Every time you hire a contractor, you need to talk to at least five of them. More is even better. Then you need to ask for and check refrences. Go out and look at what they did, and see for yourself if it's what you are wanting. Ask the people who hired them if there were any surprises or problems that you should be aware of.
When hiring, I like to have a list of what I want written down on paper. Know what your long term goals are. If you want to build on part of that land, you need to have it cleared and the stumps/roots of those trees removed. Not just ground down. Can and will they do that for you in that area? Will you want a lawn? a pasture? will you want to raise animals or mow the area? Knowing all your details of what you want will help you narrow down your search on who you hire. Mulching is great for opeing up thick areas very quickly, but it's not ideal for building on, or for a nice lawn.
Get their rates down on paper and be sure you are compareing apples to apples. Some will charge by the hour, others give a set price, but might not include as much as you want done. If they wont write it down, don't hire them.
I find that hiring by the hour gets the best results because you can add to it or get exactly what you want done. My neighbor likes to hire by the day. He has so much money and he tells the guy to get to work until he's used up the amount of money agreed upon. If you hire by the job on a set price, it's very important to agree to how it will look when done, what will be left and how much area they will cover. NEVER assume anything. They can't read your mind and if you don't say it or put it in writing, it's VERY EASY to mis commucate and you end up with something that you don't want, but the contractor thought is exactly what you want.
If possible, be there when they are working. If it's a big job that will take several days, be sure to drop in and check on things to be sure it's going as planned.
I'm a contractor. I remodel homes. The biggest, most common complaint that I hear from my clients about my competition is that they know it's not going well and they are thinking about firing him, but don't because they "HOPE" it will get better. It never does. You only get deeper into trouble and it only gets worse. When you realize or start to think there is a problem, stop everything and address it. You are spending your money and you have every right to have it done your way.
Payment can be tricky. I never charge up front money, but realize that it's expensive to move equipment and that with some jobs, up front money is needed. When interviewing contractors, ask about payment methods and time tables. What ever the arrangement is, be sure that there is enough money held back until the job is done to YOUR satisfaction. NEVER EVER make final payment until it it 100% done. NEVER agree to payment if they say they will be back to finish it later and never loan money to a contractor. Things break, that's part of doing business. If they need money to fix their machines, it's not your job to give it to them until they have done what they are supposed to do. Put that in writing if you need to, but people get burned all the time by paying to fix a machine and then the guy disapears without finishing the job. If you are paying by the hour, be sure to know when the clock starts. I've had guys show up and drink coffee in the morning, waiting on the boss to get there, and then say that they were on the clock. They were not on my clock, and I pay for running hours of the equipment. If it breaks, they are off my clock on on their own. I put this in writing and base my hourly payements on the meter on the machine, or my own clock that I keep and let them know I'm keeping it. If you do this up front and before hiring them, you will find it works out well. If you just hope to get an honest guy, you might, or you might not. You just don't know until it's all said and done, and even then, you might not knot know if the hours were padded.
Good luck, take your time and be sure not to hire the first guy you talk to. A good saleman and a friendly personality has nothing to do with honesty and the ability to do what they say they will.
Eddie
