TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) -- A lot of us are putting our free time first and hiring out some simple chores. That's according to new data from Angie's List. So how much is your time worth?
Long commutes and full family schedules are like music to the ears of companies that focus on yard work, house cleaning and handyman services.
"With people as busy as they are, especially with their kids in lots of activities, a lot of time you find that they're hiring out more chores than we used to whether it be cleaning the house, mowing the lawn or cleaning the gutters," said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's List.
A January survey of nearly 2,500 Angie's List members asked where home service dollars were going. Professional yard work topped the list and is expected to again in 2016. It also found nearly 20 percent of homeowners hand their chore list – from carpet cleaning to odd jobs – over to a pro.
"In a recent Angie's List survey, we found that 48 percent of the members plan to outsource yard work, and a third of them plan to outsource housecleaning this year," said Hicks.
Professional handyman David Price adds: "They're fixing problems all day long with the kids, whatever it might be, with the job. They come home and now they've got to caulk windows or change out a faucet and that's the last thing they want to do, so they want someone else to solve their problems for them."
Price does a lot of window caulking, faucet replacement and fence fixing that don't require a lot of expertise or a license; just the time and tools to get it done. He says it's common to charge a flat rate instead of hourly, and homeowners shouldn't feel shortchanged if the job is done well, but fast.
"Although the technician was able to complete the task seemingly easily and with speed, does not mean as a homeowner that you would do it as easily and as quickly," said Price.
If you're a first-time handyman hire-er, you can save money by grouping small projects together to make the pro's time more efficient and to save repeat trips.
Also, you need to completely trust any service provider coming to your house regularly, so do a thorough background check and get at least three references before hiring.
Remember you can catch the latest Angie's List report every Tuesday morning on WTXL Sunrise.
