Is you air conditioner on the fritz? Need to install a new unit, or repair an old one? You better move fast before another sweltering Austin summer heats up. The link above will help you connect with air conditioning experts in your area. If you’re ready to move forward and start gathering quotes / bids, start there. Otherwise, keep reading to learn about Austin AC contractors and air conditioning services.

How to Choose an Air Conditioning Company

The first thing you need to do is identify the type of job you have. This includes the kind of AC equipment you are using, as well as the exact nature of the work. Some AC companies in Austin specialize in installation, while others primarily do repair work. Other companies offer both services, but only on certain types of units. So before calling an Austin air conditioning service, you need to know exactly what the project involves (or as much as possible). These are the first things they’re going to ask when they call.

You should also try to get referrals from friends, family members or coworkers. This is one of the best ways to find an AC contractor, because the recommendation comes from somebody you know and trust. If this is not an option, then you’ll have to find an air conditioning company through some kind of service directory, or through the Yellow Pages.

I recommend using the phone book only as a last resort. Anybody can advertise in there, and there’s no validation process for licensing, insurance, etc. So if you can’t get a referral from somebody, you’re probably better off using a service / website that actually prescreens the contractors for you (see link provided above).

Once you’ve identified some companies that offer the AC services you need, you should check them out by using the Better Business Bureau website. You can do a search for Austin + the name of the air conditioning company or contractor. If they’re not a BBB member, you might want to steer clear. If they’re a BBB member with a history of customer complaints, you should also be wary. You’re looking for a company that has been in the BBB program for a long time, with few (if any) complaints against them. This kind of pattern suggests a reputable service.

Lastly, you can use a basic search engine like Google or Yahoo to research the company. You can learn a lot about air conditioning services in the Austin area, just by searching for them online. You’ll find their own website, of course. But you’ll probably also find customer reviews, ratings and comments. There are plenty of sites online today that allow consumers to rate and review (and sometimes rant about) local service providers.

Thanks to David Cornett, of Cornett Heating and Cooling, for his help on this article.

Find Professional Roofers
Click the link below to start your free search:
Find Local Roofing Services. Get Up to 4 Quotes Now. It’s Quick, Free, and Easy!

After clicking the link above, you will be asked for some basic information about your project. Then you’ll receive free estimates from local roofers.

Choose Your Roofing Company with Caution

Let me tell you a quick story about roof repair and roofing contractors in Austin, Texas. There’s a moral to the story — I promise. And there’s a chance this has happened to you as well:

Last week, a man knocked on my door and asked if my roof had been damaged by a recent hail storm. It hadn’t rained a drop on my house in over three weeks, so I asked him what storm he was referring to. I said, “Do you mean the one last month?” And he nodded and said, “Oh yeah, I guess it has been a while.” That was the first red flag. This Austin roofing contractor did not know what he was talking about, yet he was willing to say anything to get his foot in the door.

I told him my roof was fine and that it did not need repair, and then I started to close the door. He quickly spoke up and said that the shingles could be bruised, which could lead to more serious damage later on. By this point, I was pretty angry with his intrusion. So I walked out to my front yard and looked up at the roof and said, “I can see the shingles plain as day from right here, and they seem to be in great shape to me. So thanks for stopping by.”

Normally, an Austin roofer would get the message by this point, and would simply move on to the next homeowner. But not this guy. He told me that certain damages cannot be seen from ground level, and that he would need to get up on the roof to perform a more thorough assessment. That was the second red flag. He was trying to conjure roof repairs where none were needed, out of sheer desperation. I told him goodbye and closed the door in his face. He was still talking when it slammed shut. Jeez!

A Better Way to Find Roof Repair in Austin

Why am I telling you all this? Because the roofing industry is plagued by scam artists and people who make a living by lying to homeowners like you and me. They’re certainly not all bad. On the contrary, many Austin roofers combine honest business practices with solid work ethics, and have been serving the Austin area for many years. But there are quite a few “fly by night” roofing contractors who will do or say anything to get a roof repair job, even when those repairs are clearly not needed. Many of them are from out of town, or even from out of state. They swoop in after a storm to turn a quick profit. They locally owned roof companies refer to them as “storm chasers.”

In the past, the only way you could learn about Austin roofers was through the phone book. Fortunately, that has changed. Today you can use the Internet to learn more about roofing contractors than you ever could in the past — if you use the right website, that is. For example, if you visit the website I’ve listed below, you’ll be able to read customer reviews for a variety of roof repair companies in the Austin area. You’ll also know that they are properly licensed and insured, because the third-party website where they are listed performs a comprehensive background check.

Find Local Roofing Services. Get Up to 4 Quotes Now. It’s Quick, Free, and Easy!

This is certainly better than choosing a roofer out of the phone book, because you don’t really know anything about them from their own advertisements. It is far better to choose an Austin roofing contractor based on honest and objective reviews.

If this kind of approach appeals to you, use the link provided at the top of this page to continue. You can provide some basic information about the type of repair work you need, and then you’ll be able to view contractors in town who provide those services. You’ll also have access to customer ratings and comments, among other things. Now that’s a smart way to find your next roofing professional.

Get a Quote Today
Click the link below to find Austin plumbers:
Find Local Plumbing Services. Get Free Quotes!

Tips for Choosing Your Austin Plumber

Remember the “old days” when the Yellow Pages were the only way to find an Austin plumber to help you? Well, those days are over. The Internet is the best way to find a plumbing professional these days, and there are several reasons for this.

Consider, for a moment, the limitations of a Yellow Pages ad. When you see a plumber’s ad, the only thing you learn is what the plumber wants you to know. Now, consider a website like Service Magic (link provided above). When you find an Austin, Texas plumber by using a service directory website, you get to view customer ratings and comments about the plumber. This gives you a more well-rounded view of the company’s history, professionalism, customer service and more. Much better than a phone book ad!

There’s another benefit to using the website link provided above. All of the Austin plumbers you find through the directory have been pre-screened for you. Just to be listed in the directory, they must have a clean record with the Better Business Bureau, proper licensing and insurance, and more. When you combine this with the customer reviews the website offers, you’ll probably agree that it’s the best way to find a plumber in the Austin area.

It’s also important to choose the right plumbing professional for the job you have in mind. For example, if you want to add a bathroom to your home, you wouldn’t want to choose a plumber who specializes in basic repairs. You would need to find an expert in plumbing additions and expansion. So be very specific when you write your project description. And when you start talking to Austin plumbers by phone or email, ask if they have experience with the type of project you have in mind. If the contractor says, “no, but I think I can handle it,” then you need to keep looking.

I hope this information helps you find the right plumbing professional for your needs. Remember, make sure your contractor is licensed to work in Texas, and that he has the proper insurance. This is an absolute minimum. On top of these basic criteria, you should do some homework to learn what kind of service record the contractor has. Good luck.

Find a Remodeling Pro
Click the link below to find Austin contractors:
Find Remodeling Contractors. Get Up to 4 Quotes. It’s Quick, Free, and Easy!

I don’t know about you, but the idea of hiring an Austin remodeling contractor scares me. This is especially true when the remodeler is a complete unknown. We have all seen those Austin news segments about the remodeling job that went horribly wrong, and the homeowners who were left high and dry.

But here’s the good news. You can increase your chances of having a positive experience by hiring an Austin remodeling contractor who has been screened by a third party. This is the benefit of using a website like Service Magic (see link above). For instance, if an Austin remodeler wants to be listed in the directory, he has to meet seven different screening criteria — just to be listed.

You can also view customers ratings and comments about each remodeling contractor listed in the directory. You’ll probably agree this is a lot better than picking a remodeler from the phone book at random.

Find a Remodeling Company Today

If you would like to take a smarter approach to hiring a contractor, use the link provided at the top of this page. You’ll be able to search a database of Austin remodeling professionals who have been pre-screened for you. You can also see how customers have rated the contractor, and what they had to say about their services. It’s the best way to find a remodeler!