You can learn HTML in an afternoon. You may not be producing award-winning Web sites, but the basics are about as hard to learn as any other technology tool you use every day. Using some of Microsoft Word's features can be a lot more daunting than building a simple Web page. So try it. You don't even need a server to get started.
First impressions count.
They communicate professionalism. The same applies on the Web. Using a template on a free hosting company will communicate that you haven't put the effort into differentiating yourself. You probably spend more on your morning coffee. It's worth it.