Well now this is MM. (Kind of.) UPDATED BELOW.

[WOT?*]

We are having our house repainted (the damn thing is only 7 years old and we're already dealing with chalking, fading and warping trim.)

We had a guy canvassing the neighborhood looking for houses that needed to be painted. We have wanted our house repainted for about two years and this year was the year we decided it was to be a priority. His knocking on our door was fortuitous.

The owner of the company came to give us a bid today. He offered a lifetime warranty product (we requested Duration but he also suggested Resilience). In stepping down to a "lesser" lifetime warranty he's giving us a significant price break due to his better discount on the product. We'll live with it; it's still a lifetime warranty product and pretty darn good. As long as we have our house power washed 2x yearly he (and the paint company) will warranty the product and the performance. Anything goes wrong, he repaints.

He's excited to do our house. Here's why: we also have cedar shingles on our dormers he will be restaining. He will be changing our paint and trim colors. He will be replacing faulty trim work and our hood vent. He will be removing all the old caulk and filling all the cracks and crevices with new lifetime warranty caulk. He will be repainting our front door with a low VOC paint. We have rock trim he needs to work around. He will be painting our gutters and downspouts to match the trim. Basically, anything that can be done on a paint job he will be doing to our house. He's excited about all of the above and, most importantly to him, we are on a corner lot. We're only the third house in five years he's had on a corner lot and he wants to film our house being done for his website to show the process and everything they do. We don't have a fence to get in the way, we have a large expanse of exposed wall and we're giving him an opportunity to showcase everything his company is capable of doing. He won't have this opportunity for at least another five years. We're his Perfect Storm.

Because he's filming our project, we figure he is going to be extra particular and will do the best work possible. Our house will be the one everyone sees when they click on his link. Because of this, he's also giving us an additional 10% off his entire bid for the "courtesy" of letting him film. Between the discounted paint price and the filming, we're saving over $1500. DH and I both thought his initial bid was reasonable but to have him reduce it by another $1500+ just because "we have the perfect house for filming" is just fine by us.

(We had the interior of our house painted and they did an excellent job but I don't think they can match this guy's prep work and cost. I'm giving him a chance to bid though so we'll see. He deserves a chance to compete so he'll get it.)

[tacokick]

Do you know anyone who has used this company before? Do they have a good BBB rating? I'm always leery of the companies that send people out canvassing the neighborhood for work. The deal sounds almost too good to be true.

[abeaverhausen]

Jul 15, 2012 7:19:11 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Do you know anyone who has used this company before? Do they have a good BBB rating? I'm always leery of the companies that send people out canvassing the neighborhood for work. The deal sounds almost too good to be true.

I was thinking this too.

[rubytue]

Between the canvassing the neighborhood and the "model home" line, I'd be nervous. The model home line is a common sales tactic used to flatter homeowners. I almost fell for it once. "20% off if we can use your home to show off our decks. You are in a great location since you are near a corner. Etc" As is canvassing the neighborhood - They are hoping to beat the competition to the punch since you aren't researching or getting other bids.

Do you have other bids? Are they competitive?

Here is a link that talks a bit about it:
www.fool.com/homecenter/smart/smart06.htm

[mcsangel2]

Generally accepting door to door sales business is a homeowner no no. Did they at least give you a business card, and can you find reviews of their company online at someplace like yelp?

[rubytue]

Another link about model home scams: www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1010/Top-6-Home-Renovation-Scams-To-Avoid.aspx#axzz20hTRUziE

[Becca]

I am in the 'too good to be true' camp. Definitely do your research on this company!

[pamela]

Jul 15, 2012 9:08:50 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Another link about model home scams: www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1010/Top-6-Home-Renovation-Scams-To-Avoid.aspx#axzz20hTRUziE

I disagree with some of this list, especially the last. All the contractors we worked with do remodels, not new builds so of course any examples they could give us should be occupied. I'd be wary if they were vacant that they were cheapy flips.

And not all contractors use company marked trucks, especially the small guys. Or have big marketing budgets (or in the smaller towns we live in, good marketing vehicles don't exist), so door to door isn't always a scam. Just make sure they really are local and who they say they are and know exactly what work you want done.

[tacokick]

Jul 15, 2012 9:40:52 GMT -5 pamela said:

Jul 15, 2012 9:08:50 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Another link about model home scams: www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1010/Top-6-Home-Renovation-Scams-To-Avoid.aspx#axzz20hTRUziE

I disagree with some of this list,

And not all contractors use company marked trucks, especially the small guys. Or have big marketing budgets (or in the smaller towns we live in, good marketing vehicles don't exist), so door to door isn't always a scam. Just make sure they really are local and who they say they are and know exactly what work you want done.

In our state (and many others) if you use a vehicle for business it must be clearly labeled with the business name and info.

[rubytue]

Apparently I use scam too freely. Scam isn't the right word, but these are things that should be red flags to do further research. A remodel contractor should have a book where they show you completed work (which is kind of the same as the videos on the website - the thing about that being a red flag is the huge discount for doing it. Eta: and the corner lot bit, especially when it's going on a website).

Also, I'm not says mrsbpo didn't find a good guy with a good deal. But what she says raised my eyebrows a bit to encourage more research on the company. He used a lot of the sales tactics that are designed to get a higher price. About the only common one she didn't mention us requiring both husband and wife to be there and pressuring to sign on the dotted line right then.

And FYI, my husband works in the trades. He'll never do business with a door knockers, or people that insist we are both there for an estimate. Oh, and he doesn't drive a company truck, but all the estimators have marked vehicles and business cards, and this is a crappy company that can't meet payroll 10% of the time.

[MixedBerryJam]

I'd bee wary of a door-to-door cold-call type connection, but over and above that, you mentioned that you have a painter you have used before that you were very happy with. Even if the money doesn't come in at about the same, I'd give a known, local small business owner craftsperson a big leg up over the competition.

[dexteroni]

Oh C, I hope you research this guy before accepting anything. Google his name, check the BBB, even Yelp. If you're a member of Angie's List or know someone who is, it's a really good resource for reviews.

[Balki.Bartokomous]

It definitely sounds too good to be true. Contractors are not usually excited to be discounting to begin with, let alone on a job where they have to do so much prep & detailed work.

[takeonyou]

Please be careful. My husband is a painter and he has redone work from door to door painters dozens of times. There is a reason this company is knocking on doors and offering a steep discount. Do your research and find out WHY.

This time of year, most reputable painters have a wait of at least a few weeks. Unless it is an urgent job (party at the house, moving, etc.), my husband's company is booked at 6 weeks right now. And his customers are willing to wait because it is a reputable company with a 30+ year history locally.

And the discounted because of a corner lot tells me that he doesn't do a lot of work PERIOD. My husband's company is small (5 men) and I just asked him how many corner lots he did this year and he said 4. He said that waiting years between a corner lot just sounds really off.

And his customers freely write testimonials & allow before and after photos and video for his advertisements -- not in exchange for a discount. I would be very cautious. A discount for a good rating/advertising sounds shady. Like he can't get a good testimonial/reference any other way.

[WOT?*]

Some rebuttals and also additional info:

It was a standard "canvassing looking for business" because there's competition in the area. I gave a name and number to a company rep to have the owner call to set up an appointment; it wasn't a foot-in-the-door proposal. The industry has been hampered due to the economy; they were a start-up back in the boom days. They are a small local company also trying to survive, and quite possibly not one I would have called if they hadn't canvassed.

He provided references (website and paper) for addresses of jobs they have done in the past - pointing out specifically those in our area they did several years ago rather than recent jobs so that we can get an idea of how their work product holds up. They gave physical addresses for drive-by evaluation and phone numbers of 20+ people we can call for personal recommendations, including three in our immediate area. His wait is 4-6 weeks out (we'd be booking end of August or beginning of September) and he has four (2-3 man) crews working under him so he has to keep them all busy. He also left his portfolio (a 20-30 page notebook including licensure, bonding info, references, product info, etc.) for us to review in greater detail when my H asked (he will pick it up later this week), didn't pressure us for an immediate sign-up, offering discounts for "sign up now now now!" and we're checking reviews over the next few days before we sign on dotted line. The quote applies as long as we sign up with him this season (or to be done next season if we can't get in while the weather holds.)

I checked out his website before he came and I can see where he would want to do a time-lapse of "what we do" to show what he is emphasizing on his website. It would provide a little more "oomph" to do a time-lapse over photographs and type. And I can see where our house would perfectly fit his needs. We're a corner lot in a subdivision near the end without a lot of obstructions, with no fence, a park across the street and limited traffic. The homes in this area are packed together and while there are corner lots, most are built on roads that intersect and space is tight. A lot of the subdivisions out here are on cul-de-sacs, loops or meandering roads rather than in a grid pattern. We're on a T-intersection with only one street (a cul-de-sac) behind us, no through-streets and greenspace across the street; traffic is very very limited and sightlines are more generous than the norm (the very reason we bought this house.) We're your basic tract home that anyone can relate to, with the bonus of being easily seen from up the street (we're at an s-curve coming down a hill) or across the street.

When I say he's "excited" to do/film our house it's because of the above reasons and because of the type and extent of the work we want done. We are an ideal showcase. He wasn't jumping up and down or anything like that, but he is definitely excited for the opportunity to take place.

We will be getting competitive bids, including from the company that painted the interior of our house (and did a very good job.) He knows this and it's probably another reason for the "filming discount."

He is guaranteeing his work product for seven years and the paint will have a lifetime warranty. As long as we own and maintain the home the paint will be covered.

DH initially just wanted to go with the guy we used prior but I don't know if this detail in prep work is his standard for exterior work; he comes Tuesday and I'll find out then. We didn't request or require the extensive prep work for the interior; we're demanding it for the exterior since it is exposed to the elements and won't be changed at our whim.

The initial price was within budget for what he was proposing (and we are more than willing to pay) but when he included a "filming discount" in his proposal DH was not averse to the additional savings. Hey, it's $500+ just to let them take pics and put it on the website.

When I spoke with him to schedule the meeting, my only reference to budget was "we're not looking to pay five figures. We want quality but we want it within budget." I never gave him a dollar amount or what we had in mind; I wanted to see where he fit within our budget and expectations. He came knowing that there would be a line in the sand but he didn't know what that line might be. I am sure he could guess based on the house and the 'hood but both H and I would pay more for performance. His pricing is within the neighborhood means (albeit on the higher end) and well within our budget.

The payment is 30% up front and 70% at completion. We will sign off with his team lead daily and with him directly at project completion before the final check is cut.

He came in wearing his company (logo) polo shirt, which matched the logoed nylon briefcase in which he brought his matching company portfolio. He didn't require both of us to be here. I wanted H there to make certain that what H wanted done was not overlooked and his input included. He was more than willing to sit in the TV room and watch season 4 of Lost. We did the walkaround together and also switched off.

Dex, one of his references is an Angie's List recommendation.

The additional cost-savings is the price variation between Duration (my preference and very high cost) and Resilience (also SW and also lifetime but different technology and lays down differently). I'm going to check into Resilience and his preferred Rodda paints before I make a final decision on the paint. If Resilience performs and has a similar lifetime warranty to the Duration I don't see why we shouldn't go for the "lesser." If Rodda outperforms Duration (per some reviews) I also don't see why we wouldn't make the switch to the lower cost paint for a price-point savings. So, all told, him talking us into a lower-cost but similarly lifetime-warranted paint that he guarantees plus a "filming" discount would be a savings of between $1500 and $2000.

I used to sell paint way back in the day and am a little more formally trained than the average bear, even if it was 20 years ago. DH also painted his way through college for a couple years with a couple friends (and even got a pretty significant government contract once!) We were impressed with his emphasis in proper prep rather than our insistence on it. What he was proposing is what we were looking for with regard to the prep work and quality of product to be provided, the bonus was him doing the replacement of the trim that DH wanted to have done, at a lower cost than we were expecting to pay. And since I should be home for the most part, there's an additional incentive to make certain the job is properly done.

[takeonyou]

Sounds like you got good info! I'm.glad you so.your research!