You've decided it's time to bring in a professional to paint your home but how do you find a reliable house painter? There are many things to consider when making the important decision of who will paint your house. While it might be easy to find a painter it's not easy to know which ones are qualified and reliable so you know the work will be done to last.

A couple of places to look for a painter:

Ask around - have any of your family members, friends or acquaintances recently used a local painter? If so, go check out the work they did - there's nothing like seeing it with your own two eyes to determine if that painter did a good job.

Check for advertisements in the local community and regional newspapers.

Check with a few local contractors, real estate agents and your local paint store.

Once you've found them you should probably:

Check the Better Business Bureau for complaints against the painter you choose to hire.

Word of mouth is a powerful thing - ask around to see if anyone you know has heard anything negative about the painter you choose.

Ask for references - any reputable painter will gladly provide contact information for previous clients.

Ask the references or the people that referred the house painter if they were happy with the work, if the non-painted surfaces were protected and how the painter was to deal with, were they pleasant, on time and reliable?

Ask the painter to come out and see the scope of work and request a quote. Make sure the quote has details such as which areas will be painted and how many coats of paint will be provided at the price he's providing.

Once you've found a few painters that gain your initial approval and that are within your price range, there are a few key things you should be looking for.

Your house painter should have extensive knowledge and experience with regard to the tools they use like brushes, scrapers, tape and rollers. They should know how much paint and primer a job would require and what type of paint to use. They should also know things like how to remove wallpaper and how to properly fill a hole.

A responsible painter should have business insurance as well as worker's compensation insurance. If your painter doesn't have insurance and accidentally breaks something or hurts themselves it would be your responsibility to incur the charges associated with the accident. Ask for proof of insurance before hiring your house painter - it could save you a lot of money in the long run.

Also inquire about preparation of the area to be painted - will your house painter take all necessary actions to ensure the painting job is done correctly? Will holes need to be filled and sanded prior to painting? Will your painter be able to tell if an area will need to be primed before painting? How many coats of paint should each area be covered with?

Clean up is also a good area to ask questions about. Will your house painter leave your house in the manner in which they found it? Will they complete the job with respect for your rugs, ceilings and belongings? Non-painted surfaces should be properly protected with drop sheets.

The best house painter will be punctual, willing to answer all your questions and have all necessary materials and tools at their disposal.

Always request details of the job in writing - a written contract will protect you and the painter so that once completed everyone is happy with how it all went. The contract should include paint colors and paint brand to be used, the number of coats. Also specify the clean up requirements, the painter should be responsible for the removal of paint from any surfaces that did not require painting (floors, windows, etc.).

Keep in mind all of the information above and you should be able to find a reliable house painter that can get the job done for you at a reasonable price.