May 7 2007 8:48AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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Last summer, we re-sided and replaced the windows on our house. I thought sharing some of my experiences with you might give you a little insight to my generation. (For some more thoughts on that, see my previous post.)

First, we had to find a remodeler. There were a few companies that stuck out in our minds because we saw their yard signs all over town and they had done some work for people we knew. The first thing I did was hit the Internet to check these companies out. I was shocked to find hardly any of them had Web sites. Let me tell you this: when a company doesn't have a good site, to me that means they're not a serious player, whether you're talking about remodeling or buying a television. Presumably, if you're reading this, you're past that stage, but god help you if you aren't.

In the end, it came down to three companies. The estimates came in about the same, so money wasn't really a factor. What really decided it was how they handled us in the selling stage. I admit that, like most Xers, I'm impatient and expect immediate responses, so when I had to call one of the companies several times to get the numbers from them, they immediately went to the bottom of the list. My thinking? If they won't respond when they're trying to sell me, good luck getting a response once they've got the job.

Relationships are one of the most important things for Xers, according to all the experts, and that's what made the final decision for us. The owner (who was making the pitch) was our age, as opposed to the boomers we were dealing with from other companies. He also lived a few blocks away and I used to work at the same company as his wife. Those things combined to make us feel the most comfortable going with him. That turned out to be the right choice, with the project turning out great. When there was a small problem later on, he came back and took care of it within 24 hours of our call. We've gotten a lot of compliments on the changes, and I'm sure to mention the company whenever people say something nice about the house.