The ever-changing home services market continues to shift with HomeAdvisor offering up a new Facebook booking feature, continued shakeups and several new entries into the quickly evolving space.
“The gaps between social, search and online marketplaces are bridging at an unprecedented rate,” said Chris Terrill, HomeAdvisor CEO. Here’s a look at the latest happenings contractors need to be aware — and how to take full advantage of them:
— HomeAdvisor and Facebook. HomeAdvisor, which seems to be one of the most aggressive home services on the market, recently expanded its Instant Booking feature to integrate with Apple iCloud, Microsoft Outlook, ServiceTitan and MarketSharp. It has now added the ability for homeowners to book services with contractors through Facebook’s call to action button. The call to action button can be added on Facebook Pages (Facebook’s business facing page) and customized.
“Facebook pages help businesses reach customers where they are already spending time, making it easier than ever for customers to find the information they need to get things done,” Terrill said. “This announcement paves the way for an important paradigm shift — one that will digitize ‘word of mouth’ recommendations for the modern consumer.”
— Site focused on energy efficiency. New home services site, Modernize, specializes in four energy-efficient home improvement trades: residential solar, energy-efficient windows, roofing replacement and repair and HVAC solutions. The site claims to help “millions” with projects each year, and offers “extensive” guides to consumers.
“The home improvement industry is following the same vertical trends that the home sales market and the automotive market have taken over the last twenty years,” the site says. “Every day, every week, every month more and more people are going online to research and to find a contractor to help with their home improvement remodel. Soon, no homeowner will remodel without going digital first.”
— A new online model? Contractors.com is currently signing up new contractors with the chance to win a Tesla Model X. The site appears to combine desktop and mobile apps with the promise of a “revolutionary new home improvement service.”
“In the last few years, we have seen services launched to provide information on home improvement ideas, and others who have continued to implement the same old lead generation model of connecting contractors and property owners that we have experienced since the mid 1990’s,” said Payam Zamani, Founder and CEO at One Planet Ops Inc., parent company of Contractors.com. “The new Contractors.com fundamentally transforms the way contractors connect and concurrently improves the quality of service for both contractors and property owners.”
The site is expected to fully launch sometime this year.
— Angie’s List Shakeups. After rebuffing a buyout offer from the parent company of HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List has continued to suffer shakeups. The latest: Bankrate CEO Thomas Evans has been elected chairman of the board. Evans is replacing John Chuang, who resigned as chairman and director on Oct. 3. Director Steven Kapner also resigned, effective Oct. 3. With the changes, the Angie’s board now consists of 10 members.
But the news isn’t all bad for Angie’s List. InvestorsPlace.com, a leading investing and financial news site, actually recommends buying the stock over Twitter.
The site notes that since dropping the reviews pay wall in June, Angie’s List has added 700,000 members, many of them opting for the free service.
“We are very encouraged by the loyalty of our paid subscriber base,” CEO Scott Durchslag said in its first-quarter 2016 press release. “In addition, we have a substantial opportunity to convert our new free members into premium subscribers over time.”
— A site for small jobs. Focusing on small home projects, new site, myKhee.com, “an online-crowd-sourcing platform,” seeks to connect homeowners with handymen and “handy amateurs.”
The site allows homeowners to post projects and then get “crowd-sourced” bids from professional — and nonprofessional — sub contractors. “In my experience as a homeowner and landlord, I recognize how hard it is to find good home service providers, especially for smaller home projects,” said Aseiu Putsure, CEO and founder of myKhee.com.
Currently the service is available in the Pittsburg, Penn., area, but it plans to expand to other cities soon.
