Trends and Awareness Position Contents Restoration Industry for Continuing Growth

Article featured in C and R Magazine.

Every year, more and more homeowners discover the value of the services our industry provides. The growing public awareness of the benefits of emergency cleaning and restoration businesses has boosted the sector to a value of more than $7 billion in the U.S. alone, with continuing growth expected over the next several years.

In addition to growing consumer awareness, there are several trends moving in directions that support growth for this industry.

• The population is aging: The number of people 65 or older is increasing at record rates. Older Americans are more likely to be homeowners. They are also more likely to own irreplaceable personal property, such as family heirlooms, mementos, and high-value or unique items, than younger peers.
  
  
• Weather is increasingly unpredictable and intense: The number of large, potentially damaging weather events is on the rise, and such events are increasingly severe. Higher temperatures and rising sea levels also pose a potential risk for millions of property owners. As more people experience extreme weather events or natural disasters, they’ll turn to trusted restoration professionals for expertise and guidance.
  
  
• Infrastructure is aging: Older buildings, bridges, dams, and roads are less resilient than they were when they were first built. The stress of age and more intense weather events increases the odds in many areas of flooding or other catastrophic events that can result in personal property damage.
  
  
• Housing shifts: Homeowners are moving less and staying in their homes longer. As a result, the supply of new housing in the U.S. is at historic lows. More than 60% of owner-occupied homes are currently more than 30 years old, with a median age of 40 years. Like bridges and roads, our homes lose resiliency over time and become more vulnerable to damage during a storm, fire, or other disaster.

Increasing awareness of the benefits we provide and growing risk are driving a major upswing in our industry – and enormous opportunities for insightful, entrepreneurial-minded business owners.Contents restoration services play an essential and unique role in protecting homeowners and their property in the aftermath of major catastrophic events. Demand for experts who can carefully assess clients’ damaged property and take painstaking steps to secure, inventory, transport, and meticulously clean and restore items of value is expected to continue to grow.

Demand for those experts is also on the rise among insurers, who often work closely with their policyholders and restoration businesses. With rising demand, new opportunities to deliver the trust, skill, and expertise homeowners rely on will be available.

One path toward opening a new contents restoration business to serve your community or enhance an existing service business could be a franchise opportunity. Contents restoration franchises are especially well-suited to respond to rapidly increasing awareness and demand.

With a flexible business model and accessible entry to the industry, contents restoration franchises and franchise owners can quickly expand this crucial service and reach new territories. Efficient, scalable franchise systems empower business owners to quickly begin offering their services to meet demand in their areas and enable them to respond as their communities’ needs and expectations change.

Stefan Figley is President of 1-800-Packouts, a leader in the contents and personal property restoration franchise industry since 2016 and part of the Five Star Franchising platform of home service brands. Figley has nearly 30 years of experience in the franchise and marketing industries, with a focus on brand growth. He has held executive and leadership positions with nationally recognized companies such as Terminix, Steamatic, Merry Maids and Jani-King International, as well as prominent international roles in the marketing industry.