Shim & Mallet Advocate

Resources: a quote check and the reading that goes with it

Use the check on a quote you already have, before you sign anything. The reading below explains why each question is there, and what to do with the answer. Nothing on this page recommends a business. It is a way of reading the paperwork you already hold.

What a quote is supposed to settle

A quote does three jobs. It says what will be built, it fixes what the work costs, and it says who answers if the work goes wrong. Most of the trouble first-time hirers run into happens where one of those three is missing or vague. A quote can look complete on the first page and still leave one of the three open, which is why the check goes line by line through the paperwork. The check runs in your browser, so it stores nothing and sends your answers nowhere.

Check your own quote against seven questions

Answer each question about the quote in front of you. The check works the same whether the job is a patio, a kitchen, a foundation repair, a plow contract, or work on a rental you own or look after. Pick the option closest to what the paper says, even when that is not the answer you hoped for. A verdict appears once all seven questions are answered, and the reason for every answer is shown beneath it.

Is the scope written line by line?
Are the materials named?
Is there a written contract before work starts?
How is payment set out?
Can the contractor show a registration you can look up?
Did anything get promised only out loud?
Is the price for extra work written down?

0 of 7 answered

The parts of a quote that carry the risk

A worker with a shovel rakes sand inside a ring of paver edging on a backyard patio base, a wheelbarrow nearby
A generated picture of a patio base being prepared. The sand and edging under the stone are what a quote should describe, because nobody sees them once the patio is down.
A smiling woman with folded arms stands in a white tiled bathroom beside a tub
A generated picture of a finished bathroom, used to show the kind of room a quote is for. It is not a customer, a job or a review.

Where to read next, and what to check first

What should I read before answering?

Read the quote through once without answering anything, so the whole document is in view before any single line gets your attention. Notice where the wording is general and where it names something specific. Those are the spots the questions are asking about. Going back to the questions with that map in mind is quicker than answering as you read.

How do I confirm a registration?

Ask for the registration number and look it up yourself with the state, rather than relying on a copy the contractor hands you. Massachusetts requires a Home Improvement Contractor registration for many home jobs, but the exact threshold and the homes it covers depend on the job. Confirm which rules cover yours with the state's consumer affairs office before you sign. A contractor who is registered should have no difficulty giving you the number.

Does a trade certification settle it?

A certification is a claim you can check, not a guarantee of how the work will go. Ask the contractor which program they hold, then look for them in that program's directory before you rely on it. The certification tells you what the installer was tested on, while the quote still has to say what will be built on your property. Both matter, and neither replaces the other.

Two outside sources to check against

Using the verdict, one step at a time

  1. Answer from the paper in front of you, not from what you remember being told. If you have to guess at an answer, pick the option closest to the paper and let the verdict show the gap.
  2. If the verdict is Sign it, read the signed version against your notes once more and keep a copy of everything, including payment records.
  3. If the verdict is Ask these things first, send the flagged questions to the contractor in writing and wait for written answers before you sign.
  4. If the verdict is Get another quote, ask each contractor for the same written scope and compare the new quotes line by line before choosing.

Where readers usually get stuck

What if the contractor says the written scope is a formality?
A written scope is what the price is for, so treating it as a formality is itself worth noting. Ask the contractor to explain in writing how the quote and the finished work will match. An answer that cannot be written down is the reason for the flag, and it is a fair thing to take to another quote.
Does a verdict mean the contractor is good or bad?
No. The verdict is about the quote's wording and paperwork, not the contractor's workmanship or record. Sign it means the quote is complete on these points, and it says nothing about whether the job will go well. Treat the verdict as the start of the checking, not the end of it.
Can I use the check for a rental or a property I look after?
Yes. The questions are about paperwork, so they apply in the same way to a home you own, a rental, or a property you manage for someone else. The reasons shown under the verdict will be the same whoever the work is for.