ImproveNet takes its matchmaking service a step further by screening contractors and architects for legal and credit problems, licensing and insurance information. The site also provides links to homepages of recommended pros. A Website can give you an idea of the projects the firm has handled, but it can't tell you how smoothly the jobs went. In addition, many if not most design and remodeling pros aren't yet online. So, though the Web can help you find more professionals more quickly, it cannot and should not substitute for actually meeting and interviewing them and checking their references.
Homeowners run a risk if they get ahead of what the Internet can do.
The Web also can't convey communication skills. You can only find that out by actually meeting and interviewing people. If you don't have a good rapport with your architect, designer or contractor, you'll be working under a serious handicap. Once you have found a pro, the Web can help speed communications. If your architect, designer or contractor has a digital camera, he can take photos of the project area and incorporate them into plans.