Handling Upkeep as a Homeowner

OWNING A HOME IN FLORIDA CAN CERTAINLY TAKE A FINANCIAL TOLL, ACCORDING TO THE FLORIDA HOMEOWNER'S GUIDE, THE AVERAGE FLORIDA HOME NEEDS BETWEEN 14,000 AND $18,000 IN ANNUAL MAINTENANCE. AND THAT COULD GET FAR WORSE AS SUMMER APPROACHES. THAT IS WHEN MANY AIR CONDITIONING UNITS ARE IN NEED OF REPAIR AND TESTS. PEST INFESTATION ALSO REACHES THE SEASONAL HIGH, ACCORDING TO THE WEBSITE, ANGIE FLORIDA COMES IN SECOND IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY WHEN IT COMES TO MOST EXPENSIVE STATES TO MAINTAIN A HOME RIGHT BEHIND TEXAS. I AM JOINED BY ANGIE HICKS, THE CO-FOUNDER OF ANGIE, FORMERLY KNOWN AS ANGIE'S LIST THIS TAKES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. FIRST, YOUR COMPANY WAS FOUNDED MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, WITH $50,000. AND IT IS NOW A BILLION-DOLLAR HOME SERVICES COMPANY. CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH HOW YOU GOT STARTED AND WHY? >> YEAH, WE STARTED. WE STARTED THE BUSINESS. MY CO-FOUNDER HAD BOUGHT A HOUSE IN COLUMBUS THAT NEEDED A LOT OF RENOVATIONS AND HE HONESTLY JUST HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH A CONTRACTOR. AND WE REALLY THOUGHT THERE SHOULD BE A BETTER WAY FOR HOMEOWNERS TO SHARE INFORMATION ON THE CONTRACTORS. THEY'RE HIRING SO THAT THEY COULD BENEFIT FROM EACH OTHER'S EXPERIENCES. AND THAT'S WHAT FORMED ANGIE'S LIST. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS PRE INTERNET DAYS. YOU WOULD CALL IN AND AS FOR THE NAME WILL PLUMMER, YOU TALK TO ME MOST LIKELY. AND THEN WE EXPANDED CITY BY CITY. MAINLY STARTED IN THE MIDWEST AND THEN EXPANDED NATIONALLY OVER THE FIRST DECADE OR SO THAT WE WERE IN BUSINESS. AND HOW DID IT EVOLVE INTO A BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY? WELL, QUITE HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, WE WERE IN BUSINESS MAYBE 5 YEARS. AND THEN THE INTERNET CAME ALONG AND THAT REALLY HELPED THE BUSINESS TAKE OFF BECAUSE IT WAS A REALLY EASY WAY FOR HOMEOWNERS TO BE ABLE TO GET THE NAMES OF PLUMBERS, ELECTRICIANS, PAINTERS, THAT THEY MIGHT BE LOOKING FOR. SO WE REALLY EXPANDED THERE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE STAYED TRUE TO OUR ROOTS OF JUST BEING THERE TO HELP HOMEOWNERS FIND GREAT CONTRACTORS AND 4 TO REALLY HELP CONTRACTORS BUILD THEIR BUSINESS AND ALLOW THEM TO REALLY SHINE FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT THEY DO. THERE WAS THIS NEW GLOBAL SURVEY. THE RESULTS WERE RELEASED AND IT COMPARES. >> HOMEOWNERS IN THE UNITED STATES TO THOSE AROUND THE WORLD. >> WHAT COUNTRIES WERE INVOLVED AND WHY IS THIS KIND OF SURVEY IMPORTANT? >> WELL, IT REALLY WAS OUR FIRST. WE'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT JUST WHAT HOW US HOME AND HOME OWNERS COMPARED TO ONE ANOTHER. BUT WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING IS TO FIND OUT HOW WE COMPARE TO OTHER AREAS, THE WORLD WITH A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES AND FLOOR AND NOT EXCUSE ME. YOU'RE IN FLORIDA. A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES IN EUROPE. WE ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF COUNTRIES IN ASIA AND IN SOUTH AMERICA AND ORDER TO GET A BROADER PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT'S HAPPENING. AND ONE THING THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, RING TRUE, EVEN THOUGH EVERY COUNTRY WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT WAS IT HOMERS REALLY VIEW THEIR HOUSE AS A SANCTUARY AND WANT TO MAINTAIN IT? YOU KNOW, IT'S A PLACE WHERE THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY LIVE EVERY DAY THEY RAISE THEIR FAMILIES. SO THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT DECISION THAT INVESTMENT RANG TRUE ACROSS ACROSS THE GLOBE. BUT WHAT REALLY STUCK OUT FOR US HOMEOWNERS IS HOW WE FOCUS ON MAINTENANCE AND REALLY BEING PROACTIVE, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE ECONOMY TODAY. >> WHAT FINDING SURPRISED YOU MOST? >> WELL, WHAT WAS INTERESTING WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, 72% OF AMERICANS RENOVATE THEIR HOUSE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN IT. WE ARE VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON MAINTAINING OUR HOMES. 49% DO SO PROACTIVELY, WHICH IS WHICH IS GREAT, REALLY GETTING AHEAD OF THINGS BEFORE THEY SNOWBALL INTO SOMETHING SOMETHING BIGGER. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN YOU KIND OF LAY IT OUT AGAINST THE BROADER PICTURE THAT WE'RE LIVING IN OUR HOUSES 5 YEARS LONGER THAN THAT NORMAL. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN. OUR HOUSE CAN KEEP UP WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, ARE CHANGING, NEEDS AN INTEREST. SO THAT'S GREAT. AND ONE INTERESTING STAT THAT CAME OUT FOR FLORIDA IN PARTICULAR IS THAT 56%, OF FLORIDIANS VIEW THEIR HOME OF THE FINANCIAL INVESTMENT, WHICH IS ABOVE WHAT WE SEE ACROSS THE U.S. IN GENERAL, WHICH IS JUST A 42%. >> HOW DO AMERICAN HOMEOWNERS DIFFER FROM OTHER COUNTRIES WHEN IT COMES TO HOW WE APPROACH HOMEOWNERSHIP? >> WELL, US HOMEOWNERS ARE VERY MAINTENANCE MINDED. >> AND WANT TO TAKE CARE OF THINGS BEFORE THEY BEFORE THEY SNOWBALL. YOU KNOW, SO THEY'RE MAKING THEIR THEIR TO DO LIST AND MAKING SURE THEY'RE CHECKING OFF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE AROUND THEIR HOME, WHICH PUTS US WHICH PUTS US AHEAD OF OTHER COUNTRIES AND HOW WE THINK ABOUT MAINTAINING. AND WHAT STRESSES HOMEOWNERS MORE IN THE UNITED STATES WHEN IT COMES TO UPKEEP. YEAH. I MEAN, WHEN IT COMES TO THE STRESS IS, I MEAN, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE SURPRISING PER SE. YOU KNOW, IF YOU UNEXPECTED EXPENSE CAN STRESS US UNEXPECTED TIME. WE HAVE TO SPEND TAKING CARE OF THESE PROBLEMS. SO WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT HOMEOWNERS MAKE A LIST OF ITEMS THAT THEY WANT TO TACKLE A CRITICAL AND YOU USE THE CRITICAL EYE AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT LIST INDEPENDENT OF YOUR BUDGET AND THEN START TO LAY AGAINST ALLY AGAINST THAT LIST. SOME BUDGET START WITH STRUCTURAL ISSUES. YOU KNOW, THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH HURRICANE SEASON, JUST GETTING KICKED OFF. MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT OUR HOMES PREPARED AND READY FOR THAT EXTREME WEATHER. AND THEN AND THEN TACKLE THEM ONE BY ONE. DO YOU KNOW? DON'T TRY TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE CAN GET REALLY ANXIOUS FOR SURE WHEN IT COMES TO MAINTAINING OUR HOUSE. AND THEN SET ASIDE A BUDGET. A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE COST OF OWNING A HOME MIGHT BE THEIR MORTGAGE OR THEIR INSURANCE. THEY SHOULD REALLY HAVE A BUDGET FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE. AND THAT SHOULD BE ABOUT ONE TO 2% OF THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME. BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE THAT BUDGET, THEN THAT HELPS TO REDUCE THAT ANXIETY. YOU'VE GOT THE MONEY OF THE AIR CONDITIONER GOES ON. THE FRITZ AND YOU'RE NOT STRESSING ABOUT THAT ON TOP OF BEING JUST POT. >> WHAT SHOULD HOMEOWNERS DO IF THEY FEEL THAT THEY'VE ALREADY FALLEN BEHIND ON THEIR REPAIRS OR MAINTENANCE WHAT WOULD BE YOUR BEST ADVICE? >> WELL, I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ALREADY BEHIND. THAT'S WHAT WE JUST NEED TO KIND OF START TO SINK, GAIN SOME GROUND. SO START WITH SOME SMALL PROJECTS TO GAIN SOME CONFIDENCE A FEW AS YOU CAN, BUT DON'T TRY TO DO THEM ALL AT ONCE BECAUSE THAT CAN BE VERY OVERWHELMING. SO START WITH A FEW GAIN, SOME CONFIDENCE AND THEN START WITH THE NEXT ROUND. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, ANGIE HICKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. IT'S BEEN