Another Warning About Hiring Itinerant Workmen

Someone knocked on my door this evening and told me that "they" were doing some window installation work in the neighborhood and would like to give everyone who signed up a group discount.

I remembered the horror stories that we heard two years ago concerning residents being scammed in our community.  I wrote a blog post on the subject here on Inverness Forest Today (April 19, 2009 -- see link below)

I was particularly suspicious because the "sales rep" didn't have any business cards, or glossy brochures with pictures of satisfied customers admiring their work.  I asked the "rep" the name of the company a few times without getting an answer.  Instead he told me that their company was on the "Approved List of the Homeowners Association".

I imagine most readers of Inverness Forest Today know that I've been on the board of directors of our homeowners association (Inverness Forest Association) for many years -- in fact almost seven years.  I can assure you that there is no such thing as an Approved List of the Homeowners Association.  Your board of directors does not endorse any company or contractor.

I again asked the "rep" the name of his company and this time he said, "Home Fix It".  I told him he was lying through his teeth, that I'm on the board of directors, and that we do not endorse any company.  He quickly turned and left.

I don't know if this "rep" is a scam artist or not, but I do know he's a liar.

Please be very careful about giving money and signing contracts with itinerant workman who knock on your door and give you a sales pitch.  It you decide to consider hiring the contractor, at least take a few common sense precautions:

• Ask for the name and address of people in our community for whom they did work.  Go to those references and ask about the quality of the work performed by the contractor -- and did they, if fact, do any work.
• Ask for a written estimate, on company letterhead. If you decide to go ahead, make sure you have a written contract (again on company letterhead) with the nature of the work spelled out and the complete cost specified.
• Make sure the contract specifies a small deposit up front and not all or most of the agreed cost up front.  The remainder should be due upon the satisfactory completion of the work, or, for a big job, in increments as the work progresses.
• Make sure the workmen are "bonded" by getting a copy of the insurance company's certificate for that contractor.  This is very important!  If you hire someone who is not bonded and they get injured while working on your property, you could be sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more).  

---

Please read the IFT blog post of April 19, 2009 at the link below.  I covered many of these issues at that time and there were some excellent comments and stories about scam artists and shoddy workers in our community.

Here is a link to the Inverness Forest Today Post of April 19, 2009:


http://invernessforest.blogspot.com/2009/04/warning-on-itinerant-roof-repair.html


One more thought: the Contractor List (link in the sidebar) provides information from residents who have hired contractors and rated their performance.  Read the Contractor List to see if there are recommendations for the kind of work you need performed.  Fill out the Contractor Form (also in the sidebar) telling about your experience with your contractor -- good or bad.


Harvey

Help with Front Door Replacement

Inverness resident Nicole Fleisher has a question that perhaps can be answered by someone in our community. Here is the email she sent me:

I'm writing with an Inverness conundrum.  We're trying to replace the front door, door frame, and sidelights on our Carnation model, but have been having trouble finding a contractor to do the work.  Since the doorframe has a slight curve at the top, this essentially means that a new frame has to be custom built, and there don't seem to be many companies/people to do this.  

Do you know of anyone in the neighborhood who has had this done?  (i.e a full door frame replacement in addition to the door).  Any thoughts from you or the blog audience would be appreciated!

-Nicole Fleisher

 If anyone has used a contractor to do the work that Nicole wants done, please let me know in any of these ways:

• Send me an email at iftblog@gmail.com
• Leave a comment to this post
• Fill out the Contractor Form (link in the sidebar) so that your response will be available to the entire community on the Contractor List (link also in the sidebar)

Thanks for any help you can provide Nicole and perhaps others who might be thinking of doing the same thing.

Harvey

ftblog@gmail.com

Tax Day Thoughts: IFA Pays Taxes Too!

When I became Treasurer of the Inverness Forest Association almost seven years ago, I naturally assumed that, as a nonprofit organization, we did not pay taxes.  I was wrong.

It is true that we do not pay income tax.  However there are other forms of taxes that even a nonprofit must pay.  In particular, the Inverness Forest Association is subject to property taxes just like individual homeowners.  In 2010, the Inverness Forest Association paid $552.25 in property taxes to Montgomery County.

Our "tax-free" status does not protect the IFA homeowners association from being required to also pay fees, which are like taxes, to Montgomery County.  Last year the IFA paid almost $1,000 in fees.

Still, these taxes are tiny compared to what individual homeowners pay.  I noticed while I was doing my income tax that the property tax on my house was almost 10 times as much as the amount that the IFA pays.  Not having to pay income tax is a great benefit to our homeowners association.  If you dare to look at your own 1040, you might be shocked to see just how many tens of thousands of dollars you pay to the IRS each year, and don't forget the other thousands you pay in income tax to Maryland and Montgomery County.

Happy Tax Day!

Agatha Christie's Mousetrap Opens in Potomac

The Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap opened in London in 1952. It has run continuously for almost 60 years! If you don't feel like traveling to London just to see this masterpiece, you can drive about10 minutes to the Bullis School campus.

The Potomac Theatre Company will be presenting The Mousetrap starting this Thursday, March 10 at the Blair Family Center on the Bullis Campus. The show will run for three consecutive weekends. See the flyer below

Need a Renter?

Once in a while on Inverness Forest Today I've played "Matchmaker".  That is, I've been able to match people who need a service with those willing to offer that service.  This happened during last winter's blizzards when people who needed someone to shovel their snow were paired with people who were offering to shovel snow.

Encouraged by that success, I thought it might be useful to match Inverness Forest home owners who might be looking for a renter with a person who is looking to rent a house in our community.  Our Board President, Sharlene Shugarman, received the following email:

From: Marta Patterson [mailto:marta.patterson@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, February 21, 2011 8:44 AMTo: sshugarman@verizon.net
Subject: Inverness Forest Rental

I am interested in renting in Inverness Forest. Can you please tell me if there are any townhouses for rent at this time?

Thank you,

Marta Patterson

202-577-6383

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com