Last month I addressed the idea of putting together your spring-cleaning wish list. If you took the time to compile a list, you may now wonder how to effectively complete your projects.  

I first heard the acronym HID (Hire It Done) many years ago. You may have heard of the more commonly used acronym of DIFM (Do It For Me), which is the same idea. If you are a person that is first generation wealth, the idea of paying someone to do something that you could do yourself may be difficult. After all, wouldn’t that be a waste of money? Would your mother or father approve?

Or you may be completely over the idea of DIY (do it yourself) and ready to HID, but where do you start? How do you find the ideal person or enterprise for the projects that you would like to hire out?

If you have ample resources but little time, you may need to commit to a bit of research. You may think the most important question is, “How much will it cost?” I recommend answering a few more important questions first, which are, “Who can do the work?” and then, “Is this person (company) qualified.”  

Who can do the work?

To address the “Who can do the work?” question, there are a few simple places to start:

• Ask someone you know who has completed a similar project (and was happy)
• Your online social network (Facebook, etc.)
• Your hairdresser or your favorite local influencer
• Local advertising or companies that are close in proximity to your home

I have always found the best place to start is a conversation with someone who just had this very project completed. For example, if you have a deck that needs to be re-stained, you may have noticed a neighbor who recently had someone stain their deck, and they were pleased with the project outcome. Here are three simple questions to start with:

• Who did the job
• Were they happy with the cost?  
• What would they do differently if they had to do it again?

If you can obtain contact details and phone number, you can immediately put your project into motion. I have noticed that the simple process of calling is the first test for a potential vendor. Do they answer the phone? Was it easy to schedule an appointment to review the project? The second test is whether they show up when they say they are going to show up. While outsourcing home improvement tasks may seem like a stress-free alternative to doing it yourself, you may quickly discover that hiring professionals comes with its own set of challenges. The “Hire It Done” approach can save time and effort, but it’s not always the smooth ride it promises to be.

When I first moved into my home in Little Rock many years ago, we wanted to have some driveway repair work done. My husband called 3 people who were allegedly experts in this field of repair work. Two people never returned his calls. The third person showed up and gave a reasonable estimate of the cost. He agreed to a set date to do the work, and then never showed up. While I was stunned at the time of how difficult it was for what seemed to be an easy project, I learned from this experience that we simply needed to move on to another project, and circle back at a different time to address the driveway repairs.  Sure enough, it took a separate project (a major landscaping renovation), where the right person surfaced that could take care of our driveway issue.

You may have had a similar experience and have felt a bit burned by HID projects. Instead of giving up, I recommend trying again, having patience and being willing to learn from the process. Like any learned skill, the more you practice, the better you will become at outsourcing your home improvement projects and “Hiring It Done!”

Kristina Bolhouse, CPA/PFS, CFP®

President/Shareholder

© 2025 Kristina Bolhouse and The Arkansas Financial Group, Inc., All rights reserved.

The Arkansas Financial Group, Inc. is a Fee-Only Financial Planning Firm located in Little Rock, AR serving clients in Arkansas and throughout the country.

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by The Arkansas Financial Group, Inc. [“AFG]), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this commentary will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this commentary serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from AFG. AFG is neither a law firm, nor a certified public accounting firm, and no portion of the commentary content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the AFG’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees continues to remain available upon request or at www.arfinancial.com.

Please Remember: If you are a AFG client, please contact AFG, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services. Unless, and until, you notify us, in writing, to the contrary, we shall continue to provide services as we do currently. Please Also Remember to advise us if you have not been receiving account statements (at least quarterly) from the account custodian.