Home Services
How to find, check and hire the pros who keep your home running, from contractors and heating and cooling companies to pest control, plus whether a home warranty is worth it.
Hiring a pro
Heating and cooling pros
Pest control
Home warranties
Hiring the right pros for your home
Even keen DIYers need professionals for some jobs: licensed electrical and plumbing work, heating and cooling systems, roofing, termites and bigger remodels. The right pro does the job safely and fairly priced; the wrong one can cost you far more than the job itself.
Start with how to hire a contractor, which covers the whole process from finding good contractors to the written contract, paying safely and fixing problems. Before you hire, check their license, insurance and reviews, compare quotes line by line, and learn the contractor red flags and scams to avoid.
For the trades you'll call most often, see how to find a good plumber, electrician or HVAC technician. Your furnace, air conditioner or heat pump deserves its own care: how to choose a heating and cooling company covers tune-ups, repair or replace decisions and quotes for a new system, and if the heat stops, try these furnace checks before calling a pro. For ants, mice, termites and bed bugs, how to choose a pest control company explains when to call a pro and what to look for in a contract. Worried about wood damage? Learn the signs of termites and what to do first.
Thinking about a service contract for repairs? Home warranties explained shows what they cover, what they don't and the alternatives, and how to file a home warranty claim helps you get repairs approved. Whatever you choose, keep a repair fund so a broken appliance doesn't become debt; see how to build an emergency fund.
Common questions
Ask neighbors, friends and other trades for names, then check each one's state license, insurance and reviews before you invite them to quote. Try a company on a small job, like a tune-up or inspection, before trusting it with a big one.
For most bigger jobs, get at least three written quotes for the same, clearly described work. For small repairs, one trusted pro is often enough, but a second opinion is worth it whenever someone recommends an expensive replacement.
Sometimes. Heating and cooling tune-up plans, pest control plans and home warranties can be useful, but they add up. Compare the yearly cost with paying for the visits you'd actually use, and check how automatic renewals and cancellations work.