I'm in the process of searching for a General Contractor in the Tri State area... What's the best ways of researching their track records in regards to professionalism, tardiness and accuracy?

Best way to bet contractors is to get references from clients including 3 or more current projects in process, 3 or more current past clients.

Visit some job sites in progress to see how they look. You can tell a lot about a contractor by how clean and organized the site is and the quality of the subs a well. You also want to talk to the subs to make sure they always get paid on time by the builder.

Make sure to get check license status and for complaints with the state and get proof of insurance sent directly by their insurance company to you as named insured.