Would also depend largely on the size of the generator that you have or are looking to get. If the generator is small, and unable to power a lot of your appliances and other equipment, then it may make more sense to just power the essentials using good, high quality extension cords from the generator. It is critical that the extensions be a good quality, and a large gauge wire (ie. capable of high current / wattage loads) so as to minimize the line losses in powering devices.

However, if you are looking to have a permanent wiring connection to the house using the generator as a good backup, you will definitely want an electrician to do the wiring, but it makes sense to think about what you are looking for before you call an electrician.

In other words: decide what you want to have powered from the generator. Be realistic, and don't expect everything to work at the same time. Ideally, you might want to draw a table on a sheet of paper to figure out the loads you are looking to have powered. Select a group of "essential" items, a group of "important" items, and a group of "nice-to-have" items. You may want to use some kind of system to define items in the important and nice-to-have groups that can be used at alternate times: you may not need to have lights in the bedroom available at the same time as the lights in the kitchen or living room.

Your essential items are those that cannot for whatever reason live without power at any time. There are items that you may want to include in this group even if they are items that could be used during a short power outage - refrigerators are a potential item here. They, along with freezers, can usually be disconnected without ill effects if you keep them closed for the most part. However, if you are in the middle of making dinner when the power goes out, the fridge might suddenly become an absolute essential item to keep running.

Once you have your groups, figure out what kind of power requirements you have by adding up the wattage of the items that you need to run at the same time. Do yourself a favor, and add at least 10-15% to that amount to get a reasonable estimate as to the size of the generator you will need.

Ideally, you would be able to then install an isolation switch for the generator supply, and separate the power distribution feeds in the house so that you have certain circuits to the rooms where you need generator power to separated from the normal circuits through a separate breaker panel. That way, you don't have to go running around the house making sure that electrical loads are turned off prior to starting up the generator, knowing that the generator fed circuits do not have loads that will overload the generator. (This circuit would normally be powered from the regular line current; only during an outage would the isolation switch be turned over to the generator size to power that same set of circuits from the generator.)

If you cannot set up separate circuits, and you don't want to run extensions, you will still need to set up an isolation switch to be able to do a switchover between the line supply, and the generator, but you will need to make sure that you have switched off enough items in the house to prevent the generator from being overloaded.

Also, don't forget to have at least one light or other circuit connected to the utility power at all times, so that you'll know when their supply has come back on. Most switchover/isolation switches can be set up to do this on the panel or nearby, but try to make sure that you can see that indicator from an obvious place without having to go to the garage to see if the utility power has returned.

Then, you will want to consider going to as low current/wattage devices as possible. This includes replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, using energy efficient appliances, and the like.

A little thought up front will make your life easier in the long run, and having a plan beforehand will make for quicker work with the electrician - saving you a little cash too... Remember that in most cases the installation of permanently wired devices is regulated by building code, and will require an electrician. Your homeowner's policy might also require that any such work be done by a licensed electrician for their coverage to be valid...
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