Ray almost paid $14,800. Then his daughter tried this

Today's Tip: Vetting a contractor before you sign

Most people pick a contractor by asking three friends and going with the one who calls back fastest. That's exactly backwards.

Let me explain…

Ray is 69. Retired auto mechanic in Tucson. Last month he needed a new roof — the old one finally gave up after the spring storms.

He did what most of us would do. He asked his neighbor. His neighbor knew a guy. The guy showed up the next morning in an unmarked truck and quoted him $14,800. Cash preferred. Could start Monday.

Ray almost signed. But his daughter called and said… "Wait. Just wait one hour. Let me try something."

She opened Gemini on her phone and typed in the contractor's name and city. Two minutes later, she had three things Ray didn't.

She had a license number that didn't match the state's database. She had two BBB complaints from the last eight months — both about disappearing after taking a deposit. And she had a local TV news segment from February naming the same person in a roofing scam investigation.

Ray didn't sign. He found someone else. The new roof cost $11,200… and the second contractor showed up with a license, insurance papers, and a written contract.

That's what 15 minutes with AI can do. Before money changes hands.

Here's the prompt that does it…

★ Copy-Paste Prompt

Works in Claude, Gemini & Grok

I'm hiring a contractor for [TYPE OF WORK] in [YOUR CITY, STATE]. The contractor's name is [FULL NAME OR COMPANY NAME], and they say their license number is [NUMBER, IF GIVEN]. They quoted me $[AMOUNT].

Please search the web and tell me:

1. Does this contractor have an active license in my state? Give me the link to the state licensing board so I can verify.

2. Are there any Better Business Bureau complaints, lawsuits, or news stories about this contractor or company in the last 2 years?

3. What is the typical price range for [TYPE OF WORK] in my area? Is this quote in line, high, or low?

4. What are 3 specific questions I should ask this contractor before signing anything?

Please include the source link for each piece of information so I can check it myself.

Why this works: You're not asking for an opinion. You're asking for facts with receipts. By demanding source links for every claim, you force the AI to look things up instead of guessing — and you can verify everything in another tab before you trust it.

You don't need the license number to start. If the contractor won't give you one, that itself is a red flag — and the AI will tell you so.

The quote-comparison question is the quiet hero of this prompt. Roofs, HVAC systems, water heaters, fence work — every region has a typical range. When a number sits way outside that range, you want to know before you sign… not after.

★ Today's "Aha!" Moment

The old way of vetting a contractor was three phone calls and a gut feeling. The new way is three phone calls AND a 15-minute fact-check. The order matters. Information first… commitment second.

I know what you're thinking. "Isn't this what referrals are for? My neighbor swears by this guy."

Referrals are wonderful. Your neighbor's experience is one data point. But your neighbor isn't seeing the BBB complaints filed by the family two zip codes over. Your neighbor isn't seeing the news segment from February. A 15-minute search doesn't replace your neighbor's word… it confirms it, or it warns you in time.

★ One Thing to Watch

AI can be wrong. It can tell you a license is active when it expired last week, or miss a recent complaint. Treat every answer as a starting point, never the final word. When the AI gives you a state licensing board link, click it and check the license yourself. That extra 30 seconds is the difference between "I read about it" and "I verified it."

Print the prompt. Tape it to the inside of a kitchen cabinet. The next time someone knocks on the door offering a deal on roof work or driveway sealing, you'll know exactly what to do before you say yes.

The best contractors don't mind being checked. The bad ones disappear when you start asking.

★ ★ ★

Tool Spotlight ★

Gemini

Site: gemini.google.com

Made by: Google

Cost: Free tier available

Gemini is Google's AI… and the thing that makes it shine for today's task is the same thing that makes Google useful: it searches the live web and shows you where it found each answer. Ask it to vet a contractor and it pulls from state licensing sites, BBB pages, news outlets, and review platforms — then hands you the links so you can verify.

It also fits right inside Gmail and Google Docs if you use them. Drafting a message to a contractor? Gemini can write it in the same window where you read your email. No copy-paste, no extra app, no new password to remember.

Best for: web research with source links, quick factual lookups, working inside Gmail and Google Docs

★ ★ ★

★ Quick Wins

Find the real price before you call — Before getting any quote on home repairs, type this into Gemini: "What is the typical cost range to replace a water heater (or repair drywall, or reseal a driveway) in [your city] in 2026? Include sources." You'll walk into the conversation knowing what's fair. Saves you from the "special senior discount" that's actually 30% above market.

2	Find the state license lookup page — Type into Gemini or Grok: "What is the official website where I can verify a roofing (or plumbing, or electrical) contractor's license in [your state]?" It'll hand you the exact .gov page. Bookmark it. Every state has one… most people never use it.

Decode any contract in plain English — Take a photo of any contract you're handed. Upload it to Claude or Gemini and type: "I'm not a lawyer. Read this contract and tell me in plain English what I'm agreeing to, what's missing that should be there, and what would worry you." Works on roof contracts, HVAC contracts, even gym memberships.

Skill Builder: Getting AI to show its work

The single biggest mistake people make with AI is asking it a question and trusting the answer. The AI sounds confident even when it's wrong. The fix is simple: ask it for sources.

Every time you ask AI for a fact — a price, a law, a phone number, a date — add four words to the end of your question: "with source links please."

This changes everything. The AI stops guessing and starts looking. And you stop trusting and start verifying. The link is your safety net.

When the AI gives you a link, click it. Don't read the AI's summary and move on. The summary might miss the most important sentence on the page. The link is the truth… the summary is the AI's best guess at the truth.

Here's a prompt to save and reuse anytime you're asking AI about anything with money, legal terms, or health on the line.

★ The Show Your Work Prompt

Works in Claude, Gemini & Grok

Before you answer my next question, please follow these rules:

1. Only state facts you can back up with a current, real web source. Do not guess.

2. For every claim, include a link I can click to check it myself.

3. If you cannot find a source, say "I don't have a verified source for this" — do not fill in with your best guess.

4. Tell me how recent each source is. If the most recent source is older than 1 year, say so.

Now here's my question: [YOUR QUESTION]

Why this works: Most AI tools will guess when they don't know — and they'll sound certain doing it. By giving these four rules up front, you force the AI to either bring receipts or admit it doesn't know. Both are useful. Pretending to know is the only outcome you can't work with.

Try it once today. Ask any AI tool a question about something you already know the answer to — and add "with source links please." See what comes back. You'll get a feel for which tools cite well and which ones bluff.

The goal isn't to become an AI expert. The goal is to make sure that when you ask the AI a question about your money, your house, or your health… the answer is something you can actually verify.

Ray almost paid $14,800. Then his daughter tried this

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