When you are looking for something (not home improvement) where to do you look?

[NightWatcher]

Do you reach for your old fashioned heavy phone book?

Do you use a web search engine? If so which ones?

I always go staight to "The Google"

[LeftyMom]

1. I call my handyman and ask him who he'd suggest if it's a job he can't do.

He won't send anybody over who's going to screw up his reputation so I always get good people that way.

For our roofing, we asked a neighbor who had just had one done who they used, and called them, because the other companies I'd called didn't impress me. They came out really fast, had the lowest bid and did a beautiful job, and since then a bunch of our neighbors have used them too.

I really think referrals and word of mouth are the way to go.

[NightWatcher]

2. what if you are looking for something that is new to you?

where would you look?

I'm working on getting in the 'word of mouth' areana, but trying to figure out where to put my limited marketing dollars.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. I know somebody

that owns an old house and has spent far too much money improving it. Can you say copper guttering on a 1200 square foot house? My experience is that I have gotten good referrals from him.

My experience also is to run as far away as fast as you can from referrals from "Christians" or from "Christian" workers. Shittiest work I ever had done was by a "Christian" handyman referred by a co-worker (not known to be Christian) who gave a glowing recommendation.

[flvegan]

4. I ask friends that have had the same work done.

My best resource for major improvements have been other animal rescue folks. We're all broke and really picky about what gets done and how. We freely share that info. Also, it's nice to get the "oh, Bob is a fantastic plumber and he's a real animal person." endorsement.

[RebelOne]

5. There is a great Web site for Atlanta-area residents.

It's believe it or now, Kudzu.com. You can search for the service you want and also read recommendations from others.

[Burma Jones]

6. I ask my Brother, The Contractor