Most homeowners enjoy the aesthetically pleasing result from small-scale home renovations and oftentimes will complete simple DIY projects on their own. But when it comes to those major home renovations that require the work of a professional, many homeowners have a number of concerns that weigh heavily on them about what the renovation process entails.

It’s perfectly understandable for homeowners to feel this way being that they’re letting a complete stranger into their home; and this applies to whether they’re hiring an interior designer, plumber, or roofer. As a contractor, it’s your responsibility to put their minds at ease and alleviate their fears so they can feel more comfortable with you and the services you provide.

To truly put your potential clients’ minds at ease, you need to be one step ahead of them by knowing what their biggest fears are. And honestly, by knowing what homeowners’ biggest fears are, you can actually use it to your advantage through marketing efforts by making trustworthiness one of your company’s selling points. 

Nonetheless, the proof is in the pudding, and if you’re going ease the fears of homeowners, you first need to know what those fears are and how to help your clients overcome those fears.

Biggest Renovation Fears of Homeowners and How to Alleviate Those Fears

Fear 1: Fraud

“Are you even a real contractor?”

That’s one of the many thoughts that come across the minds of homeowners when hiring contractors. It’s sad to say but there are so many people out here trying to make “fast cash,” even if it’s at the expense of others. According to the Federation of American Scientists, there were 1,059 criminal cases of contractor fraud from 2013 to 2017.

So it’s understandable for homeowners to question the credibility of contractors being that it’s not an uncommon occurrence among individual contractors and renovation, repair, and building firms… To earn the trust of potential customers, you’re going to have to earn their trust.

How to Alleviate Fraud Concerns

Put your certifications and accreditations on display in digital ads and in your contractor marketing collateral. For example, if you’re an electrician in Texas, let potential clients know that you have to complete 4 hours of Texas electrical continuing education prior to each renewal. Also, on your website, showcase any industry involvement in various organizations as well as your ratings from credible firms like the Better Business Bureau.

Fear 2: Going Over Project Deadline and Over Budget

As a contractor, once you give your clients a completion date, that’s what they expect. They know that any further work past the given completion date is only going to cost them more money, so a lot of times they fear that contractors try to take advantage of them by working inefficiently to make more money.

This is also a common occurrence, and when homeowners find out that their renovations won’t be completed on time, they’ll sometimes leave the project unfinished simply because they can’t afford to compete it, and that’s not fair to them.

How to Alleviate Deadline and Budget Concerns

Communication is key here. From the moment you take on a client, inform them that you’ll be keeping them in on the loop about every aspect of their renovation. But as a contractor, you also need to give realistic deadlines and account for any and all potential project delays, to give your clients and your team a more realistic completion date. This will give you a little more “wiggle room” in your project schedule, allowing you to finish right on time, if not sooner.

Fear 3: Poor Workmanship

One of the biggest fears of homeowners is paying for renovation services or repairs only to dislike the quality of work once completed. This is especially the case when a homeowner pays for repairs and the repairs still aren’t fixed after paying for it. In their minds, your company could be just like them, so unless they’ve seen your previous work (which they probably haven’t), you’re guilty until proven innocent.

How to Alleviate Poor Workmanship Concerns

Again, the proof is in the pudding. If you have a website, put your customers’ testimonials on display. Always have a list of references on-hand for potential clients to utilize and form their own opinion based on others’ experiences with your services. 

It’s a proven fact that people look at customer reviews and testimonials like personal recommendations, so if you enough positive experiences with previous clients, new clients will pick up on that and establish more trust in your business and services.