I'll watch anything by David Mamet, the screenwriter, playwright, director, etc. whose works, such as Glengarry Glen Ross, always seem to concern scams. But real-life scams aren't so cool and interesting, and they always seem to hit the elderly. Most of the advice about avoiding home renovation scams, though, can be applied to nearly everyone. A few tips:
- Did they approach you, or you approach them?
- Roofing and paving, unfortunately, seems to be two areas that are the hardest hit with scams--dragging down the rest of the legitimate industry.
- Does the asphalt contractor "just happen to have an extra load of asphalt" he can pave your driveway with, otherwise he'll "just have to waste it"?
- Does the roofer say that he has "extra materials" left over from another job that he needs to use up?
- Does he need a lot of money upfront to pay for "materials"?
Any of these could be signs of a home remodeling scam heading your way.
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