Get the Most for Your Money by Attending Home Shows
It is the time of year when the trees start to bloom, we start planning our gardens and think about those great summer barbeques. It’s time for spring cleaning and renovation. One of the greatest ways to plan these projects and get inspiration is by attending home shows.
Over the course of the year, there are dozens of home shows and events available to homeowners and contractors that you can attend to see the latest and greatest innovations in home construction and landscape as well as a host of home-related items. Here are some great tips to help you make the most out of your home show experience, and home improvement planning.
Give yourself ample time
For those of you that don’t regularly attend home shows, or have never been to one, they can be a bit of a sensory overload. There are aisles of people, samples, and displays to check out. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to explore the show. Have good shoes and a sweater as sometimes the expansive convention centers can be chilly.
Make a Check out list before you go
It is easy to get lost and sidetracked in such a huge space and with so much going on. If you know in advance you want to do some yard work or landscaping. Make a list of vendors you want to check out. Maybe a masonry guy, a drainage person, a lawns sculpture person-whatever your project needs so you make sure you seek them out.
Try to Research in Advance
See if you can find a list of all the vendors who will be at the show (many of the websites will tell you who is at the show) or some shows have a magazine or publication that is available. Look at the project at hand and research your vendors. How long have they been in business? Do they have a good reputation? What services do they offer? Do they provide financing? There is no point in spending your time talking to a contractor at the home show and getting excited only to find out that they have terrible reviews or don’t have the services that you need.
Attend and View Demonstrations
Many home shows will have presenters and demonstrations from several of the vendors at the home show. If it is a topic that is interesting to you or a project you are considering, I suggest watching the speaker and their product demonstration to get a better idea of what the company does and how.
Even if the vendors are not doing a presentation on stage, many do presentations or demonstrations at the booth. This will give you a chance to hold the product in your hand and potentially see the product assembled. This allows for you to decide if it is even something you like before you have it installed in your home.
Look for Home Show Discounts
Often times, vendors will provide home show exclusive deals as a perk to visiting the booth at the home show. When you are talking to these vendors or planning your estimates, ask them if they have a discount available for attending the home show. For example, our company offers a 100$ discount for home show attendees. This is characteristic of nearly all vendors. If you know you are planning on having a certain type of work done, this could save you a ton of money by attending the home show to earn the discount.
Not only do home shows allow for you to see a variety of home-related repair projects all in one location, they allow you to compare contractors and gain information from each to help you make an informed decision for your home repair projects. They are also a great way to get out of the house and see something different.