting contractor is shady if he asks you about cash payments and/or weekly payments. Follow the contract and avoid paying earlier than what was mentioned in the contract.

    3. Poor communication

When it comes to communication or interaction with your painting contractor, treat it like a relationship. If your contractor doesn’t want to talk to you, then you need to talk to him. If you can’t or are unable to reach him, then it is time to end this relationship before you get into trouble.

If you are residing in Portland, Oregon, want a painting job, and avoid getting trap into the hands of bad contractors, then call Brian Erik Jamison today to schedule your free consultation.