Many modern homes come with garages. However, not all of them do. Some have virtually all amenities, but for one reason or another, they don’t have a garage.

If you’re house hunting, and you own a car, you’ll probably look for a house that already has a garage. Maybe you’ll find a house you love that doesn’t have one, though. If that’s the only thing you find lacking about that domicile, you still might put in a bid on it.

If you do, and you end up buying the house, you will probably want to think about installing a garage sooner rather than later. That will keep you from parking your car on the street or in your driveway where someone could break into it and the weather has unrestricted access.

Let’s talk about what you’ll most likely want to see from the company you hire that installs your garage.

Plenty of Prior Experience

Modern garages require expert installation, so you’ll likely want to begin there. When you start looking around for companies that build garages, you should try to find out how long each one you’re considering has been in business.

If you have two options, and one just opened three years ago, but another has a forty-year history, you should probably opt for the latter. That amount of experience usually means they know what they’re doing. If they didn’t, it’s not likely they would have that long of a pedigree. 

A Professional Website

You should also check out each garage-building company’s website that you’re thinking about using. How does it look? Does it seem professional? Does it load quickly, or does it take a while?

If the copy has many spelling errors or grammatical issues, that’s probably a bad sign. If you see stock photos instead of professional quality, full color ones, that’s another potential red flag. 

The company you use should have a site with clear, persuasive copy, an eye-catching logo, and information about their services, prices, and anything else that would interest a potential customer. Putting thought and money into a website tells you a lot about any business entity. 

Any garage-building company that throws together a site hastily and doesn’t much care about its appearance or content likely won’t do as good of a job on your garage. It’s a matter of pride. You can look at a business entity’s site like the online welcome mat they leave out for potential customers. 

Lots of Stellar Reviews

The reviews of any business also matter, and that’s certainly true with companies that install garages. There should be plenty of positive reviews on their website, but you can’t completely trust those, since they’re biased. You can certainly read them, but don’t accept what they say as the gospel. 

Instead, look elsewhere online for any additional feedback about the company you can find. Check the Better Business Bureau and Angie, formerly Angie’s List. Look at the Google listing for the company, too.

Business entities can’t change what previous customers say about them on Google, so you can feel more confident about what people say there regarding this company. Dozens or hundreds of five-star reviews should make you more inclined to give them your money. 

By contrast, if you see hardly any reviews, or several negative ones, that should instantly put you on your guard. Also, look to see if the company responded to any of the reviews, whether positive or negative. 

A company that pays attention and cares about their online reputation will usually say a simple thank you when someone writes them a positive review online. They should also typically respond to negative feedback asking how they can rectify the situation if they failed to satisfy a previous customer. These kinds of interactions can tell you just as much about a company as their website can.   

The Right Price

You definitely need to get a price quote that works for you anytime you hire a company to install your new garage. The price matters with any project, and that’s always the case with something like a major home improvement job like garage installations.

You should be able to find a comprehensive price list on the company’s website, but if you can’t, they should have no problems talking about their prices if you call them. If they are not able to give you a quote over the phone, and they need to come look at your property before letting you know the approximate cost, that’s fine too. 

They should not charge anything for the consultation, though. If they try to, refuse. You can probably find many other garage installation companies that will come out and give you a quote for free. 

Willingness to Accept a Reasonable Down Payment

If you like a company’s price that they quote you, and you go with them, you should never pay the whole fee upfront. Instead, you should put a chunk of money down that seems reasonable to you. 

Any credible contractor will accept this. You might pay as much as half of the agreed-upon fee, but no more than that. You need to wait and see how the project turns out, even if you feel confident based on reviews and your initial meeting with the company’s representatives that they’ll do a good job. 

Cheerful, Friendly Employees

Lastly, you want a garage-installation company that has friendly, cheerful employees. Whether you’re interacting with them over the phone, through email, text messages, or in person, they should respect you. You’re giving them your business, and they should appreciate that.

If you run into a company with rude or brusque employees, you do not have to use them. You have no obligation, and you can go with someone else anytime you want, at least until you sign a contract. Before you reach that point, try to trust your gut. If you think a company seems disreputable, your instinct will likely prove to be correct.