Tools for hiring a handyman

Consumers have never had more or easier ways to find a handyman for projects small and big. Sites like Craig's List offer a digital-age version of the classified ads for metropolitan areas coast to coast, while online sources like Insider Pages, Judy's Book, and Angie's List allow you to read comments and user ratings about handymen and ask questions about someone you're considering hiring. And then there are the big-money franchise operations and handyman-referral companies that promise a roster of prescreened, qualified professionals who would put the "This Old House" gang to shame.

But even with this proliferation of Web resources, hiring the right professional isn't a snap. "Handymen are advertising all over the place," says Sheila Adkins, director of public affairs for the Council of Better Business Bureaus. "They're on the Internet, in the yellow pages. You don't know who's reliable. The best thing to do is use caution."

Even when people hire someone in whom they have faith, the results often belie their expectations. Stories abound of shoddy or incomplete work, pay disputes, messy workers, and more. Home improvement topped the list of most reported consumer complaints in a 2005 report by the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and the Consumer Federation of America, and it has consistently ranked among the top three complaints found by the survey  in recent years.

We're not sure whether Mae West ever found the man she was looking for, but there are several steps you can take to ensure that you find and hire a handyman who'll do right by you.

Click on each step below to find the keys to successful hiring—and high-quality work. If you've ever experienced any nightmarish projects with handymen, tell us about them.

Step 1: Create a project list.
Step 2: Start your search.
Step 3: Dig deep.
Step 4: Sign off.