[This special consumer guide is of particular interest to U.S. private homeowners enhancing approach to hiring unknown building trades-persons in home improvement]

*About This Homeowner’s Guide

This special free homeowner's guide is most popularly known as the "Service Booklet." But its official title is "American Homeowner's Fast Track To Best Contractors." However, in this article, it is okay to refer to it as simply the "Service Booklet."

The downloadable homeowner's guide is an invaluable resource for American private heads of household who are interested in increasing their edge in resident-contractor relations. The leading purpose for this available open-source instructional tool is for sharing resident-friendly data related to safer and wiser contractor hiring decisions. To this effect, it contains critical information that can help residents personally validate the legitimacy of building tradesmen/women operating where we live, i.e. Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, etc.

*A Fact-Finding Resource

Quite interestingly, the Service Booklet is individually customized for homeowners of the 50 states (including Washington DC). In other words, each one is specifically formatted to contain:

a. active hyperlinks related to information about contractors in each respective state. Example: The Service Booklet for Arizona contains data concerning specific requirements for resident-contractor relations in that state, alone. Each state has its own guidelines exclusive to consumers using contractors to assist with home projects. All do not require licensing. Others may require only registration for some and special credentials for others.

b. In each home guide there is "contractor-lookup" specific to contractors working in the resident's county/state. Subsequently, it is useful for homeowners to become increasingly aware of what preferred standards are in resident-contractor relations where they live.

c. Also, the Service Booklet provides general tips which are universally applied such as an all-state recommendation from the government that residents "first" make a documented attempt to resolve differences with contractors without having to file an official complaint.

There are also pointers which can be invaluable towards making the right choices - obviously in contrast to making the wrong ones.

*An Invaluable Advantage

Foremost, it is documented that the leading reason residents often make bad decisions in resident-contractor relations is "lack of information." Better yet, we arrive at poor choices because we do not know enough about the building tradesmen/women (also known as "contractors") we hire.

But, on the other hand, some homeowners experience little to no home fraud. The reason is that we invest adequate time in "first" learning more about them through legal sources. By so doing, we are often amazed discovering whether or not they can be trusted.

In this way, the Service Booklet can be useful for us uncovering more about those working in contracting "where we are." Also, it is a handy eye-opener for lots of great ideas which can increase our abilities for out smarting the corrupt ones.

To capsulize, here are three [of several] advantages the Service Booklet offers:

1. a convenient platform for researching building trades personnel (home improvement contractors) operating anywhere in our county/state. 

2. interesting details about an ethical approach to resolving disputes with contractors.

3. a decent number of great tips for discovering whether or not trades-persons are truthful about being associated with the Home Builder’s or similar associations in our area.

*Summary

Whether we connect with the building trades-person online or in person, we can improve our potentials for making the best possible hiring choices. There is always more to learn about increasing our decision-making edge in resident-contractor relations. The HGRBS Service Booklet e.g. "American Homeowner's Fast Track To Best Contractors," is one means to that end. Better decisions, better results!

Comments always welcome.

Edited with special assistance from S. Swanson

Public Courtesy – HGRBS – Since 2009