One of the fastest ways to find home improvement contractors is to look online. A quick search can help you find local contractors, check a contractor license, or post a job listing for home improvement projects. While many home improvement contractors still generate most of their clients through word of mouth, online services offer consumers a method of generating lists of local contractors easily.

Online Contractor Referral Services

Contractor referral services are popular ways to find contractors online. Referral sites usually ask you to select the type of home improvement project you want. You then enter your zip code, and the website will find local contractors’ contact information.

Other contractor referral sites work in a slightly different manner. You enter your location and a description of any home improvement projects you want to complete. Contractors then view your request and offer bids on the projects.

Online contractor referral sites aren’t perfect. If you want to find local contractors, you may not get any results if you live in a small community. Be aware as well that while many sites require contractors included in their directories to have state home improvement contractor licenses, some sites have less stringent standards.

On many contractor referral sites consumers are encouraged to rate and comment on contractors. This allows you to quickly discount home improvement contractors who have low ratings and negative online reputations.

Online Trade Associations

Another way to find contractors online is to search trade association databases. Trade association websites might not have as many contractors listed as contractor referral sites, but tend to require certain levels of professionalism and training from their members.

State Registries and Contractor Licenses

State Office of Consumer Affairs keep registries of licensed contractors.

Offices of Consumer Affairs databases aren’t really designed for people looking to hire contractors. Their intent is to allow consumers to check the status of a contractor license.

Having said that, most Consumer Affairs databases are searchable by contractor name and location. You can use the databases to find local contractors leaving the contractor name field blank and entering the name of your town or city. The list of contractors generated will include information on the status of their contractor licenses.

If you choose to find contractors online, bear in mind that you still need to verify any information you find about the contractor before hiring. Not all contractors keep their online information up-to-date. While this is unlikely to be a problem with contractor license databases, the information on contractor referral sites may not always be current. Always verify that a contractor has a state license and provides quality work before hiring the company for any home improvement contracts.