IT'S THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN MANY ARE THINKING ABOUT HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, BUT MONEY IS TIGHT AND THE IDEA OF RENOVATIONS MAY ONLY BE IN THE CARDS IF IT CAN BE DONE AT THE RIGHT PRICE ... TRADITIONALLY, WE'D LOOK IN THE PAPER, ASK A NEIGHBOR OR RESPOND TO SOMETHING HANGING ON OUR DOOR. WHAT'S OUR NEW MOVE? WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT IT ON TV & RADIO. IN THE MEANTIME, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST ....

Old way: Traditionally, homeowners looking to hire a contractor would respond to a door hanger, or maybe call a number on a yard sign, maybe ask a neighbor for a recommendation.

New way: ServiceMagic.com has a database of 52,000 prescreened contractors and other types of home service professionals, such as plumbers, electricians, landscapers, maids, on and on. With a few clicks of the mouse you have multiple (qualified/screened) contractors competing for your business. You can get started HERE by simply typing in your zipcode & the desired service. I couldn't believe how many results instantly got.

What does "prescreened" mean? ServiceMagic has a 10 point contractor screening system – they do things like verify the contractor is state licensed, verify the contractor has the appropriate liability insurance, run criminal background checks and more. For their part, contractors pay to be listed on the site ... they pay on a per lead basis. Anywhere from $6.00 per lead, on up to $50.00, depending on how exact the customer requests match the services they provide. Contractors we spoke with say the leads are usually pretty solid and using the service is cheaper than advertising in the newspaper.

Finding your contractor: It takes only 2 or 3 minutes to submit a request. Click on the type of job you are interested in, anything from room additions to landscape design or housekeeping service – there are 500 different services homeowners can choose from.

Successive screens narrow the specifics of a particular job request ... For example, if you're hiring a landscape company – do you need a new beds installed? Are you interested in a patio, a walkway, etc.? This is all working toward matching you with companies who are qualified to perform the work you need done. Then, they ask: Are you ready to hire now? Are you just in the planning/budgeting stage?

After you submit your request, the site uses proprietary technology to narrow down to a handful of local businesses (3 or 4) that best match the your needs. Then, an alert goes out via e-mail or an automated telephone call to those qualified businesses in the ServiceMagic network. The businesses respond directly to the lead and can be patched through to the consumer immediately.

From there, it is up to the homeowner to choose from among the responding businesses. Consumers should still take all the usual smart steps: Meet with more than one service provider and get written estimates before awarding the job ... But at least you know you're dealing with contractors who have all met certain criteria. Consumers also have the benefit of viewing profiles of the businesses with whom they've been matched, including promotional offers, photos of previous work, licensing and insurance information.

Because many people are operating on tighter home-improvement budgets ... It's important that your contractor does the job right the first time. The last thing you want to do is have to shell out money for a do-over.

FIND ADDITIONAL LOCAL SERVICES HERE & HERE.