I didn’t have a horror story, thankfully, but I did learn a few lessons the hard way.

Hired a painter off a neighborhood Facebook group. He did show up, and the work was done. But I ended up with splatters on outlets, crooked tape lines, and missed patches in corners. When I asked him to fix it, he said, “That’s just how paint settles.”

Since then, I made myself a little checklist for hiring anyone:

Get everything in writing (yes, even small jobs)

Ask if they will be doing the work or if they’re sending a crew

Google their business name + “reviews” + “complaints” (make sure you look for complaints don’t just get lost in “good” reviews)

Walk the job at the end before paying in full

Nothing crazy just things I wish I had done the first time. Hope this helps someone else avoid a weird “meh” experience like mine. Not a scammer… just not a pro.

Would love to hear what other folks check before they hire.