Yeah, gut feelings can be pretty powerful. We went with a landscaper once who had amazing reviews but felt kinda off in person... turns out our instincts were right. Wish we'd trusted that feeling more from the start.
Totally relate to that—reviews don't always capture the full story.
- Met a plumber once who barely had an online presence but just seemed solid and honest.
- Took the chance, and he turned out great... still my go-to guy.
- Instincts matter, especially when someone's working in your personal space.
Had a similar experience recently when hiring someone to redo my deck. Found a contractor online with tons of glowing reviews, but something felt off when we met—he kept pushing expensive materials and didn't really listen to what I wanted. Decided to pass and asked around instead. Ended up hiring a guy recommended by a neighbor who didn't even have a website, just a phone number scribbled on a scrap of paper. He showed up on time, walked me through each step clearly, and gave me realistic expectations about timing and costs. Deck turned out great, no surprises or hidden fees.
Bottom line: trust your gut. Reviews can help narrow things down, but they're not everything. Having someone working around your home means you need to feel comfortable with them personally, not just professionally.
Totally get what you're saying about trusting your gut, but do you think there's still value in online reviews? I've had mixed luck myself—once hired a plumber with amazing ratings who turned out to be a nightmare, yet another time found a landscaper online who was fantastic. Maybe it's about reading between the lines or knowing what red flags to look for? Curious if anyone else has figured out a good balance between trusting reviews and intuition...
I've been there too—great reviews don't always mean great service. For me, it's about spotting overly generic praise or vague complaints... and then trusting my gut to fill in the gaps. Seems like you're already on the right track balancing both.
