And being aware of how state and local laws could affect the market. Depending on municipality, only licensed tradespeople can touch electrical and plumbing, ex

And being aware of how state and local laws could affect the market. Depending on municipality, only licensed tradespeople can touch electrical and plumbing, except for the homeowner, so handymen can't help with certain things. As an example, I wanted to have a new water heater installed and replace the improper vent. When I asked plumbers for a full quote, replacing the vent added thousands of extra dollars because I would have been paying plumber rates for it. But I was able to pull a permit and replace the water heater myself, and then hire someone much less expensive than a plumber to replace the vent. Your mileage may vary, but there could be a few steps in a multi-step process that are significantly raising the costs because the only people you can hire by law are expensive, but are also simple and legal to do yourself.