'Holmes Family Rescue' Explains Why It's so Easy for a Contractor to Ghost You and How to Avoid

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HGTV 'Holmes Family Rescue' team explains why it is so easy for your contractor to ghost you and steps you can take to avoid it.

Published on July 4, 2023

The HGTV team at Holmes Family Rescue has seen an increase in homeowners being abandoned by their contractors mid-job.

Several clients they help on their HGTV series are stuck with unearthed basements, hanging electrical wires, and a demolished home with no end in sight because the contractor has gone MIA.

“Ghosting is unfortunately common,” Mike Holmes Jr. told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “And there’s a couple of factors for the ghosting. One, the contractors are so busy in the market these days. They don’t have to work with you anymore. They don’t have to put up with you. It’s rather sad that they don’t stand up for who they are and they abandon their work.”

“The other factor is because they’re so used to running from one job to the next, everyone wants to throw money at them. Again, they don’t care about you,” he said. “So if there seems to be any little problem, the average contractor will just disappear and go to the next job.”

‘Holmes Family Rescue’ recommends doing your homework on your contractor

Sounds bleak. But the family said homeowners can take steps to avoid being left in a lurch. “Do your homework and vet the contractor before they are hired,” Mike Jr. advised. “Make sure they’re licensed if they’re an electrician.”

“Make that you do a background check on the trade that you bring into your home,” he insisted. “Maybe you can get some references from other homeowners and hear about their experience. Because there’s a shortage of skilled trades out there, there are some bad contractors. But if you do your homework, it is very possible to find great contractors.”

Always have a contract, Mike Holmes insists

Another way to avoid being ghosted or falling victim to a shoddy job with no recourse is to have a contract. Also, don’t pay cash – especially when the contractor claims you’ll get a better deal if you hand over cash on the spot. The Holmes family had to help a family who made a handshake deal and the job went south.

“Most people don’t do proper contracts,” Mike Holmes Sr. explained. “They’ll like, ‘I can start tomorrow. Give me $20,000 now.’ Cash and no paper trail … nothing. It’s the worst thing anyone to do. If you think you’re going to save money, odds are you’re going to lose your money. So always have a paper trail.”

But if you have a contract, is it necessary to also have an attorney review it before you sign? “Hiring a lawyer, I don’t want to say no to it. But if you are spending more money to do the job, it is not a horrible thing to do. But it’s more about, like my son said, doing your homework,” Mike Sr. said.

“People need to understand that if you want to do a massive renovation on your home, you really need to know everything you can,” he added. “What materials? What order they should be in and what permits do you need? And the more that you educate yourself, the better the language becomes between you and the contractor. And your instincts will let you know whether or not they know what they’re doing or not.”

Holmes Family Rescue is on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on HGTV.

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