Northshore Magazine: 

Based in the Chicago area, this is a contractor referral service.  Homeowners call The Home Improvement Network and tell them what they are looking for - cement work, windows, waterproofing, etc. - and they are referred, at no charge to the homeowner, to a prescreened contractor.

"We do background checks and meet with all of the contractors personally," says Pete Thomas, president of The Home Improvement Network.  "We try to get to know them.  We haven't visited everyone's job sites, but we try to get to as many as we can.  If the company has been around and has a fleet of trucks, well, that tells us more than just a guy in a rickety old van."

Launched three years ago, The Home Improvement Network has approximately 115 contractors on board.  "On board" means the contractors have signed up to be a part of the service, have passed the screening process, are willing to pay $30 per referral, and are able to handle at least 10 referrals per month.

"We keep tabs on these companies for as long as they're involved in the program," Thomas says.  "We can terminate companies at any time.  We can also mediate disputes.  If a homeowner says they're having a problem, we'll call them and find out what's going on.  Because the companies want to stay involved in the service and get referrals, they feel a pressure from us to get things resolved.  

Thomas says that The Home Improvement Network has helped 4,500 homeowners since 1998, and that it adds 350 to 375 homeowners a month.