How to Spot a Trustworthy Contractor: More Than Just 5 Star Reviews

Can You Trust 5 Star Reviews?

Have you ever felt frustrated after hiring someone with great reviews—only to be disappointed by how the project was handled?

Or maybe you’re comparing companies right now and wondering: “How do I know which reviews are actually legit?”

Some companies pay for reviews or give discounts for them. They exchange reviews with other businesses or ask for reviews from friends and family. 

5 star reviews can certainly be a strong signal that a contractor does good work…. if the reviews are legit. But how can you tell ?

In this article, you’ll learn  how to dig deeper… learn how to read reviews to find the legitimate ones and learn how to use other sources to find a remodeling contractor you can genuinely trust.

The Problem with Reviews in the Remodeling Industry

We currently have around 50 5 star reviews on Google. All legitimate, all written thoughtfully by caring clients and we respond to every one.

We work very hard to earn those reviews and we love getting the postive feedback. We also know 5 star reviews send a strong signal to potential clients.

But we have had issues with reviews too:

We once had a applicant for a position we had open leave us a 1 star review because we didn’t hire him. In fact he created fake google profiles and left multiple 1 star reviews.

We were able to have Google take those reviews down because they were obviously fraudulent but it took some time. And it they don’t always take them down.

We also had a client years ago leave us a 1 star review on Yelp… unfairly in our opinion. She also had a friend, who we never met or did any work for, leave us a 1 star review too.

Yelp would take the fake review down… what’s worse is, even after 10 years, Yelp shows that review before they show the 5 star reviews we have from other clients… likely because we won’t pay Yelp’s monthly fee.

The review system is useful but not without it’s problems. Google reviews seem to have the most credibility… but always check multiple sites… and be wary of reviews on lead generation sites like Angi, Houzz and Yelp. Those sites are for profit and contractor pay for their services.

The key is look past the stars and learn to spot fake vs legitimate reviews.

 Beyond the Star Rating

A lot of people only look at the start rating…. so it puts a lot of pressure on contractors and sometimes leads them to create fake 5 star reviews.

Franchises are often the worst at review manipulation. They have a big corporate entity behind them and they have a lot of tricks for getting 5 start reviews including offering discounts for good reviews.

Smaller, local businesses usually have more honest reviews but they will also ask for reviews from friends or exchange reviews with other businesses to boost their rating.

It’s easy to understand why… one bad review can really damage a business… and there are people out there leaving fake 1 start reviews or clients who like to leave a 1 star reviews for even the smallest issue. There are even scammers who leave 1 start review and then try to get you to pay them to take it down.

Things are made worse by lead generation companies like Yelp, Angi or Houzz. They offer paid services to contractors to attract clients and they have their own review systems.

They promote better reviews if a company pays them a monthly fee and hide good reviews if they don’t. Yelp has been sued for this practice, though it is hard to prove.

A few other reason to be careful with reviews:

• • Homeowners value different things… someone might leave a 5 star review becaue the price was cheap, even though the work was mediocre.
• • Large companies like Bath Fitter or MaxHome show hundreds of review… but that is for multiple locations across the country, not your local office
• • Some reviews are fake, or written by the owners mom or best friend.

How To Read Reviews

If you look beyond the star rating and read the reviews you can get a lot more information to help you create an initial list of contractors. Then you can use other sources to find out more.

Pro tip: Use ChatGPT or other AI to read reviews for you. You can as AI to read all the reviews for a specific contractor and summarize them for you. You can even ask follow up questions.

Look for details

A beautiful photo or “we love our new kitchen!” isn’t enough. Focus on reviews that describe:

• • How well the team communicated
  • Whether the schedule and budget were honored
  • How problems were handled during the project

Clients who had a great experience write detailed reviews. Helpful reviews talk about the journey, not just the destination

Look for Responses To Each Review

Contractors who care about their clients will take the time to repond to a review to say thanks and express grattitude.

Responses to low start reviews can be more powerful. No company is perfect—what matters is whether they take responsibility and resolve issues professionally.

• • Do they reply thoughtfully?
  • Do they offer a fix or explanation?
  • Does the response build trust or raise red flags?

A respectful reponse to a 2 or 3 start review can tell you a lot

Check the reviewers location and context

Franchise companies often pool reviews from all branches, which can be misleading. A contractor with 338 five-star reviews might only have 10 that apply to your local office.

• • Do they mention a city or neighbrohood
  • Do they mention specific staff members?
  • Does the review talk about the kind of work you want done?

One or two sentence reviews don’t tell you much. Look for longer, more thoughtful reviews that tell the story of the project.

Check Other Sources

Use reviews to make an initial short list of contractors to consider. Then use other sources to dig deeper before calling them on the phone or inviting them into your home.

Start with their website but also ask on local Facebook groups or even on Reddit (there is a Tallahassee subreddit with local tips and information).

Review their website

Take some time to read through the home page (don’t just skim it) and check out their about page, pricing page (if they have one), and project gallery.

• • Look for details about their process—how do they create your estimate, how do they schedule, how do they communicate?
  • Look at past project pictures – do they represent the kind of work you want done?
  • Look for information on their typical client type

Good contractors are transparent about pricing, how they work, and who they serve. Their website should have pictures of past projects and ideally post about the project details. They should have a basic pricing page and a page that outlines their remodeling process.

Low information or superficial websites that just show pretty pictures or say things like “We’re The Best Contractor” or “We do quality work” are not that useful. Look for explanations and proof.

Ask to speak to recent clients

Especially clients who have done projects similar to the one you are considering. 

• • Ask them what went well and what did not?
  • How did the company handle unexpected issues
  • Would they hire them again?

While no contractor is going to refer you to a client who had a bad experience, talking to a former clients gives you opportunity to ask more focused questions about things that are important to you.

Use AI Tools like ChatGPT

• • We wrote another article about this: https://mcmanuskitchenandbath.com/chatgpt-home-renovation/
  • Tell ChatGPT about your project and ask it to recoemmend local contractors
  • Ask follow up questions about the results

AI is a powerful research tool… but aware it can make mistakes, always verify results. But using AI for initial research can speed up the process.

Tips for Calling Contractors

Once you’ve used reviews, the website and other sources to narrow down your list it’s time to start calling contractors.

A common mistake we see many homeowners make is focusing on what they want done and not what type of remodeling experience they expect.

A lot of frustration is caused by hiring a contractor that can do the work, but not provide the level of service you expect. 

We’ve created a list of 26 questions to ask each contractor you consider. We suggest you ask some of these questions on the phone and others when you meet the contractor in person.

You can download the checklist here:

So… Do Reviews Matter at All?

Yes—but only if you read them the right way. Reviews are a great tool for spotting red flags or validating what a contractor promises. But they should never be your only source of information.

Reviews are part of a bigger decision-making process that includes:

• • Transparent estimates
• • A clearly defined process
• • A team you feel comfortable communicating with
• • A willingness to answer tough questions

You Deserve Better Than Just a Star Rating

At the end of the day, you’re not hiring a star rating—you’re hiring a team to work in your home and bring your vision to life. And that requires more than a few glowing quotes and high numbers on a website.

Now that you know what to look for, take the next steps:

• • Download our guide: 26 Questions to Ask Contractors
• • Schedule a call… we’re happy to answer any questions you have. If we are not a good fit for your project we are happy to recommend someone to you.

You might also want to check out our subcontractor directory… we list the trade partners we have been working with for years. These are companies we know you can trust if you need smaller projects done around the home.