"Good day, we have some asphalt left over from doing a driveway down the street and we noticed that your driveway needs paving and wondered if you would like for us to repave your driveway......" Have you heard this line before? Homeowners should be aware of fraudulent repair people who come to their door offering to make home repairs and home improvements. These phony repair people make a direct approach, quickly noting some supposedly fundamental flaw in the house that they say must be repaired immediately. They specialize in roofing and siding, painting and insulation, furnace repair, landscaping, wet basements and driveway paving and re-paving. These con artist usually tell people that they have materials left over from another job that they just finished and are available at a ridiculously low price.

    Periodically, my office receives complaints regarding "Travelers" who seem to be working the driveway pavement con-game throughout the state. In most cases, the price of the job will be discussed in general terms, and it sounds reasonable. Upon completion, the price will be switched in some way. This cost is also usually considerably higher than a quality paving job from a reputable contractor. For example, they initially claim they will do the job for "$200" only to claim on completion that '$200 per foot" was the agreement. Victims have reported that the layer of asphalt is very thin and not compacted which results in cracking, pavement breakups and grass growing through within days.

    The following factors should be considered warning signs for home repair rip-offs: (1) fly-by-night operators who work out of an unmarked truck or van with out-of-state license tags; (2) businesses with no apparent address other than a post office box, with no street address (even a street address should be checked), or a telephone number that is just an answering service; (3) a promise to use your home as a "demonstration model," at a reduced price; and (4) repairers who are unable to produce evidence of bond, insurance or a business license for that community, or a registration with the S. C. Residential Home Builders.

    If you are thinking of making home improvements you can call my office to check whether or not there are complaints against a particular contractor and how they have been resolved and you should also contact the Residential Home Builders to check if the contractor is licensed or registered. To save time, money and aggravation, follow these common sense steps: (1) obtain more than one estimate, especially on big jobs and get promises in writing; estimates should include a list of exactly what you're getting for the price; (2) don't automatically choose the lowest bidder. A very low bid might come from an inexperienced contractor who may not be able to complete the work for that amount; and (3) never pay the entire cost of a job before the work is done. A down payment of no more than 10-30 percent of the total is reasonable. Also, never release the final payment until the project is completed to your satisfaction and you have proof that subcontractors and employees have been paid. Contact my office for a free brochure on GUIDELINES AND MODEL CONTRACT FOR HOME REPAIR OR IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTING.