Start from what you are trying to do

Not from the trade. Most people know the outcome they want long before they know who does it — so these start there and break down into the actual jobs.

• Getting the house ready to sellThe small things a buyer notices, and the ones an inspector writes down.
• Cutting the heating billWhere the heat actually goes, in the order worth spending on.
• Getting the house safe for a toddlerThe things that stop mattering once they can walk, and the ones that start.
• Your first winter in a new houseWhat to do before the cold, when you do not yet know the building.
• Getting it ready for the next tenantThe turnover list, and which parts of it are worth paying somebody to do properly.
• Water where it should not beDamp, drips and a wet basement — how to tell which one you have.
• Making the house work for somebody less steady on their feetStaying put is usually the plan. These are the jobs that make it a realistic one.