Contact City staff or visit Cibolo City website to know the required paperwork, permits and inspections. Lots of information pages and FAQ's available;
You can schedule an optional pre-design meeting with City staff. Depending on the project, they will go over step by step what is needed in the construction process. The contractor/designer is welcome to attend this meeting;
Interview several contractors and compare several quotes before making a decision on who to hire;
You can ask factual based questions to the City of Cibolo on their work within the City. Examples: How many similar projects has the contractor done in the City limits? Has the contractor ever not finished a project in Cibolo? Did the contractor submit all required paperwork to City staff ? (i.e. registration, permits);
Get a written contract outlining work to be completed in detail along with the costs and payment schedule;
Make sure contract clearly states the responsibility of both the owner and the contractor;
Do not pay in full up front, only pay for completed (approved) work - make sure payment schedule is documented in the contract;
Upon completion of work, make final agreed upon payment.