Periodically, NRIA Consumer Service representatives are asked to provide their
supervisors with questions from consumers that they think they may have
received on more than one occassion. To better assist you, a list of these questions are listed below along with
answers. If your question does not appear to be in this list or elsewhere on our website,
please feel free to call us toll free at (877)591-2672 where representatives are available Monday thru Friday between 9:00 a.m. and
5:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) to answer any additional questions you may
have about our organization or this program.
This page only contains questions and answers that may not be available
elsewhere on this website. So, please be sure to browse our entire site at your leisure for the most
complete information.
Is the National Residential Improvement Association affiliated with the
Government?
Absolutely not. The National Residential Improvement Association is not affiliated with any
local, state or federal government office or program. We are a private organization.
Does the National Residential Improvement Association sell home improvements?
No. We do not offer any home improvement products or services to consumers.
Does the National Residential Improvement Association offer loans for home
improvements?
No. We do not offer or arrange for any home improvement loan(s) for consumers.
Does the National Residential Improvement Association receive commissions from
participating contractors, lenders or mortgage brokers?
No. We do not receive commissions from any contractor, lender or mortgage broker
that has agreed to participate in our program or otherwise.
Then who pays for this program?
Participating contractors, lenders and mortgage brokers sponsor our program in
it’s entirety so that we can offer our services to consumers free of charge. They pay for all of the costs associated with our program including the printing
and mailing expenses for all NRIA informational publications, brochures, and/or
other educational materials that we provide to consumers free of charge in
addition to all of the administrative costs associated with handling all
consumer inquiries.
Why do contractors and lenders pay to sponsor your program?
They sponsor our program for a number of reasons.
Sponsoring our program generally results in new customers, referrals and
subsequently additional revenue. Our sponsors generally do not mind where their fees come from, whether it be
from a government grant, low 1% interest loan or a more conventional loan
program. And, they do not mind showing consumers like yourself how to benefit from the
tax credits you may be entitled to for making your primary residence more
energy efficient, especially if the end result is more business for them. Simply put, helping you is good for them too.
We also help them to establish a certain level of trust with consumers like
yourself in an age where consumers have every reason to be apprehensive and
afraid. Fraud, identity theft, telemarketing and home improvement scams continue to
persist and will probably continue to grow at an alarming rate throughout our
society. Nevertheless, our sponsors want consumers like you to know that there are highly qualified, credible, reputable contractors, lenders and mortgage brokers
near you that meet or exceed certain industry standards that really want to
help you get the improvements your home needs. Our Pre-screening process provides consumers like you with a little
peace-of-mind and your peace-of-mind is beneficial to each participating
contractor, lender or mortgage broker because it’s that peace-of-mind that allowed them the opportunity to earn your business.
What programs do I qualify for?
Although most consumers can qualify for at least one or two of the programs
posted on this website or listed on any postcard or letter you may have
received in the mail, the answer to this question really depends on the types
of improvements you need, your property type, the total cost of your
improvements, your household income, your age (some programs are for senior
citizens only, etc.), your ability to pay back a more conventional or low
interest loan, etc.
Because of the variety and complexity of programs available to consumers, and to
help protect your privacy, NRIA Consumer Service Representatives will never ask for personal financial information from any consumer (i.e. your Social
Security number or for your permission to pull your credit score, etc.). Instead, we provide the eligibility requirements for numerous government
sponsored home improvement grants, low interest loan programs and tax credits,
etc. to our participating contractors, lenders, mortgage brokers, etc. to help them better assist you.
They will only ask for personal financial information after you have permitted them to do so and only for the purpose of helping you determine which direction to pursue in order to
get the improvements your home needs.
Who is the NRIA Authorized Contractor, Lender or Mortgage Broker for my area and
where are they located?
To find out who the Authorized Contractor, Lender or Mortgage Broker is for your
area, you can either call our Consumer Services Department toll free at (877)591-2672 or you can click the Find a Contractor Near You link at the top of this page and enter your zip code. You will also be able to view additional information we discovered during our
due diligence process.
Please note: The nearest NRIA Authorized Contractor, Lender or Mortgage Broker to your zip
code returned in your search results may not necessarily be licensed to offer their products or services within your city or
county. Please call us toll free at (877)591-2672, and we will provide you with only those that are properly licensed for your
particular city or county.
Where is the National Residential Improvement Association located?
Our headquarters is located in Suffolk, Virginia and our growing network of
Pre-Screened Contractors, Lenders, Mortgage Brokers are located throughout the
United States.
“I called my local Better Business Bureau and they say they have no record of
your organization.” Why is that?
Because our organization is similar in nature, we are not members. However, if you click on this link and type out our entire name (National Residential Improvement Association), you
will find that no consumer has ever complained about our organization.
What does it mean to be “pre-qualified” to participate in your program?
We focus most of our sponsors resources in one particular area at a time which
allows them to operate far more efficiently. This is how we help them justify the discounted pricing we require them to
pledge to in writing. We simply ask them to pass some of these savings along to you, the consumer.
Being “pre-qualified” means that you are entitled to this discounted pricing if you choose to
participate in our program. You are also entitled to any educational materials we publish regarding all of
the programs listed on this website or on any postcard or letter you may have
received from us free of charge and without any future obligation to purchase
anything at any time.
How did you get my information?
We usually concentrate most of our sponsor’s resources into one particular area at a time which is how we try to help them
justify the discounted pricing we ask them to pledge in writing to. We then assign project numbers to each of those areas. We usually saturate all single family homes within that particular area with
what we call “resident/occupant” mail (that is, mail that is addressed to “resident or occupant” and not any actual name). However, in an effort to reach real property owners that can actually benefit
from the information we provide, we sometimes find it necessary to purchase
lists of property owners from from various list suppliers. These lists are usually compiled from phone directories, public records, etc. We never “mine” this data or sell it to any other company at any time. The only information we ever provide to any sponsor is the information you
volunteer and give us permission to pass on to the participating sponsor for
your area.
Are you a Non-Profit Organization?
No. The National Residential Improvement Association is a dba of National Mailhouse
Corporation. National Mailhouse Corporation develops civic minded, community service oriented
information distribution programs that are intended to be mutually beneficial
to both the sponsor of the program in addition to each participating consumer. We earn profits from all of our sponsors on all of the educational materials we
publish for the program in addition to all other expenses associated with
administering the program. However, all services we provide to consumers are always
free of charge.
Why did the NRIA Contractor ask me so many questions?
In order to determine what types of programs a consumer may be eligible for,
NRIA Authorized Contractors must ask you questions about yourself and your
household.
What is NRIA’s Privacy Policy?
NRIA Authorized Contractors are expressly prohibited from selling or disclosing
personal information to any third party for any reason or purpose other than a) to determine what types of programs the consumer may be eligible for or b) to facilitate the application process for a program the consumer may qualify
for.
If you still have additional questions that have not been answered on this page
or throughout this website, please do not hesitate to our Consumer Services
Department at (877) 591-2672.
