Finding the right people to work on your rental property is a much harder task than you may anticipate. The best way to find quality contractors has historically been word of mouth from other real estate investors, however there is a new alternative – online service directories. These platforms directly connect customers and service providers for everything from tree trimming to full remodels. Below we take a deep dive into everything you need to know about the top tools available to find contractors and service professionals.
What are Real Estate Service Professional Directories?
Service professional directories, also called home service websites or home service marketplaces, are online marketplaces for finding and hiring contractors and service professionals for real estate related projects.
List of Online Service Professional Directories
Online home service professional directories have grown in popularity throughout recent years with the total market estimated to be around $657 Billion. Along with the growing market size, has also been a rise in the number of new platforms now available. Below is a list of the top directories:
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How to Use Real Estate Service Websites to Find Contractors and Pros?
With just a smartphone or computer, anyone can utilize any of these online real estate tools. Depending if you a customer looking for a service, or professional looking to offer a service, you can use these platforms in the following ways:
How Customers Use
The process usually begins with using their search feature or selecting the type of job. From there, you will likely be asked a series of additional questions to narrow down your search. Once the results are populated, you can select one and send them a message.
How Professionals Use
If you are a business, you will have to create a profile for your business. This process will require you to input information about your business such as name, services provided, licenses, and contact information.
What are the Benefits of Using Real Estate Service Directories?
These online marketplaces are designed to simplify the process of finding qualified professionals, comparing pricing and completing the job. From general contractors to house cleaners, these websites allow customers to search through local professionals with reviews and contact information. As a professional, these platforms allow you to reach more customers who might have not otherwise been attainable.
Customer Benefits
As a real estate investor, your time is valuable. Unless you hired a property management company to oversee your rental property, you will be in charge of any repairs or maintenance. These online platforms eliminate the need to waste precious time and money shopping around for endless quotes or screening each company individually.
Professional Benefits
As a business owner, more customers usually means more profits. These platforms provide a direct marketing channel to new customers looking for your services. You can directly engage with potential customers, while building brand awareness in your local community. Some marketplaces may offer additional exposure for a fee.
Which is the Best Home Service Directory?
Several of the leading marketplaces have been around for a long time (i.e. Angi was founded in 1995). Others have been around for shorter periods, but successfully leveraged innovative technologies to earn a dominant place in the market. The best approach to finding the best online construction service directory is to try out several of the top platforms to see which yields better results. Since they are free for customers to use, testing out several different options is a risk free way to check which platforms have the most services you are looking for in your local area.