Prime vs. Single Contracts

Congrats !!!!
(I learned to close on the 3rd of month on rentals to collect prorated rents + deposits)

I think what they want to do is contract the entire rehab in whole, sometimes good sometimes not.

Of course they WANT the whole job,but

are they going to do the work or sub it out

how good are they ,

can they stay on schedule,

get 3 estimates/bids on work

have you checked references, license and insurance

how much discount will you recieve for the whole job oppose to separate contracts for each repair

with the economy is a slump, you CAN have contractors fighting over this work
and save along the way

decisions- decisions....Keep up the great work and be careful with contractors

Sheila,

in my experience you sign a contract with the prime contractor who will then hire sub-contractors to do some 'smaller' parts of the 'big' job; i.e. in your case, the windows, etc.
What you can request is the list of sub-contractors whom he intends to use, and for what jobs.
It is easier to deal with one contract for the whole job; and it should cost less than doing each job separately.
When you sign the contract, the contractor will give you an itemized estimate, and duration of the job; and hopefully a schedule too. The schedule will allow you to verify that there are no delays as the job progresses; also, you will be able to see which jobs will be done concurrently, which jobs depend on the completion of other jobs (these are the jobs you need to watch for, since they are the ones that can cause your delays. Depending on the duration of the job, you may want to ask if you will get schedule updates. An incentive to get the job done on time is to have a bonus for 'early finish' or no delays.

Hope this helps a little...
Valerie