Did you just move into a new neighborhood, town, or city? You might be eager to find out where all the best local places are, like restaurants, grocery stores, or even banks. There should be another addition to your to-do list -- “Find plumbers.” Yes, it’s a good idea to do this research ahead of time rather than frantically trying to find one while you have burst pipes. Here are some of the things you should be on the lookout for.

They Should Be Licensed

There are a lot of plumbers out there. According to FieldCamp, roughly 480,6000 licensed ones are working in the United States. You want to ensure that the ones you hire are among those with licenses. They should have it prominently on their websites or business cards.

They Should Be Insured

Plumbers work with things under a lot of pressure. Even though they have a lot of equipment to do the job properly, things can happen. If any damage was done while they were working, the insurance could cover what happened. Just like when they list that they are licensed, they will also announce that they are insured.

They Should Be Up Front With How Much They Charge

The last thing you want to do while you’re having issues with your plumbing is to play “20 Questions” with a plumber about what they charge -- or worse, find that they added hidden charges. Many plumbers charge things for what fixture they will be working on, especially if they are doing remodeling work. For example, they may have a set price if they are working on drain clearing. Make sure that you get everything upfront to avoid any surprises.

They Should Have Good Online Reviews

The internet has made this kind of thing easier. In the past, you had to rely more on word of mouth from other people, or you could look at things like Yellow Pages to locate them. Now, all you have to do is go to local review sites. People are happy to leave their opinions on a plumber’s work.

The best thing you can do is use your common sense. Sometimes, it will be easy to tell if the person leaving the review had unreasonable expectations and wasn’t justified in leaving a low rating. If you find several with good ratings, you can contact them to take the next step.

They Should Be Responsive

You want to talk to a plumber who will quickly respond to your call. They may have an answering service or dedicated people who can answer any questions, including the plumber’s availability. You don’t want to feel like you must be chasing after anyone even to get a response. If that’s the case, then you should look elsewhere. Luckily, at Holt Plumbing Company LLC, we even offer 24/7 emergency services and take pride in our response time.

They Should Be Communicative

One thing you might want to do is cultivate a relationship with a plumber. You could have them do basic work that’s not pressing. That can build up a certain level of trust. If you need to have a larger plumbing project done, they’ll see you as someone they know and will be more upfront than a first-time customer.

When you hire a plumber, they should be able to communicate everything to you in a simple way. You want to be able to follow what they are saying and easily figure out what they will do. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, though. A good plumber will gladly answer anything you toss their way.

If you do the above things, you will have a much better chance of finding a professional plumber. Then, you’ll be able to have things quickly return to normal with working plumbing systems. That will make all the research you did worth it.

Are you looking for plumbers in your area? We have trustworthy ones that can do anything from backflow prevention to drain cleaning to water heater services. Feel free to contact us at Holt Plumbing Company LLC if you have any questions about what we can do for you. With over 35 years of experience, we are here to help with all of your plumbing needs.