New research from Houzz reveals the factors influencing clients’ hiring decisions

  Posted by: electime      6th September 2023

New research from home renovation and design platform Houzz reveals the most important factors affecting clients’ decisions to hire for renovation projects.

Which trades are homeowners hiring?

Electricians are the most sought-after pro for Houzz users, with 60 per cent of survey respondents hiring one for their 2022 project and 45 per cent saying they plan to hire an electrician in 2023.

Carpet and flooring specialists are also popular, with around 42 per cent of renovating homeowners hiring one last year or planning to hire one this year. Other well-browsed categories include carpenters, painters & decorators, builders and roofers (37 per cent, 36 per cent, 28 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively).

Growing categories on Houzz include landscape contractors (up from 16 per cent in 2021 to 24 per cent in 2022) and kitchen designers and fitters (up from 19 per cent in 2021 to 25 per cent in 2022).

Where do they look for tradespeople?

While referrals are the route many people take to finding a tradesperson (47 per cent), more than a third of respondents said they used online directories such as Houzz to find their professional (37 per cent).

Offline directories and publications are proving least useful to homeowners, with only 6 per cent saying this was how they sought out a pro. However, it pays to maintain a good relationship with your clients, as 21 per cent said they’d hired someone they’d worked with in the past.

What challenges do homeowners need tradespeople to resolve?

It seems that finding the right contractor is tricky for many homeowners, with 40 per cent of respondents saying this was their biggest renovation challenge in 2022. So it makes sense to ensure you’re well positioned to help with this decision.

It’s worth taking good photographs of your projects to allow potential clients to get a full idea of the type of work you do, and remember to ask previous clients to leave a review on your website or Houzz profile.

Other challenges include finding the right products or materials (30 per cent), staying on budget (25 per cent) and visualising the result (20 per cent). To aid with these, a management platform such as Houzz Pro can be really useful. You can use the software to put together mood boards and 3D floor plans and share product information, schedules and budget breakdowns quickly and clearly via a Client Dashboard.

What influences their decision when hiring?

The majority of clients rely on recommendations when choosing a tradesperson, with 75 per cent of homeowners saying this was most important to them.

Cost is also crucial, as 67 per cent said they wanted to know whether the price would be within their budget. It’s also important to show you have experience with the type of project the client is planning, with 52 per cent of respondents citing this as an influence on decision-making. Half of homeowners (51 per cent) also said they valued communication and organisation skills in the professionals they chose.

Interestingly, visuals have become more important to homeowners. While 10 per cent said they were impressed by pros who offered visuals of their project in 2021, this number jumped to 15 per cent in 2022.

What would homeowners like tradespeople to do more of?

When asked how their tradesperson could have made their project easier, half of the homeowners said they were completely happy with everything.

For others, there was some room for improvement: 28 per cent said clear communication would have been beneficial, while 17 per cent would have liked more guidance on product and material options. For 16 per cent of respondents, transparency in schedule and expense tracking would have improved their experience.