This New House: Economic Recovery Leads to More Home Repairs, Updates

May 11, 2011 - PRLog -- CINCINNATI – Consumer spending on home improvement is on the rise this spring, which can not only be seen by the nation’s largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot, which recently reported its first sales increase since the housing market crashed in 2006, but also by a national professional handyman franchise, House Doctors, whose services are now more in demand than in recent years.

Year-over-year sales are up 11.3 percent this year, indicating a growing number of consumers who are choosing to take on home improvement projects and are hiring outside services to help them complete those jobs, according to Jim Hunter, CEO of House Doctors. Things are also picking up on the franchise development side of the business, with the national handyman franchise tripling the number of franchises it has awarded year-over-year due to a renewed interest by entrepreneurs in the home improvement industry.

“We’ve seen spending on home improvement pick up drastically because people feel more confident with their economic situations to fund such projects,” Hunter said. “While people may not feel entirely comfortable taking on a new mortgage, they do feel comfortable funding their remodeling and home improvement project, which they can do at their own pace and help them stay happier in their current homes longer.”

The National Association of Home Builders’ Remodeling Market Index released a report last week noting that the remodeling market is heading into recovery, with the index reaching its highest level in four years. Hunter predicts that spending on home improvement projects will continue to show steady and continued growth this year as the economy recovers.  

“As we are heading into peak of home improvement season, House Doctors is optimistic that consumer spending on home improvement projects will continue to gain momentum through the spring and into the summer,” Hunter said. “Already this year with our sales increases, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

ABOUT HOUSE DOCTORS:
For more than 12 years, House Doctors, a 90-plus-unit professional handyman service, has brought commercial property owners and homeowners high standards of customer service, reliability, and quality workmanship.  Every House Doctors handyman location is independently owned and operated. Today, House Doctors continues to expand throughout the United States by offering franchise opportunities.  For more information on House Doctors, visit www.housedoctors.com.