Whether you’re simply wanting to give the outside of your home a fresh, new look or you’re thinking of selling the property in the near future, changing the exterior paint color is a great idea. Hiring a professional painter can make things much easier on your part but be careful to avoid making the following common mistakes when searching for one. Knowing how to prevent them will save you a lot of time and money.

MISTAKE #1: NOT CREATING A BUDGET

House painting may seem pretty straightforward but there are many things that can raise the cost of painting your home. From extra scraping to patching and more, the estimate a painter gives you can increase as the job progresses. 

To avoid running into budget issues that could put a halt to the painting project altogether, be sure to get an estimate from the painter upfront and then pad your budget with extra just in case. Let the painter know you’d like to know of any additional charges before they happen so you always have an idea of what the project is costing throughout the entire process.

MISTAKE #2: NOT DOING A BACKGROUND CHECK

Sometimes homeowners are in a hurry to sell so they scour the listings for the first available house painter they can find. Maybe the painter has several decent reviews online or maybe the company is simply available to do the job right away. Whatever the case, you could end up hiring a company that isn’t right for the job. 

To avoid hiring a less-than-perfect company to paint your house, be sure to do a thorough background check first. Take your time and comparison shop different companies. Besides cost, look at each company’s history and how they’ve handled complaints in the past. Look at reviews left by both happy and dissatisfied customers alike. No one company can make every customer happy, but it’s how they handle the dissatisfied ones that make all the difference. 

MISTAKE #3: NOT CHECKING FOR INSURANCE

Any company or contractor that does work on your property should be covered by insurance. If a contractor gets hurt while painting your house, insurance protects him and you. Should a company not have the proper insurance coverage for its workers, you could be liable for the medical bills and other damages in the event of an injury while on your property. 

Before hiring any company or contractor to paint your house, be sure to ask for proof of insurance. If the owner/contractor can’t provide it, move on to someone who can. The risk is just too great to settle for a painter who doesn’t have the proper insurance. 

Painting the outside of your home makes it look better, that’s for sure. However, if you decide to hire a painter, be sure to heed the above-mentioned advice and try to avoid these costly mistakes.