Handyman Home Repair Business: Senior Citizens Offer a Big Opportunity

It's become quite common for seniors to live a significant distance from their children. So even though older parents may have a very good relationship with their children, that doesn't mean their kids are available to help with the daily challenges a senior may encounter.

Because adult children are aware that their parents are going to face some obstacles, they may worry about their parents living on their own. This concern can lead to them having a desire for their parents to move to some type of facility that provides living assistance.

And even though seniors can understand why their kids have worries, the majority don't want to leave their home. Since seniors' desire to stay in their current home is so strong, a large number are looking for solutions that will do exactly that. For handyman home repair businesses, this presents two big opportunities:

Aging in Place Solutions

When adult children worry about their senior parents' home safety, there's actually a very good reason for this concern. To the surprise of many, a senior's home is the place where they're most likely to suffer a serious fall. Not only is falling a big concern for seniors, but there are also other issues that can create challenges for seniors on a daily basis.

The good news for children, seniors and home repair business owners is there are numerous aging in place solutions to create a much safer home environment. Additions like grab bars can make bathrooms significantly safer, while modified hardware can be put on kitchen cabinets so it's less physically demanding for a senior to access what they need.

Since there are so many solutions, it's common for families to want a home improvement professional to do an evaluation of their home so they can see exactly which areas present the biggest issues and decide the specific solutions they want to pursue.

Taking Care of Home Repairs and Maintenance

In addition to safety, the other challenging part for seniors who own their home is keeping it in good shape. While most seniors have a significant amount of time, the physical demands of home repairs and maintenance often mean they simply aren't able to handle these tasks. For a handyman business, this translates into a great opportunity to build an ongoing relationship with customers.

House Doctors Can Help You Tap Into This Growing Market

While it's easy to see why this market is a ripe opportunity for handyman businesses, that doesn't mean it's easy to access. In order for a home repair business to win seniors as customers, they need to demonstrate that they not only understand what seniors need, but can also be trusted to get the work done correctly at a fair price.

Because House Doctors already has a lot of experience in this market, we're able to help our franchisees fully tap into it. So if you've been thinking about entering the home repair industry and are especially interested in fully tapping the potential of the senior market, call us at 1-888-598-5297 to learn more about exactly what a House Doctors franchise has to offer. Or click the button below to find out more: 

The Demand for Green Living is a Major Opportunity for Home Improvement Franchises

Research conducted by the NHBA found that not only did the green home building market increase from 2% to 17% between 2005 and 2011, but that figure is expected to increase all the way to 30% by 2016. Because so many new homes are being built with green features, it shouldn't come as a surprise that more homeowners than ever are interested in having these features added to their existing home. As a future House Doctors franchise owner, this presents a very exciting opportunity for your business.

What Green Improvements Do Homeowners Want?

When it comes to living a green lifestyle, homeowners want to be energy, earth, health and water smart. That means they need professionals who can make those types of changes to their home at an appealing price point. A common example of what a homeowner may be interested in is a programmable thermostat. By utilizing this device, they'll be able to reduce their energy usage without compromising the comfort of their home.

Another example is sealing someone's home and/or upgrading their insulation. Both of these options will significantly reduce the amount of energy that goes to waste. Other options that have ongoing demand from homeowners include solar water heaters, tankless water heaters, and energy efficient windows and doors.

Keep in mind that not every homeowner who's interested in green living knows exactly what they want. Instead, they're just as interested in getting advice from a source they can trust. Because the House Doctors brand is in that exact position, it provides the opportunity for your business to capitalize on fulfilling the role of being a consultant. That role will provide even more leverage throughout the sales process.

Energy efficient lighting is the perfect example of what can come from that kind of role. Making this transition may be as simple as swapping out existing bulbs for compact fluorescent lights. But since that's not something every homeowner knows about, they need professional guidance, as well as any additional recommendations.

What About Remodels?

In addition to adding a few features throughout a home, there are plenty of homeowners who are interested in taking things a step further by doing a complete remodel on one or more areas of their home. The best way to appeal to this type of homeowner is to provide a comprehensive solution for what they want. For example, you can communicate that not only will you put thought into what materials are used for the project, but also that any materials that get removed will be handled in an environmentally responsible manner.

Speaking of materials, some of the specific topics you can address are that linoleum is a greener choice than vinyl, paint should be low or no-VOC, and reclaimed wood, cork or bamboo are excellent choices for flooring materials. And when it comes to choosing new appliances or similar additions, options like Energy Star appliances and low-flow toilets are very green.

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Home Offices: What This Trend Means for Your Future Franchise

There are more than thirty-three million Americans who complete some percentage of their work from home. And because movements like remote work and entrepreneurship in general have gained a lot of momentum in recent years, all signs point towards this occurrence only continuing to become even more prevalent.

While plenty of homes have a spare bedroom, that doesn't mean these rooms are optimized to be used as an office. As a result, more homeowners are turning to professionals like those affiliated with House Doctors franchises for help. The type of work that's done in this area can range from helping guide design choices all the way to doing a custom remodel of an existing room.

What People Want and Need from Home Offices

Although there are a lot of benefits that go along with working at home, that doesn't mean it's without its challenges. For example, if someone has kids, it's nice that they can be at home to help. At the same time, the challenging part can be finding quiet times to actually get work done. Because of this, it's important for a home office to provide ample privacy. It also needs to contain everything necessary for someone's job so they don't have to constantly be moving to different rooms in the house.

It's also important for homeowners who want to invest in a home office to realize that not everyone's ideal space is going to be the same. For example, the needs of someone who's going to see clients in their home on a regular basis are going to be significantly different from someone who's only working alone as a remote employee.

When it comes to creating a great home office, it's easy for homeowners to overlook details that may seem minor, but will actually have a huge impact on the overall effectiveness of this space. Lighting is the perfect example of this type of detail. At first, it may seem like a few lamps will be enough to illuminate this space. But since people will likely end up spending a lot of time in this area, inadequate lighting can take a toll on their eyes and mood. That's why they need a trusted professional who can guide them in the direction of illuminating the space with plenty of actual or simulated natural light.

The Opportunity for Franchise Owners

Once you start looking into this trend, it becomes clear that creating the right home office requires significantly more effort than simply putting a laptop on a table in the corner of a room. Since there are many choices that need to be made, your future franchise has an opportunity to act as a guide and authority on this subject. For example, while someone may not initially think about the importance of space that will keep their equipment at the right height for maximum comfort, those are the types of things they'll be willing to pay for once they're educated about it.

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