The Early Show on CBS had a great segment today about the dangers of hiring unlicensed contractors.

Seems like every time I watch a home repair show or read about home projects, the quoted professionals always introduce themselves as "licensed." That wasn't the case a couple years ago, but homeowners today are getting smarter and smarter when it comes to hiring contractors, and the good professionals understand the importance of being - and staying - licensed.

Angie's List has done a lot of work on the website to bring attention to every professional's licensure status. We encourage every member to look for the licensed icon when searching ratings and reviews (denoted by a green check mark). We also remind them to ask the contractor about his or her license to really get educated on what it means.

Fox Business recently featured Angie's List on their "Success Story" segment. I'm thrilled my small start up business in Columbus, Ohio, has expanded to more than 200 cities and 1 million members. In the video below, you can hear me talk about Angie's List, continued expansions and some advice to other young entrepreneurs.

It appears that Hurricane Earl may not cause as much damage as first feared, but as I told the Fox & Friends audience this morning, the danger isn’t passed yet. In fact, homeowners facing cleanup, flooding or wind damage should be on the lookout for the next threat: shady contractors.
 
A recent Angie’s List poll, found that 34 percent of respondents who had storm damage were approached by a stranger at their door offering help. Most of those who accepted the help suffered for it.  One member got some hard-sell tactics from an unscrupulous contractor who came uninvited to his door and insisted that a new, $13,000 roof was needed. Our member was smart, though. He called in another company to get a quote. Turns out, there wasn’t anything wrong with his roof at all. What a great example of why homeowners should just say no to high-pressure sales tactics and do their homework before they hire anyone for home repairs.

That’s not to say there aren’t good people out there who truly do want to help, but pay attention to these two warning signs and review our tips on how to avoid storm-chasing contractors. Remember:

• If it’s a good deal today, it will be a good deal tomorrow.
• Never sign anything pushed on you by a stranger who comes knocking at your door.  Sometimes they’ll have you sign what they say is a waiver for them to get up on the roof, when really it is a contract for work.

Yesterday’s heartbreaking news of a U.S. Army’s investigation into whether toxic Chinese drywall is to blame for the deaths of babies at Fort Bragg struck a huge blow to everyone at Angie’s List. We’ve been trying to sound an alarm on this issue since April 2009, when it first came to our attention.

We have lots of information to help you determine if you are at risk. If you’re living in a home built or repaired from
2004 to 2006 in southern Florida or along the Gulf, please take a look at it and hire a qualified, reputable, local contractor to address the situation. Replacing only the drywall might not be enough to fix this problem. Homeowners may need to get new carpet and insulation, and rewire their homes. Once the work is complete, dust should be removed with a HEPA air scrubber.

Quick Tips to determine if your home has toxic Chinese drywall:

• Your home was built or renovated between 2004 and 2006.
• You notice a persistent foul, rotten egg smell.
• You notice metal and copper corrosion, or a black coating on air-conditioning coils and electrical wiring.
• You see a Made in China stamp on your drywall, or it could also be identified as manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, Knauf Gips, and Taishan Gypsum Co. (all are targeted in various lawsuits.)
• Your home was built by one of these companies: Lennar Corp., Aubuchon Homes, Meritage Homes, Ryland Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, Taylor Morrison and WCI Communities (are have been confirmed to have used Chinese drywall.)

If you think you might be affected, know that tomorrow, September 3, 2010, is a deadline for some homeowners to sign on for free to one of many lawsuits regarding the Chinese drywall issue. After this deadline, becoming part of that suit could cost $15,000. Learn more here: http://www.chinesedrywall.com/

 

We’re so excited for all the new changes happening at Angie’s List this summer.

The Angie’s List Big Deal is gaining ground with huge discounts already available in Indy, Chicago and Washington D.C., and our goal is to be in 50 cities by the end of July. We know there are quite a few of these programs available, but Angie’s List is the only one that screens the businesses offering a discount. Only A and B rated companies on Angie’s List are eligible to participate in The Big Deal so you get big savings and great service.

Sign up for The Big Deal today if you’re not already on our e-mail list!

We’re also excited by our community on Facebook and Twitter. Angie’s List has so much great information to help you get the most for your home repair and health dollars, and we’re launching a bunch of new promotions next week to share this content.

If you haven’t already, be sure to fan us at facebook.com/AngiesListFansand follow us on twitter.com/AngiesList. We’ll be giving away some great prizes all summer long so don’t miss out!