Oops, it happened again. Not to be confused with the Brittany Spears version of “Oops, I Did it Again,” this version was more of a spectator event rather than a participatory situation. I’m referring to rogue “contractors.” It happened just before the first snowstorm of the season dug its icy talons into the northern sector of our pretty great state. I had just pulled up to a listing appointment and I couldn’t help but notice that this couple’s yard looked like it had been hit by the Kansas tornado that whisked Dorothy and Toto away into the ethereal Land of Oz.

The lawn was littered with tar paper, shingles, nails and various other roofing materials in which I am illiterate. I breathed a sigh of great relief that the home was not yet on the market. This particular person is a client who is familiar with the real estate process. He was an investor who had purchased rental properties in the past and he was not looking to sell this specific property, as it was his primary residence. I was actually meeting with him to review the numbers on one of his rentals. We were evaluating whether it would make sense to exchange the property for a different investment property right now, a common practice among investors known as a 1031 exchange.

It was agreed that it was fortuitous that he was looking to sell his primary residence since the yard would not have been a good first impression. In fact, it likely would have resulted in a drive-by showing … as in; “I’ve seen enough without getting out of the car; just keep driving.”

When I knocked on the door, the gentleman opened it looking disheveled, undone and certainly unshowered. He was donning an unwashed shirt with one sleeve up and one down which was partially tucked into his dirty, unzipped jeans. He too, was a mess.

“What sort of natural disaster has been unleashed over your home?” I gently inquired.

“Oh, you mean this?” he asked, indicating his yard.

“Well, yes, and this,” I added, indicating his uncharacteristically unhygienic self.

As it turns out, he had been upon his roof frantically nailing on tiles since the wee hours of the morning. The last windstorm had caused some significant damage to his roof. He had contacted the insurance company, which agreed to pay for an entire roof replacement. About that same time, ironically, a fly-by-night “roofer” — and I use that term loosely — happened by with an unbeatable estimate on a total roof replacement. The estimate was less than half of what the other contractors had given him. In fact, the deal was so good, it was almost unbelievable … literally.

He paid half the money upfront. They wanted all of it, but he wisely refused. Red flag No. 1 (or maybe No. 2, as a coincidental solicitation after a windstorm would be a red flag as well). The roofers took his money, tore the existing roof off, left with the money to “get supplies” and never came back. There are plenty of subpar and inexperienced or unlicensed contractors who are willing to take your hard-earned cash and give you less than nothing (in this case) in return.

I probably hear about this more often than your average bear. Not only does my real estate profession facilitate many inquiries concerning areas of contracting, but I use a number of contractors for various projects as well.

As I preached last week, I will continue to reiterate that the best way to find a good and reasonably priced contractor is through referrals. Most of us (Realtors) have built a good network to refer to. We want our clients to be happy as well as safe. We also want your yards free of roofing debris.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.

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