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GUIDES

Read this before you hire anyone

Plain-English guides on licenses, permits, insurance claims, and hiring, written for Washington homeowners, not search engines.

How to check a contractor's license in Washington (step by step with L&I)

The exact L&I lookup, what the record tells you, and the red flags hiding in it: five minutes that can save you a five-figure mistake.

By Anna Karakotova · July 18, 2026

Do you need a permit for that? A Snohomish County remodel permit guide

What needs a permit, what usually doesn't, and how to check your own address before the work starts.

By Anna Karakotova · July 18, 2026

Flood & storm damage claims in WA: what to do in the first 48 hours

What to document, how to make the claim call, and how to spot the storm-chaser scams that show up after every big flood.

By Anna Karakotova · July 18, 2026

9 contractor red flags (from someone who vets them for a living)

Missing L&I numbers, bond gaps, big deposits, permit dodges: the warning signs I check before a contractor ever gets recommended.

By Anna Karakotova · July 19, 2026

Angi, Thumbtack, and the lead-site machine: who's actually working for whom?

How lead sites really work, why the calls flood in, when those platforms genuinely make sense, and what a curated match does differently.

By Anna Karakotova · July 19, 2026

More guides are on the way. We publish a couple each month, and every one is written to actually answer the question.

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