We'll be painting the exterior of our house this year. I do a lot of painting, but it's interior walls, furniture, etc. I know what needs to be done for the proper prep (at least I think I do) but we've decided that the job is just too big for us to do ourselves, and by the time we buy or rent the needed equipment, we could have paid a painter.

We've never done this before, so what do I need to know to hire a painter? What should or shouldn't be included in a contract? We also need to have a few soffits replaced and some trim around a window, can a painter do that, or do we need to hire someone else? What questions (other than price) do we need to ask when we interview people?

We suspect that this will cost us a few thousand dollars, so it's important that we at least have a clue before we hire someone.