Ken Writes:

> We have only had recourse to file a mechanic's lien a few times.
>  In all of the cases the owners NEVER intended to pay for the work.
>  ..... The best thing is to develop relationships before doing business.

My advance payment policy quickly filters out those who do not intend to pay
as the relationship is set up. It is difficult to develop a business
relationship before doing business. I often think of this as "trust building,"
and will often do one or a few smaller projects wtih a new client to build
that trust, then do the major work. Whenever I have used this technique as a
project manager it has always lead to high success.

John Leeke, Preservation Consultant

26 Higgins St., Portland, Maine 04103, USA
207 773-2306 (phone and fax)
Practical Restoration Reports, Publisher
Website: www.HistoricHomeWorks.com
Old-House Journal, Contributing Editor
AOL: HouseNet, Historic HomeWorks, Pundit, [log in to unmask]