Home services remain a priority for homeowners, who continue to hire pros and plan to use coronavirus stimulus money to help tackle home projects, according to a survey from digital marketplace ANGI Homeservices. According to the survey, 80% of respondents said they plan to take on more home improvement projects—both on their own and with the assistance of hired professionals.
Of the 2,000 homeowners surveyed, nearly 40% indicated they plan on using some of their federal stimulus funds for home projects, with almost half of the respondents under the age of 44 planning to use their stimulus for home improvement.
“With all the time we have been spending at home, home projects are top of mind and despite an initial pause in activity, many homeowners are continuing hiring pros for help with home projects, home repairs and maintenance,” Brandon Ridenour, CEO of ANGI Homeservices, said in a prepared statement. “Between projects where homeowners are bringing in professional help and all the DIY activity, home services is having a real moment. And through the pandemic, we are so proud of how home service professionals across the country have responded to this crisis, providing essential services to keep our homes running and operational.”
The survey, conducted by Pollfish, found that 92% of homeowners who typically hire home service professionals plan to hire professionals in 2020. Homeowners are most likely to hire plumbers, electricians, and landscapers. Nearly three in five respondents said that they have completed a DIY project in 2020, with popular projects including painting and landscaping. Homeowners remain hesitant to perform more technical or dangerous projects, including HVAC work and roofing projects, without the aid of professionals.
Around 20% of respondents said they took on more home DIY projects and hired more professionals in the past year, highlighting that while there is an increase in homeowners tackling DIY projects, the need for professional services is still strong.
Nearly nine in ten homeowners said they are comfortable executing key parts of the hiring process for professionals online and two in five said they were comfortable getting a quote for a job on a video chat, according to the survey. Half of the respondents said they used the phone as a primary tool to get in touch with professionals, ahead of text, email, and video chat.
With the coronavirus changing how businesses operate and bringing an increased emphasis on safety and sanitation, surveyed homeowners said they are looking for core safety measures to be in place when hiring a professional. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said practicing social distancing on jobsites is important for professionals, 69% of respondents said extra sanitation practices are important, and 61% said the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is important for professionals they hire, according to the survey.
The survey of 2,000 U.S. homeowners was commissioned by ANGI Homeservices and conducted through online survey platform Pollfish on May 21 and 22.
