A Thumbtack and Angi Alternative in Southwest Florida
Submit a request on a lead marketplace and it gets sold to several pros at once — which is why your phone lights up for two days afterward. That model is genuinely useful for some jobs and a poor fit for others. Here's the difference, including when you should absolutely use them instead of us.
How each option actually works
You describe a job, the platform sells that lead to multiple pros, and several of them contact you to bid.
Collecting competing bids on larger jobs, and finding licensed trades we don't cover.
One number, one reply, one flat quote. No bidding round.
Small and mid-sized non-trade work where you want an answer today, not a shortlist by Thursday.
Point by point
What happens after you submit
Your details go out to several pros. Expect multiple calls and texts, sometimes for days.
One reply from us, usually within the hour.
Who pays for the introduction
The pro pays the platform for the lead whether or not they win it. That cost is priced into the quotes you receive.
No lead fee in the middle. You're paying for the work.
Vetting
Yours to do — compare profiles, reviews and quotes across several strangers.
One local outfit with one reputation in a market small enough that reputation is the whole business.
Time to a real number
Wait for bids to arrive, then compare and follow up.
Text a photo, get a flat quote back the same day.
Knowing what to ask for
You generally have to pick the right trade category before you can post the job.
Describe the problem. If it's not ours, we'll tell you who to call.
Afterwards
Your number stays in the system and tends to resurface.
We contact you about your job. That's it.
When each option wins
Use a lead marketplace when you need bids, or a trade we don't do
For roofing, HVAC, licensed electrical, plumbing, tile, pool service or anything requiring a permit, a lead marketplace is a fast way to line up several licensed bids — and for a job that size you should absolutely be comparing. The same goes for any big-ticket project where the spread between quotes is worth a few days of phone calls. We don't do that work, and a page like this would be worthless if it pretended otherwise.
Skip the bidding round for small and mid-sized jobs
For a TV mount, a furniture build, a garage cleanout, a delivery or a half-day of odd jobs, a competitive bidding process costs more time than the job is worth. You'll spend two days fielding calls to save an amount that a single flat quote would have settled before lunch — and the pros bidding have a lead fee baked into their number.
What these jobs cost with us
Our published starting prices, against real jobs. Where a job isn't ours, we've said so.
A garage cleanout you want gone this week
One photo, one flat quote, one visit. No shortlist.
Shelves, a doorbell camera and two furniture builds
A half-day block covers a run of small jobs that would otherwise be several separate bookings.
Furniture delivered and the old set hauled off
Delivery and disposal in the same trip, quoted as one number.
Re-roofing the house after storm damage
Licensed roofing contractor, multiple bids, permit required. Use the marketplace — this isn't us.
The bottom line
Lead marketplaces are a bidding tool. They earn their keep on big licensed jobs where comparing quotes actually saves real money. For the small and mid-sized work that fills up most people's list, the bidding round is the expensive part. Text us a photo, get one flat number, and keep your phone quiet.
Frequently asked questions
Why do so many pros call me after I submit a request?
Because the lead is sold to several of them at once — that's how the model works, and it's why the calls keep coming after you've already hired someone. It's a feature if you want competing bids and a nuisance if you just wanted a price on a garage cleanout.
Does the lead fee actually affect what I pay?
It has to. A pro paying for leads whether or not they win has to cover that cost across the jobs they do win, and it lands in the quote. It's not a scandal, just a cost in the chain — and on small jobs it's a meaningful share of the total.
What jobs should I use a lead marketplace for instead?
Anything licensed or permitted — roofing, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, tile, pool work — and any large project where competing bids are worth the wait. We don't do that work, and comparing bids on a big job is genuinely how you should buy it.
How fast will I hear back from you?
Usually within the hour during working hours, with a flat quote if you've sent a photo. There's no bidding round because there's only one of us.
Will you tell me if the job isn't yours?
Yes, and quickly. We turn down licensed trade work and anything needing a permit. Pointing you at the right kind of pro costs us a job we shouldn't have taken and saves you an appointment that was never going to work.
Other comparisons
How a marketplace booking compares to a local crew that shows up with a truck.
The line between a small job and licensed trade work — and who to call for each.
Need it fixed, moved, or hauled?
Call, text a photo, or send a quote request. Most jobs quoted same day.