What We Do & What We Don't Do...

We don't just dole out "Good Advice" about consumer problems.

We do work with you to prevent specific and all-too-common problems before they happen, by helping you to write smarter contracts with architects, designers, remodelers or new home builders, for example.

We offer a low-cost Contract Advocacy Review that helps you spot problems in a construction or repair proposal BEFORE they ruin your project. It's NOT a full legal review which we recommend you get from a lawyer but it actually helps you avoid trouble in the first place.

We also offer a Sample Contract with language that can be inserted into your remodeling or repair contracts, including basic provisions that help things go smoothly.

We offer a Contractor Reference Check & Report for families who are too busy to go through the important, but time consuming, process of finding out whether or not a contractor's reputation with former clients, suppliers and Consumer Protection authorities is solid.

We offer straightforward sources like the How to Hire a Contractor Checklist and other "Homeowner Survival Tools" that show you how it's done - with no mystery or confusing jargon. We give you the information resources you need to protect yourself in the future.

As one user of Smart Consumer Services told Money magazine, "I finally feel like there's someone on MY side."

This site is for you. It contains information and ideas that not only make certain that your home is your castle, but that it's also safe from common schemes, frauds, incompetence, and non-communication all consumers need to know and avoid.