If it is too good to be true...
This is a saying my father used to use on me when I was a kid; “If it is too good to be true, it probably is!”
Of course at 10 years old you will not listen, especially if you are trading for that coveted 10 speed Schwinn Sting Ray Bike in banana yellow you have always wanted. After I traded my prized positions for the bike it became apparent that it was not worth it; broken seat, broken chain, flat tires, and the list goes on. I had been swindled! All because my mind heard what it wanted to hear.
Finding a contractor to work in your home should never be about price. I am not saying that you should let contractors take advantage of you in their pricing, but the selection of a good contractor should be based on more than their price. Consider what you are looking for in a contractor; someone with the knowledge to repair and replace your specialized equipment, or someone who can piece it together with bubble gum and bailing wire for as long as possible. Are you looking for 24 hour emergency service with good turn around times or are you ok staying without heating or cooling for 1 or 2 days while the one man shop you use catches up with all of his work?
Knowledge, experience, skill, manpower, equipment, all of this should be weighed in before you make a decision. I have known people who do not mind the three day wait for service, their wives and family do, but they do not because they are not home to suffer through it. Match your contractor to what you want out of them, remember, if the price seems too good to be true, it is.