Spending on maintenance services such as lawn care and pest control increased, while home remodeling decreased in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to a survey released Tuesday by ServiceMagic.
ServiceMagic operates a website that connects consumers with home-service professionals.
Home improvements increased in the first half of 2010, but couldn’t hold demand. For instance, adding sunrooms or enclosed patios was down 36 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 when compared to the fourth quarter of 2009. Remodeling a bathroom was down 37 percent for the same time period.
But convenience and maintenance requests, such as cleaning and maid services, lawn and garden care and handyman services all increased. Lawn and garden care increased 22 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared to the fourth quarter of 2009.
The top five increases in service requests were:
1. Pest control, up 30.5 percent
2. Cleaning and maid service, up 25.7 percent
3. Lawn and garden care, up 21.5 percent
4. Snow removal service, up 20 percent
5. Sheds and enclosures, up 18.6 percent
“Significant increases in convenience service categories reflect the growing trend of homeowners paying for home services that in the recent past, with tighter economic conditions, they were choosing to do on their own,” said Craig Smith, ServiceMagic’s CEO.
The company received more than 1.2 million requests for service from homeowners in the fourth quarter of 2010, which was about the same amount it received for the same period of 2009.
To see the complete survey, including regional demographics, click here.
