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Several years ago, I had an oil leak under my high-mileage 2007 Impala. After crawling around under the vehicle I discovered transmission fluid was squirting out of an aluminum tube near the engine. Under some wires near the starter, a hole in the transmission cooler...

I’ve heard this twice this year, and from good contractor accounts boasting quality workmanship, and solid in most every way.  One a bigger commercial job, and another a new residential build for the owner’s daughter. Both of these contractors asked me what to do, and...

Experience has its advantages, and there are never fewer than two good, solid events in a busy workweek to learn from.  I analyze perhaps deeper than most others.  I tend to look well beyond the simple solution to any given problem to “root out” what either caused the...

I had a client call me a few months back who wanted me to file a lien on his behalf on a project in a Detroit residential community.  I’d filed some liens for “Jack” before, and usually they were for small amounts (under $4,000) and fairly straightforward. I said...

Now let’s get to the question we started with earlier: How do you handle customers who don’t qualify for credit? There are several companies that adhere rather strictly to policy and procedures with regard to credit extension. These companies are not quite as tolerant...

I was prompted to attempt to answer the question to myself after noticing a similar question in a recent credit manager association group. I suppose we should first consider who does qualify for credit. Even in doing this, there are some basics to review. The Credit...

There used to be a time when a lien was considered taboo in the construction industry.  If a contractor liened the job (often working for the builder), the reaction was pretty clear – no more working for that builder. For the average Joe who hasn’t yet cut his first...

The very act of hiring work out on your construction project creates the potential for a lien. The passage of the Michigan Construction Lien Act 497 of 1980 created the guidelines by which a lien was to be perfected.  The Act protects both the owner of the real...

Customers ask me time and again how they can avoid getting a construction lien on their home or project. I don’t claim to have all the right answers nor can I offer legal advice. I do have something to share, and figure that this contribution will be a good...

I don’t suppose anyone plans to fail when starting a construction project.  What with all that goes into a project, and especially in the economic climate of southeast Michigan, what more needs to be said?  Profit margins are down, costs are up and continue to grow,...