I just had the exterior of my house painted and I was quite impressed. Michael and his crew were very thorough, the work was very high quality. They spent half of the total time on preparation: thoroughly cleaning not only the walls but the roof and the surrounding concrete to keep dirt from blowing onto the painted surface. They scraped the peeling paint under the eaves, a difficult, high labor task, and patched everything that needed it. They did a careful job masking, there was almost no overspray. They used quality paint (Sherwin-WIlliams) and matched our desired color well. Dealing with Michael and his crew was terrific: they came when they said they would, they worked steadily, they did not leave my job halfway through for another job, everything was thoroughly professional.
I am sure you could find someone to give you a lower bid, because it's easy to cut costs by not doing such a careful job. In the long run, the cost of such corner cutting will be worse than paying up front for quality work. With so many people ready to do a quick and dirty job, it's a real pleasure to find someone who takes pride and care in his work, and stands behind it with a guarantee.
I give Michael and his crew my highest recommendation, and would recommend them to you without question. read more