Taskrabbit Survey Finds Single Female Homeowners Become More Handy Over Time

SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2018 -- Today, Taskrabbit, the task management network that connects people with Taskers to handle everyday home to-dos, released findings from its first-ever survey on single female homeownership. The survey shares insights on how this growing demographic tackles the challenges of homeownership solo, from managing routine maintenance tasks to assembling their go-to team.

“When I rented, I had an HOA to cover the yard work and shovel the driveway. Now I have to do it myself,” says new homeowner Maggie H. of Chicago. “The most unexpected part about homeownership are the repairs that like to creep up on you. You can get acquainted with your homeowner’s insurance rather quickly.”

Through the survey, Taskrabbit found routine maintenance tasks take up the bulk of the homeowners’ to-do list, with 42 percent of respondents reporting it as their primary reason for tackling a project.

And while many like to give DIY a try, the top reason respondents ask for help with a project isn’t because they’re unskilled, but because they don’t enjoy the work. In fact, those surveyed noted they’re actually becoming more handy over time. Before buying a home, respondents rated their handiness on a scale from 1-10 as a 5.5 on average. After buying their home, the average went up to 7.

Other key findings include:

• Handywomen-in-Training - Respondents cited painting, furniture assembly and minor electrical work as the tasks they’re most interested in learning to do themselves, and mounting, cleaning and plumbing as best left to outsourced help.

• Call in a Pro - While respondents go to friends and family with questions about home projects first, they’re three times more likely to rely on a third party, like Taskrabbit, for help actually completing those.

• Who Ya Gonna Call? - When searching for third-party help for home projects, respondents most often rely on search engine results and recommendations from friends and family.

• Picking Your Go-To Crew - Experience, price and qualifications in a specific skill were the most important factors respondents cited when hiring someone to help.

“With more and more single women becoming homeowners, we conducted this survey to better understand their approach to maintaining their homes,” said Stacy Brown-Philpot, Taskrabbit CEO. “We’re always listening to feedback and insights from our clients and want to build a task management network that makes home maintenance as simple as possible.”

Taskrabbit surveyed 400 single female homeowners across the United States online via a consumer survey tool. Respondents fell into the age range of 26-35, with 79 percent identifying as never married, 19 percent divorced and 2 percent widowed. Nearly half live in suburban areas (48 percent), 29.5 percent live in rural areas and 22.5 percent live in an urban setting.

About Taskrabbit

Taskrabbit is a task management network that conveniently connects people with Taskers to handle everyday home to-do’s, such as furniture assembly, handyman work, moving help, and much more. Acquired by IKEA Group in 2017, Taskrabbit operates in more than 50 markets across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada and is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit Taskrabbit.com, @Taskrabbit on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.